Solo Performance BignellM

Here is a vlog that reflects on my performance yesterday.

 

I was very happy with the responses from the audience after the performance this morning. Many said that it was a friendly and comfortable show to watch. They found that the stage set up helped to clearly place the action between the conscious and subconscious thoughts of the character. I felt the videos, lighting and sound seamlessly transitioned from one piece of action to the next, maintaining a sense of excitement thus keeping the audience’s attention (so thank you very much tech team, in particular Ferenc and Georgia).

Working through the module and after seeing the majority of solo performance shows (with one still to go) I have found that there is a great sense of freedom with creating a solo performance, which at points can be liberating but also has its risks. It is very easy to get lost in your own thoughts or to be happy with the first clear idea. I found early on that I needed to perform to people so that they could assess how the work was shaping up and whether it conveyed the appropriate atmosphere.

Well done to everyone involved in solo performances this year, It was brilliant to see such a great variety of performances and watch them develop from the initial ideas.

 

 

 

Here are two bits of footage that I created over the last few weeks. The first is where I wanted to create a video showing what it would look like if you photocopied your face. After recent changes, this is no longer part of the final show but I was happy with the end result.

 

 

The next clip is one of the chins that will feature in the final show in a montage of chins all talking at once.

 

Feel free to send me comments or feedback on the footage.

 

After the past few weeks of workshopping and rehearsals, I have found it necessary to change and edit my initial performance ideas. There were many factors that lead to this decision, but the main point was that the show still appeared like a collection of sketches, even with the transitions that were in place. I discovered that there was no through line of action that moved from one moment to the next. Also, the amount of multi-media and unique technical requirements such as the working photocopier became too much of a risk to rely on them. I felt that artistically, I had to have a show that could run even if all the multi-media failed during it.

My new concept is set within an office instead of an office party, as this will help me explore more themes related to the stigma behind office work. The piece still incorporates puppetry but there are narratives that now run throughout the entire piece that hold it all together. Firstly, there is a woman (symbolised by the sound of high heels walking passed the desk) who the office worker has a crush on and so the action revolves around his relationship with her. Also, the chin puppets remain as the stereotypes that run through the character’s head as he tries to cope with the stress and monotony of office life. In order to exaggerate this feeling further, I am going to remain stationary behind the desk, using the two televisions to create stage dynamics.

After working on this new concept for a couple of days, it has illustrated to me how important it is to question the value of your work. I feel an idea must be taken as far as it can so that you can see the possible end result. In this case, the end result was unclear and in need of fine tuning to suit my own performance style.  I aimed to incorporate influences from Paul Currie and The Boy With Tape On His Face, but by trying to utilise their techniques, I was limiting my own devising process.

I will be acquiring the video material very soon so I shall share that next time. Only two weeks until the show is performed 10.30 in studio 1.

Throughout the past two weeks I have looked into the logistics of how I am going to perform with multi- media. This has lead to experimenting with different technology and examining what possibilities I have. As well as this, I have finished my videos with the help of Ferenc, Georgia and everyone that volunteered their chins.

I came across difficulties during the first part of filming as the camera didn’t record the sound and so the original footage had to be scrapped. I was performing a lip sync to music with my hand and without the backing track present in the original footage, it was nearly impossible to synchronise the soundtrack to the action.

Also, I was looking to create the affect of a photocopier going across my face for one video, which took a lot of experimentation with lights and camera positioning (with assistance from Shane). We found that there were problems with the glass as it reflected the light and made it difficult to get the camera out of shot. Then there was the light itself, which couldn’t move across the glass without being seen by the camera and then the beam was too rounded. We solved these solutions by building home made barn doors for a floor light (similar to a patio light), which  gave a narrow but long beam. The light was then strong enough to be shone at the glass from distance.

The final footage will be looped and shown on a television screen to coincide with a stage image where I photocopying my own face. My aim for this sequence is to uncover and demonstrate the despair that the character has developed. The audience are allowed access to an intimate moment where the character is trapped within the machine that is office life. The photocopier then captures part of him with each printed picture.

Once all of the footage was complete, I spent time with Ferenc and Georgia testing out the various possibilities with presenting the work. The greatest difficulty was that some of the footage needed to be projected on separate screens at the same time, meaning that I needed two screens, two laptops and a means to project the images. We started with the idea of two projectors but this was quickly thrown out as it would be too dim with stage lights on at the same time. Also, the screens were very uncharacteristic of an office environment (although we did discuss a flip chart either side). We came to a final conclusion that the best system would be to feed the videos onto television with VGA cables running from the macs. This created the right atmosphere and presented a much clearer image for the material.

 

Here is the little tech workshop

 

My next blog will present some sneaky peeks at some film footage and my sketches of the stage layout.

 

Hello again, many of you have said that the presentation hasn’t been working for you so I have finally found a solution. Sorry for the delay.