I've been setting up a movable type system over at the junkyard monkeys site. The idea was that it would take the pressure off me to have to update the site myself, the others can just post their own entries. Furthermore it will make it easier to re-style when a new show comes along. The new site will go live in the next week or so.

One interesting thing that I discovered while creating a 'backstage' area, similar to what we used to have at arcproductions.org, was that you can put a little 'edit this entry' link on each post. In effect it creates the functionality of a little Wiki.

Movable_type is so handy. Playing around with all the tags, creating little automated menus, and all that fun fiddly stuff has me quite obsessed. Between renovating my blog, and doing the JM site, i'm wasting a lot of time.

Adam, I wonder if movable type would be of any use for et al?

Posted by Mark at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: design junkyard_monkeys movable_type web_design

I think I prefer this image, with the spotlighted effect. Yep!

Posted by Mark at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: agincourt animation design photos

I'm back from doing Monkey Magic in the city for chinese new year. It was quite fun. I'll take photos when we do it again tomorrow. I was only on for about 45 seconds in the end.

There was a bit of a mix up about the height of the stage, which made ramping it impossible. So I just did my Old Stag bit from the ground, and let all my other parts go.

It seemed to go well.

Some homeys were heckling us, and then tried to steal the microphone after the show. Some guy from the crowd wacked him one infront of all the children, and security had to come and break them up.

I did get to say something in Chinese, which came back to me just in time. I was quite pleased to discover that all these years since doing chinese in yr 12 i can still remember the odd phrase. Maybe I should take up chinese again.

One idea I had while waiting for the show to end. An easy way to get an audience for theatre projects might to be ask councils if we could perform a childrens play (maybe even with puppets) at their local festivals. It would be an easy gig to get and a good way to build up a reputation.

Then on the way home, as I polished off the end of Emergence, the fantastic book by Steven Berlin Johnson (see the link on my blogroll), i had another idea. Bottom-up emmergent theatre creating. It's a bit late to be thinking of ideas for honours thesis, but it's actually a cool idea. A bit hard to explain if you don't know about emmergence, but you could explore a lot with that theme.

Posted by Mark at 02:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: chinese emergence honours monkey_magic performance steven_berlin_johnson theatre

Last night's monkies meeting fizzled. No one but Elliot ended up coming, and we wouldn't of had any boxes to paint in anycase. (you know, the boxes for our box car alt spaces idea)

Instead, Elliot and I just talked and brainstormed and mused about theatre. It was slightly depressing because we realised that this group is either stuck or has bad momentum.

I'm quite the cautious pessimiste, I know, but I can't help but feel that we might be dead in the water. We may be just like Side Street who, as Elliot told me, looks likely to fold. Rohan's not into it anymore, and everyone who has been involved have decided to move on to other things.

Amongst our musings I was fascinated at how Elliot is such a long term planner. Like me, he loves his diary, setting dates, and writing things down. Yet unlike me, he thinks a few moves ahead.

My planning is born of pessism. I think that as the world may be ending tomorrow, planning is the best way to squeeze in as many last experiences as possible. I am constantly surprised and thankfull when simple little things actually work out.

An Elliot plan, in comparison, assumes that there is a good chance of the initial steps working, and that there is a future to plan for. Like planing for starting a company, and getting grants, and buying a venue.

As long as I can remember i've only ever thought one step ahead. I'd think about the next drama class, next years school musical, my next english assignment. You see, I am ambitious, but only for the current project. That's why I can still work hard on things, and why i'm a recovering perfectionist. Career ambition, life ambition, is a whole other kettle of fish. It's long term ambition.

Posted by Mark at 07:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: elliot introspection junkyard_monkeys pessimism theatre

This is the saddest email I have ever read ever! Serious guys, I�m not joking on this one. If you don�t burst into tears after reading this, you�re an awful person.

POOR CHARLIE

Saturday is a busy day
It�s time for the football game
So Charlie raced out of the door
His father did the same

He rushed towards the family car
And sat down on the seat
And impatiently waited for his dad
While wiggling his feet

Too busy to have breakfast
Too busy to comb his hair
Too busy to check the computer
And the email that waited there

So Charlie played his football
And kicked ten thousand points
Although he hurt his kicking foot
And other assorted joints

But for all his youthful vigour
And his cheeky boyish grin
Little did poor Charlie know
That fate was coming for him

He checked his computer once more
But off to the living room he went
Because �Idol� was on the tv
And the email remained unsent

Had he taken notice
Had he read it to the end
He would have understood the sad email
Sent to him by his friend

He didn�t read the story
He didn�t send it on
And slowly, very slowly
All his good luck shall be gone

For chain emails are a powerful thing
As Charlie did find out
The bad luck that awaited him
Was enough to make you shout�

�Oh no, not poor young Charlie
He�s such a brave little guy
He�s such a little trooper
Why did he have to die??�

That�s right, poor Charlie carked it
He got cancer in his bowel
Then got a bout of syphilis
�.please don�t ask us how

And then he tripped down the stairs
And broke his upper left thigh
And as he lay there in agony
He wished he had replied�

�To that simple little message
�Had I only passed it on
I wouldn�t be here dying
With chille stains on my shirt

I must have hit my head� he said
�I�ve clearly got concussion.
No longer am I rhyming well
Or speaking in correct pies�

As little Charlie passed away
Ducks nibbling at his spleen
And rats sneaking into his bowels for warmth
His toes were turning green

And from his foaming trembling lips
These last words did he moan
�if you don�t reply to chain emails
you�ll die horribly and alone�� probably down some stairs or something�

SEND THIS TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU! PLEASE! THIS COULD CHANGE THE WORLD! THE MORE PEOPLE THE BETTER�

50 - Send this email to over 50 people, and Charlie will come to life again. You and he shall go on a magical journey to some far off land, and then have cake. Then of course he will have to die again to make room for the next person to send 50 emails.

20 - Send this on to 20 people and not only shall you be immune to cancer, but you�ll also receive four billion dollars within seven seconds of sending it. Also, that huge crush that you once had will turn up to your door and immediately propose to you.

10 - Send this on to 10 people and you will develop duck repellent qualities. Furthermore to that, you will never ever spill chille on your favourite shirt. Your crush will come to your door and say something to do with avacados, but you were too busy staring in awe at them that you weren�t really listening. You�ll find a fifty dollar note on the street, but then you�ll probably just spend it on food or something, which makes it a kind of waste, because it all ends up in the toilet in the end anyway.

5 - Send this to 5 people and you will have an erotic dream about your crush that night. At least you think it�s them, because the person�s face isn�t quite the same and they change gender from time to time. Nevertheless it will be a happy dream. You will also find an empty bottle on the street while you walk to work which you can cash in for about twenty cents and the recycling shop. You�ll see a rat around the corner, but then you�ll keep walking and forget about it about four seconds later.

4 - Send this email to 4 people and we�ll give you a free upsize to 5, THIS WEEK ONLY!!

< 4 - Send this email to less than 4 people and you�ll most likely trip over some hobo on the way to work and have to clean bodily fluids off your favorite suit for the rest of the day.

0 - If you refuse to send this email to anyone, because you�re lazy, or insensitive or just don�t have any fingers, then you will die a horrible, horrible death.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don�t believe us? Check out these fantastic testimonials�

�Hi, My name is Fred Tompson. I read this email and was so moved by the story of Charlie that I immediately forwarded it to 24 people. The next day I became the richest man in the world by selling immitation sardines over the internet. I�m also married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and we make sweet love once every seven minutes. I owe it all to clicking my mouse button a few times and thinking of Charlie.�

***

�Tootles! Jeanette Winterbottom�s the name. I am a teacher of Information Technology at Darbishire Elementary College. We recently had one of our students die from witholding Chain emails from the community. Among the symptons included a broken pancreas, dislocated brain, a bit of a backache after dinner, and the distinct smell of duck poo. I now use this email as a criteria for all my student�s gradings and have found it successful in reducing the ammount of rat-related deaths in the college by 37% Since implementing the program, all unexpected in-class fatalities were the result of other phenomenon and not this email. Thank you Charlie!�

***

�Hi, I�m Brett. I received this email, and deleted it� now I�m dead.�

***

�I�m Ted Lowry. I received this email, and sent it to only 7 people. As I was walking to work the next day, I found an old CD on the road. I tried to play it, but it was really too scratched to get any real melodies. I kept it around the office for a few more days, but then I threw it out and bought a sandwich. God bless you Charlie!�

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As you can see, the power of this email is astronomical. So prove to yourself and to your friends that you are a good person, and not a selfish one. Send this to as many people as you can. And if you don�t have enough friends to send this email to, then you�re probably an awful person and deserve all the bad luck coming to you.

But now here�s the best bit. Before you press send, think of Charlie, count to five and make a wish�

>
>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 5!
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 4!
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 3!
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 3!
>>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>>> 1!
>>>>
>>>
>>
>

Ooops, it must have got wet. But perhaps if you wait a little while, then your wish is 46% certain to be absolutely GUARANTEED to come true!

Wjtju x x x epu bsdqspevdujpot epu psh (dpnqmfy dpef csfbljoh, bz?)

Posted by Mark at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: adam chain_email charlie

Last night Australia 216 Not Out closed. The cast and crew did that nice get the director a present thing, which was...nice. They gave me a bottle of wine, and a 'baggy green' with REGI written on the front (Regi is my new nickname. Long story).

There were little speaches at the end, and everyone was really nice. So who knows what they'll ask me to do in the future. But i'm not available for the fringe beause of maids anyway, and i won't be directing for a while.

Tomorrow, after Dr Phil, i'm going to uni. I'm recording a Madame voice over for Simon. He is going to use it as part of his 2nd year version of the Maids.

This morning, I watched a tape of Gilly Girls. It was fantastic as always! Then I hung out with LN for the rest of the day.

But right now i'm going to prep for tomorrows recording.

Posted by Mark at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: 216notout comedy_festival regi

A small audience last night, and with a small audience it is very hard to get anyone to laugh outloud. It was a little bit flater than user, but it'll pick up over the next few nights.

Now that we've started, and me not being very helpful with organising props and such, I just sit up the back and drink the free wine....well, it was free last night. And with my incredibly low tolerance I slept really badly last night, and i'm slightly hung over now...but only a little.

Now that my role is pretty much over my feelings towards the show has completely changed, and i'm no longer stressed out and bitter. I really do like the cast...actually i've gotten on well with them ever since rehearsals...the problems were always more to do with production issues.

A long analysis of what i've learn't will come in the next couple of weeks, but for now, i think i'll just relax.

Posted by Mark at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: 216notout directing sidestreet theate

Job applications on the internet are more like a computer game. You just send stuff off completely impersonally. I love it in that way. But then I hate it when people actually ring you and break the illusion, although I suspose I do actually want the job.

I'm burning through the expenses. I'm getting a firewire drive, a new monitor, and now i'll have to buy a new domain name and hosting space. And what the hell is wrong with my USB. END NERD RANT

Not a lot of writing done last night. I'm better writing on my own, and even then not much of a comedy writer. Chris's rolecall scene was genius.

Ok. Today.

10 - job hunt
11 - edit
12 - dr phil
1 - book
2 - edit
3 - french

Posted by Mark at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: career job_hunting purchases

The comedy festival kids were fun and interesting last night...very cleaver lot, but I think the meetings/workshops could do with a little more steering, and perhaps that is where I come in.

Also, there isn't much time to write and direct this thing.

write short bio paragraph for this cool media/theatry design gig
hard drive renovate
book
plan comedy festival workshop
french
book
revise maids lines

Posted by Mark at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: 216notout comedy_festival sidestreet

For Wheels, 2003 ended the way it began. Asleep, drooling all over himself, dreaming of Nando's and Paris.

New Years. Such an arbitary time measurment. Stupid Roman calendar. Stupid Romans, what have they ever done for us?

Yesterday, I went with mother, to the NGV in Fed Square, and the NGV in the new building next to the arts centre. Twas good.

Then, with the addition of another parental, we saw Goodbye Lenin at the Rivoli. Twas good.

And I got an email from Chris from that theatre company, they want to have a meeting on the 8th here, at my house. Which is fine. I'm wondering what they want me to do on this project. Australian History comedy, it seems like a bit of a tricky one.

I'm looking forward to Showreel Club returning this month. I have this feeling that Showreel and any sidestreet stuff needs to be kept very very seperate.

Posted by Mark at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: 216notout chris_magilton goodbye_lenin movies new_year

I'm creatively itchy. I want to make something new. I want to start something new, and obsess, and perfect - starting right now, and finishing months later. But i'm shitty; shitty about the one flaw in the art forms at my disposal: They rely so much on other people and I�m forever feeling like my creativity is held to ransom. Admitedly a selfish annoyance, but....

If I could write, I�d open a word doc and complete something completely autonomously. Starting right now, and finishing years later. No organising; no reliance; complete control.

...Well write something then you whingy wanker

Lookie here Ms Veranda Bold, it's not quite as easy as that. Hmmm? To my constant frustration, i'm not much of a writer. Not for the page at least...i don't mind writing for performances or videos, where fragmented mushy is the sought thing.

But wait. I love drama and the good side of media collaborations for getting me out of my room. It's a large part of the appeal. Yes, now I remember. Clearly it's a two edged bread knife.

So I'm creatively itchy, or maybe just bored? As Jenko observes, when you're happy you don't need the distractions of being busy. So load me up kids, I love busy.

I've found myself actually putting a fair effort into this match girl DVD. But why? Perhaps to prove some point that had I been trusted, things could have looked much better. Jane dropped off pics and vid, so I may get a fair bit done today.

The dvd main menu as it is currently (right)

Posted by Mark at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: creativity frustration match_girl

The screening was interesting last night. I was perhaps a bit too hard on other peoples films, because on the big Astor screen, some of them really were good. Like Charlotte I have to admit, and Son of a Bum. Our Match Girl got polite applause, but it kind of died.

The most surprising thing was that somehow Jenko's Storytime found its way onto the tape. All the things I left half done irked me a bit, but it seemed to do well. So that redeemed the evening in terms of my own personal pride somewhat.

Having a really good film up on a screen infront of a thousand people must be a really amazing thing. I thinks its given Jenko & I a tiny little push towards making something else media-ish.

Posted by Mark at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: astor deakin jenko match_girl media storytime visionaire

Yay rehearsals! Yay my cast! Good group work doesn't happen that often, so I get incredibly excited when it does.

My piece is complete, and I think it looks really amazing. Mostly thanks to a really magical surge of incredible acting from Nova, Brydie, Amanda, and Lenny.

We worked out the end, which was shortened heaps due to lack of time. But by golly, isn't nessecity the second cousin of all invention, because the new approach perfectly balanced out the rest of the play. It's really dark and tense and quiet and dark and tense. The sound scape works really well. Nova's expression as brydie gets hit is just the most heart breaking thing in the world.

Then we went back and refreshed our memories about the whole start bit and modified a few things here and there. I was amazed that in the end they could do the whole thing start to finish, without stopping, and with the most amazing energy. 9mins 50secs.

Tomorrow 1.45pm in P1.28. I'm going to video it, although I'd love someone else to video it for me so that I can watch properly. But it has to be really well videoed.

This group is the one i've enjoyed since cosmic toilets.

Posted by Mark at 07:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: amanda brydie deakin drama end_of_the_world lenny nova performance theatre

In our two hours today, we got through a lot, and I think we'll be ok. One more rehearsal, and we'll be ready to go.

My actors are so good. Really enthusiastic and creative. By golly I'm asking a lot of them though. As Lenny said: "Ah, so much to remember!"

But despite today being very productive, I don't think I was very good. Directing is a performance in a lot of ways, and I think I was a little flat today. I may have gone against some of my principals, feeling the pressure of time.

Principal #1 is to put an idea down into practice on the floor straight away, then modify later. This is to avoid me having to describe things (actors will only really hear half of what you say quite often), and to avoid idea tennis going back and forward. My theory is that oral communication is such a fuzzy thing that there is so much misunderstanding. Not only is it easier to remember something you have physically done, but it guarentees that everyone is on the same page. If a stage picture is infront of you, then you're all dealing with the same thing.

So thats why I just rush in and say "everyone on the floor, in formation, say the first line together now....off you go!"

However principal #2 is treat actors as artists; direct the initial ideas but then leave gaps for the actors to creatively fill in. This one has got partly to do with the difficulty of remembering my long boring descriptions, but its also about ensuring that i am surprised by how the play turns out, and keeping the actors engaged and valued.

Sometimes principal #1 clashes with principal #2. I want to get an idea onto the floor quickly and avoid chit chat going on tangents, so I get them to do things before they have a chance to put their own spin on it.

Really the problem is just being rushed.

Principal #3 is the Simon Fisher principal. Inspire. Empower. Value. This is a big one and a hard one, and I can't even come close to Simon. Directing makes me nervous, particularly today with the time pressure. I don't think I came across as very amazed, fascinated and/or thankfull. My mind was on getting everything done in time, and not on being in the space with them. Then there is the added problem of being a fun, interesting person, which no amount of Peter Brook reading will fix.

Here is that image from the other day kids, if you're looking.

Posted by Mark at 07:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: deakin directing drama end_of_the_world intergrated_performer lenny

Tuesday night's filming seemed to go well, although we didn't get through everything. Brenden's make up looked really good, as did the pedistal. And last night, again, Jane's art direction stole the show.

I feel pretty useless though, as my direction was neither good (luckily Jane fixed it) nor fitting with the sacred story boards. And i'm otherwise contributionless, apart from the stupid essay. Fooey.

But, hopefully twill turn out. I'm a big fan of rehearsing a scene in its entireity, getting the actors to make discoveries, and then shooting it as a complete scene in WS, MS, and CU, then doing specific inserts later. I'd be interested to talk to Goddard about what he thinks about different ways of shooting.

I was going to a huge long blog. But can't be bothered now.

Posted by Mark at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: brenden brydie deakin match_girl media photos

Had a really good conference with Laurence about my Genet/ absurdism talk. How I think I will do it after talking to him about it:

- Structure it as Genet & The Maids: Absurdism, Existentialism, or Ritual Theatre (the theories of these theatres, and justifications from the maids as to why these might apply)

- Laurence says conflicting views are good, point out how there are multiple views

- Existentialism: life is meaningless until humans make decisions to give it meaning. So are Claire and Solange able to make choice? Is their fate fated? Is Genet existentialist because he is choosing his criminality? But is he really?

- stick to using quotes that centre around Genet and the Maids, before going outside, to avoid playing join the quote

- I might slip in the knife quote by setting up a dorothy dix question.

- Not Catharsis - because catharsis is about getting bad things out of your system, Genet celebrates the bad.

- have to get out that certain TDR article.

- Laurencee is going to see if he has a particular relevent vid, and lend it to me. yay!

Posted by Mark at 09:46 PM | Permalink
Tags: absurdism drama genet intergrated_performer laurence_strangio maids the

We spent all day editing the worst documentry in the world...its awfull, we all agree. Although Ben is at least semi-positive. I have to clean it up by tomorrow and then hand it in. I'm not going to go the screening, i just couldn't sit through Wilmots abuse...I know exactly what it will be too.

Its times like these that I am glad I am a drama student as well. Because I seem to be just such a terrible media student. I can't think of one project that has gone well.

Anyway, I just pray for a good film and vid colaborative experience. I set up the new blog for the development of that subject, but i'm not sure that anyone is going to be into that.

Posted by Mark at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: deakin documentary media painful_experiences uni videography

Ideas are going off in my head about a structure and or approach to this fairytale/mythology bent we have in relation to the film and vid colaborative. Let me lay them down before I forget.

So just say we begin by doing research into fairytales and mythology, and for the sake of this explanation just say we become interested in 'cinderella'. We look for as many different versions of cinderella as possible (film, written, plays etc) and watch them and read them over and over. We ask ourselves what ideas are present in these stories. Some people think romance is a key theme, other people are of the oppion that in some ways its a bit sexist how cinderella is so passive, other people see it as being a really dark story with the evil step sisters etc.

From all this, we each start having ideas about text.

Just say Mark finds the idea of Cinderella being locked away from the rest of the world interesting - so he goes and writes a scene about that Natasha Ryan girl who locked herself in that cupboard for years

Just say Jane being interested in the idea of Director as choreographer, has an idea about telling the story of cinderella as a dance. She starts developing a dance, which will be shot in black and white, as a 50's musical.

Just say Jenko has this idea that the evil step sisters are a bit like the witches from Macbeth. He starts investigating shakespeare's text, and develops a scene from that.

Someone else wonders if the story of cinderella really does have a happy ending. They have the idea that Cinderella goes to the ball, and the Prince is a realy evil sleaze bag, who tries to rape her (I know thats a bit full on, but its an idea, don't want to sound like tom though). So Cinderella runs away home, but leaves her shoe, and the Prince comes after her after tracking her down based on the shoe....

Someone else wonders what the fairy godmother/father does in his/her off time. They write a scene about that.

After devloping these ideas both on our own and together, we start to weave them together:

- Natasha Ryan is in her cupboard, extreme CU on her face. She has headphones on and is listening to some really 50's music. We follow the cord of her headphoes out of the cupboard, out the window, across the suburbs etc.
- until it leads to a microphone hanging above a dance hall recording the music being played. In the hall a couple are dancing in black and white. Suddenly one of the dancers notice something out the window.
- Its the witches from Macbeth. They are doing a spell ala the script from Macbeth. Inside their couldren we see two people sitting in a room
- Its the fairy godmother having a job interview with god him/herself. God says that the fairy godmother must first prove herself and sends her on an assignment.
- A contemporary cinderella is running home, she tells the fairy godmother that the Prince is after her...the fairy godmother tries to help her

etc. etc. so on, and so on.....now thats just one very hurried example, but you get the idea.

A film that is a fragmented response to a fairytale, or mythological story. We each would direct or develop the elements that most interest us, and support each other on our sections.

Posted by Mark at 01:32 PM | Permalink
Tags: deakin fairytales film_and_video ideas match_girl media

I just got back from a lovely WorkieMcShopShop with my dear drama friends. We worked on all our shakespeare monologues. I was very privledged to be able to spend an hour or so on mine. Ren and Adam, and Jenko when he arrived later, gave me some seriously excellent direction...not too heavy, not too light, just right. I was really thrilled that they alerted me to things I just hadn't thought about. Their notes included:

- clump audience together to avoid having to turn my back on audience and so that I can up the intmacy.
- we discussed doing "friends, romans, countrymen" really quietly, instead of the usual bigness
- Build up over all the "brutus is an honerable man"s
- I have to be carefull not to trail off my sentances...annunciation wise
- use pauses to look at the grave
- hit BURY and PRAISE
- be equally as passionate about the good things Caesar did, as I am with the sarcasm
- bitter on so let it be with caesar...avoid the 'its a new car' syndrome

I enjoyed seeing everyone elses.

Jenko's was very full on - had a lot of energy. Once he started slowing it down it improved heaps. We talked with him about building his energy towards the end, instead of blowing it all at once. Acting through pacing - maybe slow the pacing down a bit. Show us each idea, tell each thing to a soldier.

Adam's - was very good. Had a lot of great things: the hilarity moment, the transition from the story to the supposedly thinking to himself moment. We worked out things with a chair, and the change from hilarity to the thoughtfull moment was so good the last time he did it.

Ren - she was frustrated with hers towards the end. But from the first time she did it, compared to the last time...ya, it had developed a lot. When she was doing it to Adam with him avoiding eye contact it had such a great energy...she came across as so angry, and frustrated, and hurt, and stuff...

Anyway, I'm just really glad we could do that. Thats what arcproductions was supposed to be about. Or maybe thats what drama is supposed to be about. I just wish we could have done that over the previous 2 and a half years of drama. Now its nearly all over.

Posted by Mark at 09:06 PM | Permalink
Tags: adam drama intergtated_performer jenko monologue ren shakespeare team_work

12 out of 20....thats 60% just a credit....pretty bad really. I do agree with most of his comments though.

Good choice of subject and you did follow the conventions of observationalism.

The opening shot of the window was not held long enough. Firstly, the credits have this long slow feature rhythm so the cutting speed is out of sync and then this window is full of rich detail which we don't get a chance to take in.

So then you give us some details and then into haircutting, so what is the shot of the smokes doing...it disrupts the progression.

There is also an ugly sight caught in a mirror - a boom pole being held in a non specific way, not aimed at anything.

As haircutting is the business, once you have come in on this, this is where we stay unless something someone says or does requires a cut away.

Should have stayed with one customer..all these cuts just makes for a mess...and then when we finally get to stay on one customer the microphone is pointing at the ceiling (or somewhere other than the speakers tonsils) so we can't hear.

Didn't get to know the barber.

12/20

Posted by Mark at 04:59 PM | Permalink
Tags: deakin documentary media the_barbers

At the sound and voice meeting with Jenko and Jane a few things were decided.

- We will use the Rendezvous with Rama piece after all for the book read.

- we'll incorporate an ending where lustig loses out and is stuck in limbo, perhaps similar to the ending in the storyteller version

- we'll probably book into the sound studio for next friday for the book read

- Jane has written a whole lot for the first 4 scenes...click on the image below to read ( hope you don't mind jane-o)

Posted by Mark at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: jane jenko lustig sound_and_voice

Jenko et Adam: Before our little rehearsal on saturday, here is some background info that you may find helpful...

Ok

Medea is based on a very famous episode in greek mythology...here is a brief summary of Jason and the Argonauts from a study guide I have...

Posted by Mark at 11:44 AM | Permalink
Tags: adam directing jenko medea perspectives_on_directing

Another essay from Phillip Auslander pertaining to The Wooster Group. This one deals with the political aspect of their work in relation to how postmodern theatre can be political. I found the stuff about the problems of presence in political theatre interesting, and the descriptions of their decontstructive devices may proove usefull in my case study.

(am also having this little idea about a news reader who does the inverted comma thing with his fingers on every second word)

I have to now order that other wooster group book from the library. And does anyone know if you can get videos of Wooster Group work?

BTW, another Elizabeth LeCompte article at http://www.donshewey.com/theater_articles/wooster_route1&9.html

Posted by Mark at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Tags: deakin drama intergrated_performer lecompte theatre wooster_group

I'm getting really excited about this idea i've just had for my Perspectives on Directing screen excercises.

I want to do a contemporary screen version of the first scene from Medea. But I want to set it in a corporate setting. Medea is a senior executive, the nurse is her secretary, and the tutor is an advisor of some sort. The more I think about it the more I love it! ArghhhhhhhhhhhH!!!!!!! (Mark screams like a girl and runs around the house with his eyebrows raised incredibly high)

I did Medea in year 12, so I feel like I know it pretty well, and the recontextualising of it into a corporate setting is just exploding in my mind. I'll write a summary of the story up here soon, if people want to do it.

I've got heaps of other ideas whirling around my head as we speak.

Doing it depends on only two, but nevertheless significant, things:

1) some sort of officy looking locations being available to shoot in (maybe the staff offices corridoor at uni could be one, but its a bit recognisable. Any ideas anyone?)
2) two lovely people who would be willing to learn some moderately dense lines and rehearse a little bit. Adam and Jenko, I know i foreshadowed using you for a 'little' something, but would this be too much work for you? It might be 4 or 5 hours spread out over the next 3 or 4 weeks. And is anyone else interested?

A while ago, Jenko and I vowed to do some work on some classical texts, just as a good learning experience. And we need all the directing experience we can get...this kills two birds with one stone.

And if we do it well, it could be a really killer showreel piece.

Here is the section I was thinking of. Just click the image to view.

Any comments Jenko, as my assistant director, or Adam, as someone who has expressed interest in doing my screen excercises, would be hugely appreciated.

Posted by Mark at 02:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: adam directing jenko medea videography

Well, today certainly was monologue day, and it certainly went rather well, i'm very happy. Ren, despite having woken up with a sore throat, absolutly knocked everyone's footware off. Can't thank her enough.

I won't go into a lengthy post mortem, but I was really pleased about the following things that the audience picked up on:

- The lecture or teacher quality in the bits outlining what they'd done to babies - Ren really hit apon the authoritivness in those bits, and got the teacher pen thing happening.

- The shift into awkwardness and deshievelment facilitated by the crawl under the table - particularly sitting on the ground infront of the table.

- And so happy that people got the irony of the fluffy animal toys and baby statue - the cutsie representations so removed from the things humanity is abusing.

Posted by Mark at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Tags: baby_cakes deakin directing drama intergrated_performer neil_gaiman ren