UNIT 1 + 2 (Introduction to Performance and production)

UNIT 1 
Introduction to Performance
Context
This Unit is our first unit to the year and it is our introduction to performance and we are doing a play about Identity. It is a improvised piece which helps us gain skills and improve on the skills we have. Identity piece is a personal topic as it talk about your personality and your own identity and the stories that go with your identity. We were starting to put our identity pieces together with different stimuli to help us. We discussed what identity means to us and we came up the idea of bullying as a lot of people get bullied which can effect our identity or the person we turn out to be. We discussed different kind of bullying and chose bullying someone over where they cane from and how they are not easily accepted in the first place because they are from a different country.

Research 
The research for this unit was mostly practice and researching on way to learn lines and researching topics to do with identity. For example we had to research technique of  improving our group performances. Our teacher gave us pointers to improve. We rehearsed this to understand them and used them on our own performance. We also played drama games and exercises. Using these games as spatial awareness and awareness of the other actors in our class. The skills of improvising helped us create more ideas with our group pieces of how to create idea on the spot and how to learn to use these idea to our advantages.














Planning
The planning for this unit was mostly practising ,reading lines and improving our skills.

We was given pointers to improve our piece so it could be ready to show it to a audience

• Keeping our heads up
• being louder
• how to change our character roles
• Cheating the space (profile acting)
• How to inhabit a role (stay in character)
• To be careful on dialogue (not speak over people)

These will help improve our piece to show it to a audience. We have to learn one thing we have to remember when we are acting which is:
F. focus
E. energy
C. concentration

We have started to act in our groups our pieces of Identity. We came with new ideas of trying to improve like who goes where and if we saying the right lines. We have our basic three scenes of how the bullies treat the new students and with our improvising lesson.

We discussed how to put our ideas together and learn how different stage spaces help.
We are putting our different scenes together so it can all flow together.
Were going through blocking and started acting in the theatre so we know where our space is.
Rob is helping us with our scenes making them clearer and better for the day.
We have been blocking through in acting trying to get our performance perfect. We keep practising and keep improving. Rob gave us notes we still have to sit neutral in the back and sit quiet and keep still.
In acting we had the last few days to practice we had before we performed. Therefore on the day before we performed we went through the whole play and rob gave us some last tips. Focus was still an important one and we had to remember to keep focus at all times so where we look up to do during our performance had to always stay to the top row as that where we would be projecting our voice to and eye contact to.

Problem solving 
Most of our problems taught us how when a challenge comes your way which it will that acting is not always easy but as actors you know how to solve it and carry on. 

For our group rob added a scene so our piece wouldn't end on a bad scene as we were on of the last groups to perform for the audience and therefore making it a happier ending seemed to make more sense. Rob gave us notes on improvements on our acts. An important note is our focus must be on point because we had keep going off character when we have no lines or we are just standing on stage space as the audience is watching all of us and if someone in the background goes of focus the audience losses focus on the main characters and start to notice the tiny details. Another improvement is to be louder and to have more energy as the character. More improvements is be over the top with the character, the audience may laugh but we have to keep focus, when we sit out of scene to sit neutral.
The main problem is people keep getting distracted when sitting at the back and another improvement is to stand still when saying lines and not to move around or dance around as that can be a distraction. Instead of dancing we could do movements that had to do with our characters. More improvements is be aware of the stage space and not to profile act during a dialogue, but to cheat out the space.

Evaluation
At the start of this unit we were new to the acting course and new to each other. By the end we learn skills and key points for the future of acting and the future of this course. The performance showed off what we learnt and still have some improvements for future performances.
The problem in this unit was we this was our first unit so therefore we were new to the teaching styles and the way the lessons work but i believe that we worked out and did a good performance. Our planning process was very receptive in learning on scripts every lesson but i think that just helps us remember what we do and helps us perform even better in the end.
My performing skills before I was very good at memory but in the first few weeks my confidence and projection was very low and my skills as a actor were not fully developed and I still had learning to do. Even thought I have improved in some areas I still have learning to do and I hope and learn in
future performances. I believe my voice projection has improved as I was never loud but when the performance came i spoke loud and clear which I am very happy about. I also believed my communication has improved as I talk to my fellow class mates and tell my ideas to them and I think communication is key especially in improving in acting. 
Other people's believe my confidence has grown and I have good use of space and I know where to stand and how to dress the audience. Also they have said my body language has enhanced as I don't stand and talk my lines. I use my body more and my actions.
The skills needed for the performance is the skills we have been learning throughout our lessons. Like voice projection and confidence and skills that helped us in our acting lessons and in 
performances
Our performance for identity
https://youtu.be/T-afUrE8bFQ


UNIT 2
Introduction to Production
Context
This unit was our introduction to Performance. This unit taught us the production side of performances and taught us if acting is not our interest there are other things that we can pursue that will still be involved in working in theatre.
In unit 2 we  learnt about the different production jobs and how its not only the actors that made the play into show business,We we have to work on choosing a production job and write a essay on it  I decided on doing costume design because i am the most interested into designing and the intricate steps of costume design and behind the scenes of everything that goes into costume design. We had to research what qualifications and experience you had to do to get into these jobs. These topics include of what qualifications you would need to do these jobs and how much money is paid in these jobs. These topics go into information about the job and so if we chose to chose one of these jobs these
essays will help us with the information we would need. This is also helping us have another option if performing or acting wasn't want we wanted in our future life we can have a option of working behind the scenes of theatres.

Research
The research for this Unit was on finding a production job that interests you. Find information of this job and complete an essay on the job and it’s details.
First we watched some videos of different performances and learning how that act came onto the big show. (the blue man group and the Ukraine dancers). I felt that we were learning about the behind the stage of the theatre and that it's not only about the actors that people see.
I had to also research what goes on behind costume design and I had to see how much money a costume designer makes.
I also had to research what education goes into being a costume designer, what degrees you had to have and also what company you would be likely working for as well as what other production jobs they would have to work with.
I also researched what other famous people do costume design that have become famous and have had a business in costume design.

Planning
This unit planning was to plan the job we chose and to plan our essay and their formats. These essays portray the job we chose and the information gathered and also what job would best suit us if acting didn’t work out.
The planning process for this unit is to research all the info and then lay it out onto a format for the examiner to understand what I was trying to portray in this essay about the job of costume design. I also had to plan what format my essay was in.

Problem solving

The problem in this unit is that the production job I chose to do a essay on which was costume design didn't have much information as costume design is one of the lower jobs and there is no degree you need to complete for it. So writing a lot of information about costume design on a essay in the education sector was difficult. I managed a way round this by finding more information on the other subject to add more detail into the essay.

Evaluation
My essay was done onto a document and printed out and handed in. I had to do my essay into paragraphs explaining all the topics on the production job of costume design. The salary of costume design can vary depending if you're working with a company or not and which company you are working with. The education for costume design there is no necessary degree to have but a portfolio of your costumes and ideas is needed. The people costume designers work with is different as they have to work with a lot of people to see if their costume will go well with the play. I think i did good with my essay and i had a lot of information to work with.