Devising Project Blog 4: Week 2

Monday, 18/1/16:

Today we continued with our piece on the American diner and have made one more scene for it and there have been some interesting developments. We also started the day with a few games of tag and had to play it but as serious as possible. Even though it worked for very brief periods and everybody lost their concentration but the aim of doing it seriously was to see how the mood would be changed during the game and it could show how the energy state and concentration could make the whole thing feel very different. It even showed that if we don't mess around and stick to an objective then we can achieve it much more easily. I think the class for the most part did a poor job of conveying this until the end when we had to get in a line, hold hands and tangle each other up. We the had to untangle the group without talking or even communicating. This part we did relatively well and we did it quite quickly and smoothly. We were then asked to incorporate a children's game into a scene to see if it would work. So that's what we tried. We tried incorporating musical statues.


Strengths and weaknesses:

A weakness of today is that the organisation of talking and giving ideas is getting a little worse. Quite a few members were annoyed including myself. We even tried to have the members who wanted to work to sit in the corner and contribute in a more controlled manor but while it worked at first, the more people came over the more hectic it got and the more interruptions were happening. I can't think of a way that means the group will actually be organised in terms of their ideas because I think they're just too impatient. I could suggest to someone that we sit in a circle and go around taking turns with giving the ideas and if anyone has an expansion on their idea they just write it down instead of just interrupting the person but realistically I don't think that will go down well. I've also noticed that my group doesn't seem willing at all to experiment with some ideas. It either goes as we like the idea and then we just stick with it or we seem sceptical and just dismiss it. There was also an issue I had with Katrina where she seemed much more focused and concerned on the minor task of the day of incorporating a game into the scene rather than working on incorporating physical theatre styles into the current piece which seems to be one of the core aspects of this assignment. While that is a very small issue and I'm not really against her intentions and what she's trying g to do, it wouldn't have been so bad if she didn't just outright dismiss my ideas at the start since they weren't to do with games. Thankfully she realised this and let the group suggest things later on but I thought it was worth mentioning as a reminder that the groups organisation and priorities probably aren't where they should be at the moment.

A positive is that we have got some interesting ideas going such as the staging and some the ideas involving character arcs or even the new directions we could possibly take the piece including the idea of following multiple. Personally I think some of the ideas today such as the idea of where to put the audience was fantastic and honestly could be brilliant if we actually try it out and I really hope we do. Some people were very keen to give ideas despite dome of them not linking to the stimulus at all although that doesn't matter too much since it's just our setting at the moment that has been directly influenced by the stimulus. While it does seem like I dislike this assignment or I'm just not enjoying it, I can confidently say that I am. I just feel that highlighting this issues is really the only way I can help resolve them and the group does have problems but overall so far I like the direction my group is going with the piece despite our discussions sometimes being a mess.


Developments:

One development was that Katrina suggested removing the girls from the diner scene in order to give the male side of the scene more focus and with the intent on making the scene tense. this didn't really get anywhere and the scenario I imagined in my head seemed to have a lack of any physical theatre although I can't tell since the idea never went anywhere. I have faith that Katrina had more to it than we made up which was very little. An idea came up that the piece will feature multiple protagonists instead of focusing solely on the original one who we  decided to call Jim. I don't know why this change was made because it was never explained or if it was then I didn't hear it. There was no reason as to why they have changed the story arc and I'm personally not a fan of it but if they decide to stick with it then I'll go with it. If it works then I'll be happy but I would like to know why this has happened. One idea that we came up with before that was admittedly quite good in which we had a scene where the main character would meet his future wife through a crowd and that would be the focus of the scene. I quite liked the idea and it seemed to go well even though it needed some adjustments but the fact it was scrapped was not something I was comfortable with especially seeing as it was got rid of so quickly. The last development of this session was to the scene structure. The group thought of adding a new years eve scene after every decade scene. Whether or not it would be any year or the end of that specific decade I don't know since it was never really mentioned

Creative ideas/input:

I have made a few suggestions today although very few of them were even considered due to some of the people in the group have different concerns at the time. One I suggested was an expansion on Katrina's idea of the lead character seeing his future wife through a crowd once we've all frozen. I thought that on the way there we could surround her and move along with her as the crowd so it could show that the place is packed without actually having too many actors on stage and could also show her struggle of getting through since we'd most likely be the ones controlling the direction in which she moves due to it being quite a hectic crowd. That was unfortunately quickly dismissed but I thought that it was a move that could potentially look very fluid and flowing which would also help us with showing their separation if we got their facial expressions right as well. I came up with an idea of dancing like I have no idea what's going on and then look like I'm trying to copy other people and seem like I'm warming up to the party atmosphere. I thought this would be an interesting and subtle scenario since it's only in the background for about a minute or so. I didn't suggest it to the group since we decided to improvise the scene. Also with this scene I thought incorporating musical statues into it was a very good idea on Katrina's part would have been really interesting to explore if not for it getting quickly cut. Katrina also come up with the idea of having the audience sit it the diner which I personally thought was a brilliant idea and even got me thinking about it.
Katrina staging audience in diner

Overall today was quite disappointing since we seemed to get rid of quite a few great ideas and I'm not looking forward to where we will go in the near future since we're still terribly organised and the rest seem more focused on changing ideas rather than developing or expanding. I want to stick with an idea with a decent amount of time before just hearing something new and then briefly working on that and changing again. Now there are quite a few negatives with the group at the moment but I'm hoping that it will get better because when we get an idea going I love working with them it's just the few problems this group has that I've mentioned quite a lot is getting to me and others in the group as well yet no one seems to want to talk about it so I feel I'm going to have to at some point.









Tuesday, 19/1/16:


Today we started the day by splitting off into groups and seeing if we could come up with any ideas. They did have to relate to the stimulus but we could probably fit them in if we wanted but that was not the focus of this small session for my group.

Creative ideas:

I went with Jack A and Max and we just talked briefly and then decided to get up and have a starting point to develop as we go. Max came up with the idea of surgery but the reason for it is ambiguous although it heavily hints that whatever is being taken, it's being taken forcibly. I would be the one to tie and hold jack down while he's having this done to him while he's awake. The scene looked quite good and gave off a sense of pain and panic which was intended. We were hoping if people liked it that we may focus on the back story to it or even the events after depending on whether or not we actually decided what was being taken. The idea I came up with was when Max was explaining his and he mentioned a that Jack A would have amnesia. This triggered an idea for a plot thread in my head in which a man wakes up and has amnesia and then interacts with people in ways to help remind him of who they are and reestablish the relationships he has with them through physical montages. I said to Jack A that he should lay down on the floor and then while we were admittedly messing around I did a move on him in which I moved him up without touching him. I was imitating "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" where this happens in a climactic scene. This seemed really cool to me and Jack since it looked very fluid and surreal. We then decided to start the scene with that movement and them both me and max coming in top remove his memories and then I wake him up. The move seemed supernatural so that's what it seemed to imply and we all liked how it fit. I thought this idea had a lot of potential for quite a few scenes including the idea that the different relationships could incorporate different styles. The group seemed to quite like the idea especially Katrina who offered the idea of it being in another world so that the people he may recognise but he would have to show them who he is or discover something or a similar story along these lines and it was a very good idea in my opinion. I also contributed towards the fight scenes in the diner scene we would later develop due to abandonment of my idea which we didn't even explore. I suggested to Jack T (who I'm fighting) that I should roll over the table after being pushed by him. I think it would look quite cool and add more flair to the scene if it's done correctly.


Developments:

The main development of this session was that the scene we worked on originally appears to have been scrapped now although it could be that we're using ideas from that scene to make another one where the black man we beat up has been replaced with 2 drunk men. which we must now fight on the table instead of just one man at the bar. Now I'm quite torn on this idea because it takes away the more interesting subtext from before of racial inequality and replaces it with just 2 drunk men. However the fight we have staged for it seems far more interesting visually since there are two simultaneous fights happening at once in very similar ways. So I'm hoping the racism theme will be revisited and hopefully expanded on. There were quite a few more starting points mentioned today which I thought was unnecessary since we had just had a session about ideas and they were all scrapped. We eventually agreed that going with the diner would be what we'd do for the day however I don't like that they abandoned my idea without even expanding it a little. At first a few of us seemed very keen on trying the idea with the war scene and the diner and fitting them into the amnesia one and admittedly when thinking of how it would go, it did seem to flow and blend together quite well but 2 or 3 members thought that it would be too long or cluttered but I disagree with this since we don't have much material and we need to expand on what we have so I'm disappointed we never saw what potential it could've had.



Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths:

A strength of today was that the group were still keen for ideas despite being stressed. Their creative minds were still thinking of starting points even though though they were annoyed at the mess of ideas we have and since no one could really decide about what to do. The session in the theatre where we had to just make something up was a truly great session and a brilliant ideas to get our minds active on the go and it even helped us with our fault of talking too much about ideas and not actually making anything up physically.

Weaknesses:

There were quite a few weaknesses today. The problem of the constant interruption has somehow gotten worse now I can barely hear what anyone is saying and when asked to do something after everyone has talked over each other is quite annoying because everyone was confused and sometimes contradictive to each other. Despite the amount of ideas that were being suggested, they all seemed to be either completely unnecessary or just made things more complicated and stressful which is something we really didn't need. I also don't like that my idea was scrapped so quickly and it's not because it was my idea that I don't like my dismissal, it's the fact that most of the group just had the intent of getting rid of it without trying it out despite really liking it about 20 minutes earlier. If we had tried it out for a bit and it genuinely didn't work or just not as well as the others then I honestly wouldn't have minded. I want what will work best but I feel we should've given it a go to give it some resolution and reason to it being gotten rid of. So overall the day started brilliantly and with promise and then got much worse and the ideas just went in circles.














Thursday, 21/1/16:

Since the last session was admittedly quite awful since people were stressed and the session just overall didn't go very well. We started off the day by finally trying to get a story and structure that we can stick to and thankfully we found it. We have decided to stick with the diner idea and to stick to the idea of following Max as the main character and events in his life throughout individual decades. We went with it because it was the most fleshed out of our ideas and had the most potential from our experimentation with certain ideas. We focused on the intro scene and the following scene set in the 1940's which was the scene we worked on last week but we just needed to tweak it. Our plan is to go over the scene and create a sort of "Rough cut" of the piece and see what we have to iron out

Creative Ideas/Input:

We started with the intro scene in which we agreed it should be Max introducing it. Max is the one who as of now is writing and improvising his dialogue but during this session he couldn't think of much which is fine for now as I agree that dialogue should have a bit more planning. One thing Katrina thought of quickly was that the tables and chair for the diner will be brought on by all of us in a somewhat creepy or limp manner and when trying it out I think it looked quite good but does need some work. Before that though she suggested all of us (the people who are gonna interact with this man at some point in his life) standing in a row and then me standing in the centre of the line doing the move from my amnesia idea where I lift him up. Although Katrina did this because she thought it would satisfy me, I said that if it didn't work I'd be OK with it but we tried it anyway. When doing it I tried thinking of a reason for it and I think I've found one. In my mind I was thinking that since this is in a dream like state or something not literal, we could all be a reason in his mind that he has awakened. Also while developing these scenes there were idea for other scenes that had basic templates. One was Katrina's idea of having a sex scene after the scene we had done a while ago of hi meeting his wife. She seemed keen on the idea due to it's physical and emotional potential and I think it's a good idea. It would only have to be suggesting it rather than be blatant and I know that they can be done well, for example, frantic assembly's "Othello" had a sex scene which was beautifully so I think with practice for whoever does it, it could be brilliant.  I then suggested an idea for the ending which seemed to go quite well. I said that since a recurring theme of the piece is regret then I thought it would be a good idea to show him letting go of his regret by having moments of physical reconciliation with all the people he's interacted with throughout the play and then those people who he's now let go of help him to rest in piece.  think it could be quite a beautiful moment of relief and hope in an otherwise pessimistic piece which would be a nice way to conclude it. The group seemed keen for the idea and me and Jack A had ideas for music for the final montage. My idea was to use a Instrumental piece called "Father and Son" from the game "Metal Gear Solid 4" composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. It's a wonderful piece of music that I think would fit the scene perfectly due to it's somber yet epic tone which will help set the mood for a bitter sweet end. Jack A suggested a song called "Saturn" by Sleeping at Last which is a very moving piece with a lot of scope in it's opening first half which is instrumental. The second half which has lyrics is just as beautiful but with a more somber feel to it. I think either of these pieces will suit it brilliantly when/if we try it out. Jack A also suggested using a combination of a Martin Luther King speech and some music. I can't remember it exactly  or who it was by but it seemed quite interesting and will have to consider it.




Developments:

As soon as Max has woken and had his opening monologue the following scene is the same one as we worked on but just tweaked a little in terms of the fighting speed but there was was big thing added to the scene. The idea of the girls banging a tune on the table that increases in volume as we keep fighting. I do quite like the idea although they seemed to have trouble with remembering the beat. I tried recommending another more simpler one but they didn't seem to listen. However they got it down and it seems to work for now.


Strengths and Weaknesses:

Strengths:

The best strength of this session is that my group now has a much better sense of focus on one idea instead of thinking of more and more starting points. We seemed a lot more collaborative and enthusiastic about the project. We were suggesting relevant ideas and rolling with them and even tried to make each other happy by actually experimenting with them a little. We were more active than usual, we talked as we moved and devised, not sitting down and discussing so we seemed to get more done and getting a good idea of what we're actually doing and I'm glad we're finally getting this going and I hope it stays like this. The interrupting still happens but today seemed more controlled than usual thankfully.

Weaknesses:

To be honest the only weakness of this session was that at the beginning we had to sort out all the problems we had last session due to the stress and while that was a little difficult it was over quickly and then we got on with the work.


Problems and solutions:

One problem that happened was when I had to roll over the table when jack T pushes me over it. Most of the attempts went quite well but one of the times we tried it where we tried adding aggression to it and more speed. He hit me in the jaw by accident and even though it didn't hurt (much) the rest of the group still noticed so that means that moment in particular we will have to run over and over again to see if we can put the right amount of aggression and speed it to make it convincing but safe. As of now I'd say maybe he should aim more for my side rather than a random high area or the top of my shoulder/neck. This may make it safer and more flowing. Another problem was the lifting move I do to max at the beginning. Max (compared to Jack A) doesn't have the strengths to do the move properly. I asked him to give it a few goes with Jack A giving him some advice on how to. He could do it but only once instead of the intended  and I think with some practice he could get it to look flowing as it should. Having 1 instead of 3 is fine and is a decent compromise. Another issue is whether or not some people will be comfortable with doing the sex scene. I personally would if I was asked to or was the last option since I think it could be a genuinely beautiful or powerful moment if done properly. While I would do it I admittedly would be uncomfortable with it at first. I guess we'll have to ask who will actually do it and if no one says they will then I will have to I think.



Aim of the piece:

We were asked to come up with a target audience and an aim for the piece and while we have ideas for now I can't confidently say that we're sticking with it. As of now the aim was to educate the audience about changes in American culture throughout the 20th century and our target audience is middle class Americans. I myself see those rather ill fitting as of now but it most likely will change.