I know it hasn't necessarily been fun or easy, but we have made it to the end of our first week of digital learning! At the risk of sounding redundant: I'm proud of you. This has been a lot to take in, and I see so many students handling this with maturity and professionalism. I'd like to offer a special thank you to the parents and family members who are there with our students, helping to guide and keep our students on course. This is a team effort and we are succeeding!
This first week has largely been about having you submit work to us - particularly with regard to juries. As a result, I've had a lot of videos to watch and written work to process, and we haven't been able to have a lot of direct contact. I'd like to see that change next week. For one thing, we'll be returning to work based on individual classes (Intro and Drama 3) rather than underclassmen dealing with juries and seniors handling their own assignments. I'll be reaching out to you with some individual feedback on your juries and essays in the coming days. I'd also like to explore Zoom as a possible means for us to meet in groups and discuss our upcoming work. Stay tuned for more details.
Here is what you should be working on today:
ASSIGNMENTS
SENIORS
Your written film/TV analysis should be emailed to your current drama instructor by 4:15 pm on Friday, 3/20. Remember that you are focused on any and all of the following elements:
-The Acting – who delivers strong performances? Who doesn’t? Give specific examples.
-The Cinematography – what do you notice about the shots used? Are there long, continuous shots? Many cuts? What types of shots do you see the most?
-The Plot Structure – What do you notice about the way the story is told? What stands out to you about the writing?
-Style – is there anything unique about the style of the film or series? Describe it.
You may wish to look at yesterday's blog post for a more thorough explanation, and you should also feel free to contact me with questions.
FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS
Self-Evaluation
For your final jury-based assignment, you will critique your own performance. As we do often in our face-to-face acting classes, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the performance you see. In this case, however, the performance is your own. Be honest when evaluating your own performance, look for both what you need to work on, but also what you did well. Below are some areas you may wish to consider in the evaluation.
Beginning the monologue
Does the slate appear to be confident?
Are there any distracting movements or physical habits that undermine the effectiveness of the slate?
Is the transition into the monologue smooth and of adequate length? Does the character “take in” his or her partner before beginning to speak?
Acting:
Is the character’s point of view clear in the acting of the monologue?
Is the character’s intention or objective clear?
Are there varied choices of tactics or actions employed?
Does the character have a clear sense of being in response to the imaginary listener?
Is the character waiting for responses from the listener when appropriate?
Voice and Body:
Does the actor communicate effective vocally (clear diction, adequate projection, rate of speech, etc.)? If not how so? Be specific.
Does the actor communicate effective physically (gesture, eye focus, posture, stance, etc.) If not, how so? Be specific.
Ending of the monologue:
Does the actor end the monologue appropriately, giving the final moment an adequate pause at the end? Is the transition out of the monologue smooth, confident, and appropriately timed?
Question 1:
Considering the topics listed above, as well as others that come to mind, what do you believe could be improved in the performance of this monologue?
Question 2:
Considering the topics listed above, as well as others that come to mind, what do think is done well in the performance of this monologue?
Please upload your answers to our Google Form via the link provided below by Monday, 2/23 at 9:00 am.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1zJz0FlktI_xGg_ZXhvjPesXwcNJ8J4tUskZUzpS7IDIaMA/viewform?usp=sf_link
As always, please feel free to contact me with questions.
Have a great weekend! You've earned it!