4/04/2011
Diction...
Here are some tips from Ms. Vander Schaaff about diction. One thing that is always of concern in the Blackbox, where the ceiling is so high, is sound carrying. You have one advantage, in that your audience is all on one side of the room. Please remember that your actors need to be heard by 7 rows of people, and the crew in the booth. You might want to check sooner rather than later, if they can be heard at those distances. Experienced actors should be fine; however, sound carries differently in the BBox than in the LC. Another thing Ms. V always says about understanding your actors is that sometimes when an actor can't be loud enough or heard clearly, it is because they actually don't understand the intention behind the line. I think I talked to you all in class about the emotion/intention behind lines and balancing that with action. The clarity of what your actors say is dependant on how well they understand their character's goals and intentions. Vocal warm ups need to be done with focus and seriousness. Even if someone has one line, they need to be heard clearly. People should not be going through the motions with vocal warm ups. It might be a good idea to sit in on each other's rehearsals once or twice before tech week to be that outside ear for each other. It will make a real difference.
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This is great advice and I think we should use it all. I like everything that Ms. Houston had to say here..
ReplyDeleteI agree this is great advice. speaking of volume, killing time- are the actors sitting down for the story telling? will they be seen and herd? also the corner that we have them in, in the black box often makes it hard to hear them, maybe we could move the story telling circle down stage?
ReplyDeleteI agree. As someone who has been in the plays the most difficult thing is volume. You may think your loud enough, but you're not. The hardest part that some may face is trying to be loud enough when your line may be a whisper or a soft spoken line.
ReplyDeleteKate Testa quick note about being seated I found out the other day lines delivered seated, especially with bad posture are already less loud. So sometimes you have to remind them to speak up. I agree with Mrs. Houston's points listed above.
ReplyDeletethanks Kenny :)
ReplyDeleteWarm-ups and stuff to get them warmed up. I also like everything Ms. Houston said.
ReplyDeleteFirst off... mac, apt point. Thank you. And my opinions on this have already been stated above. I will take this into serious consideration when working with my actors.
ReplyDelete~Eriks
In answer to Kate's question: Yes they are seated when preparing to tell the stories, however they all get up and begin yelling at each other in between each story, so they aren't really seated the entire time. I think it will work out well. Claire do you agree? I agree with all Ms. Houston's points. I worked in some character development today, trying to bring the energy up. After watching the bully scene today, Kate, Nate, and I were disappointed with the scene. The blocking was there but NOT the energy we need. I am starting to fear that the lack of energy will carry throughout the play and I have some ideas to stop that now! I want to have a talk with Killing Times entire cast and then talk individually with the each speaking character and help them understand their character and motivations. The bully scene scared me today and that is a VERY significant scene. All and all, I think we are sill doing great, but need to keep things moving. Not many rehearsals left!
ReplyDelete@ Michael, yes...I do agree with you.
ReplyDeletePlus, they are moving around and whatnot so it isn't like they are always sitting in a circle. Also, since the seats are so far into the stage they are actually a lot closer to the audience. But, when the times come we can always compare and contrast - with what sounds better as well as what fits in with the story the best, etc....
As for energy, I think that we just need to motivate our cast, because people are sitting out so often that it might, guessing, make them feel as if they are not part of the cast or play. So, I think one day as a cast we should do a huge cast participation activity--something very fun, and connecting! Like one day when we are out of the blackbox do a scavenger hunt, and sort of mix people up a bit (by that I mean mixing up the circle kids, etc...!) I think are huge problem is that everyone might not feel important to the cast, and that is what we need to change. Also, I think we shouldn't just do vocal warm ups, but maybe physical warm ups to get the energy up, but also tire them out in a sense....if you get the jist of my idea...eh? Wow, that was an obnoxious amount of stuff I just said.
always make sure to warm up, we wouldnt want anyone to pull a vocal chord and not be heard. Even though I'm pretty sure that you cant pull a vocal chord, I like the reference to sports.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness though, warming up vocally could be a real help for projection and diction. I know the cast has been doing speech warm ups everyday. I think those are a big help.
ReplyDeleteClaire and Mike i agree with everything you said. We need to motivate them. Claire I think a group activity is a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure at this point there is not much to say. Everyone has made valid points. Posture is key, as is warm ups. An actor may slur his lines and dictate badly because he has little conviction. Every actor should be in character completely when in the scene. They should have already memorized the script. They should be adding emotion.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree and I will do my best not to strike up a conversation in the middle of a scene. I will also try to observe to see if everyone is heard clearly this Friday when all three plays are performed!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, we just gotta stay focused
ReplyDeleteWay to own up to it gardineer and I would love to come back andyell at people ifnu need me to, just say the world and I'll come running
ReplyDelete