Directing.. the process

The director’s process is one, just like the actor’s process that has much depth. It has evolved into a much more important role than it was when the art of Theatre first began.  The director is ultimately the backbone of the production. The choices the director makes could make or break a production. With the abundance of weight riding on the director’s shoulders, it is important for the director to develop a process.

The similar starting for all aspects of theatre is to read the script. It is important for the director to read the script at least 5 times. One must read for clarity, character development, understanding of time period and setting and also for an understanding of the play’s theme. This is the most important step the director will take. Without a full understanding of the script as well as the playwright, the director will be unsuccessful.

After reading, one must conduct research. Although there may be a dramaturg for the production, it is still a necessary step in the process for a director to know everything there is to know about the script. From the way certain words may be pronounced to the way certain props should be used. Next, the director must develop an overall concept for the production. This is where the set, lighting, costume and makeup design elements come in to play.  Here, the director showcases their research and overall understanding for the production. The designers get a feel for what direction the director plans to take and attempts to create a matching vision.

Of course, the work of the director doesn’t stop there. The director will be in constant contact with the production design team. There will be several meetings. During these meetings, things may change. The director must be willing to make these changes remembering that sometimes certain things are just impossible.  Once there is a clear consensus as far as the overall concept, it is time for Auditions and casting. The director must remain impartial and neutral throughout this particular process, giving each auditionee a fighting chance.  Usually, the rehearsal schedule is complete before the cast is set so after posting the cast list, the rehearsal process should begin.

The director’s next step is to consider the blocking. At this point the set design should be set in stone. This is important for the actors when attempting to memorize the blocking. Here the director must ask themselves if their blocking works with the set. Will the actors be able to move more or less freely? Are these moves accurate with the time period? These are all questions that the director should keep in mind.  If the director has a good sense of the set and script, then everything should go smoothly.

In conclusion, unlike the actor, the director’s job does eventually end.  After opening night, the director’s work is done and it is the stage manager’s job to take over. This is where all the hard work pays off.  It is important that director not be offended by criticism. The opinions of critics as well of the audience does not solely define a director’s success. If the director is happy with his or her work and everything was done with the director’s main concept in mind, the director has achieved success.

Designing Elements

The design process is one that is, in my opinion, the most time consuming of all Theatre processes. What is produced provides the ultimate Theatrical experience for the audience. It displays the designer’s skill, competency, as well as creativity level. It shows that the designer, be it set, lighting, costume, or makeup understands the productions needs and knows how to meet them successfully. In this essay I want to focus on the process of costume design.

The costume designer’s main goals should include establishing a style, maintaining the show’s period, exposing the characters expressively and individually and be consistent in relation to the other design elements.  The costume designer must be flexible as well. It is important that the costume design corresponds with director’s creative vision. After the director’s approval, the design process really starts to take off. Countless numbers of production meetings will take place. Here is where you get to show that you’ve done your homework. The costume designer will display renderings, colors, fabric choices and swatches, all of which must mesh well with the total design of the show.

The costume design must start by, you guessed it, reading the script. This is standard in the development process. Here is where you begin to establish the show’s style. You get a feel for what all the production’s costume call for and if it is possible to get the show’s basic needs met in a timely manner. Before the renderings are drawn, the costume designer must keep in mind the period. Period is crucial in costume design. Unless the director has decided to take a different period approach not indicated in the script, it is imperative to maintain period structure. Maintaining the period, may be the bulk of the costume designer’s research.

Next, the costume designer must focus on the characters individually. This includes anything from the character’s religious backgrounds to how a character walks. Will that costume be able to allow the character’s true colors to be revealed? Will the actor be able to move as they need to in order to portray the character successfully? What is the character’s occupation? These are examples of questions the costume director must strongly consider as far as individual characterization. This is also the time to decide where the costumes will be coming from. Will they be pulled, built, rented, or purchased. Each of these can be very time consuming, so once the design concept is chosen, the costume designer needs to figure out what can be built and what needs to come from another source as soon as possible.

 Today’s costume designer must wear a plethora of hats including historian, seamstress and ultimately miracle worker. Our costume director here at Middle Tennessee State University, sure wears these hats and many more.  One particular experience of how amazing the costume design process is, would have to be when I was a part of the Under-wear: The Musical production. My character’s costumes were overall quite creative and rather revealing but definitely maintained the integrity of the show as well as my character. All of the costumes were loud, proud, and in your face just like the show. The overall design element for the production came together perfectly.

In conclusion, the costume designer needs to ask him/herself if their costumes meets the overall needs of the performers, after all they are the ones wearing them.  Are the actors able to make the costume changes on time, are they able to move effectively and does the costume provide any serious discomfort for the actor. These questions are to be seriously considered in the costume designer’s consideration for the actor’s well-being. The process of the costume director is one that is tedious, yet rewarding. From it, the costume designer furthers their knowledge, experience and expands their creativity.  

 

Acting Today

Acting

Acting has truly evolved since its early stages dating back to ancient Rome and Greece. There are several new techniques and methods used in today’s actor and also character development.  From simply doing yoga and becoming one with yourself, to doing intense method acting research and becoming one with your character, acting today has changed.  However, several techniques have remained the same. People such as Stanislavski and Uta Hagen have definitely shaped the way an actor prepares himself/herself. Their useful techniques have truly stood the test of time and have become rituals for the actor of today.

In preparation for a role, the actor must follow several steps. Before any other step is taken, one must first read the play. Just as in all important aspects of the theatre, such as directing and designing, it is important to understand the script. It must be read at least three times. Here is where your character development research begins. The first reading allows you to get a feel for the script. The next reading answers any questions you may have from the first reading. The last reading helps you develop more in depth characterization.

After the reading the script one must revert back to Stanislavski’s characterization methods. It is very important to understand a character’s main objective. Stanislavski provides a few guidelines for obtaining the character’s main objective. He explains that the objective derives from the character’s goals for himself as well as towards the other characters in the script. The objective should describe the inner life of the character and ultimately relate back to the main idea of the play.

In addition to discovering the character’s objective it is important to put yourself in your character’s shoes. This technique was described in Stanislavski’s terms as “the magic if.” For example, if you were Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, what would you do and how would you act? In today’s acting world, this can sometimes be taken in a literal sense. Method acting is very much so a popular technique used today. I personally find that this can be a bit dangerous, depending on the role you are given. Instead, I suggest writing down things you and your character may have in common and things you don’t. Compare the lists and ask yourself why you do the thing you do and figure out why your character does the thing they do. This will help you gain a better understanding of your character and also help you narrow down your character’s objective.

In conclusion, it is important to understand that, preparation for the actor is never complete. Even after you’ve read your script, developed your character and memorized your lines, there are still the performances. I’ve personally been a part of productions where I learned something new about my character every time I performed. Just as in one’s ordinary life, the human being, continues to change throughout their lifespan. The actor does changes just the same. Stanislavski understood this concept. The actor is in constant evolution.  The actor’s job is never complete and must be something that is taken seriously in order to be executed precisely. It is imperative that actors look to methods of Stanislavski and other great theatrical artists.  

Digital Divide

Beyond simply providing access to computer hardware and software, how should educators and policy makers concerned with closing the digital divide proceed?

Educators and policy makers should first understand what exactly the digital divide is in order to begin or even think about closing the gap that technology has created. According to the chapter, the term “digital divide” surfaced into the American vernacular in the mid 1990s. It’s primary foundation was based on the fact that there was a large percentage of unequal access to information technology. The digital divide is described as “a reality acknowledged by individuals and organizations that do not always see eye to eye on education matters.”. It is a situation of which Americans take the time to understand the relationship between technology and inequality into the public spotlight. “ Technology is not a neutral tool with universal effects, but rather a medium with consequences that are significantly shaped by the historical, social, and cultural context of its use .“ This statement accurately describes exactly what educators and policy makers need to understand, the concept that technology is shaped by us and our history.

At first, the issue with the divided was that not many had access to technology. It was viewed as a luxury. Technology has slowly but surely changed into a hot commodity, a mass produced item. In today’s world it is viewed to many as a necessity and not a want. Everything these days depends heavily on the access of the web, through technology based products. Computers, phones, ipads, tablets, etc. are all vital to the technological world of today.

There are many ways of which people are attempting to approach the digital divide. One would be to measure out the inequalities that exist among the technological world. It is important to take into account the cost of internet services and also computers. However, to realize that lowering computer and internet service rates will not completely eliminate the issue of the digital divide. There must also be the implementation of skill level development.

Solutions could range from a number of things, such as creating a less costly way to access the internet and also creating more cost efficient technology. An online article discussing solutions for the digital divide suggested that there be an increase in bandwidth. Judy Block goes on to explain that increasing the bandwidth will upgrade the technology necessary for distance education classes. These are just a few of many steps that policy makers and educators should proceed with in hopes of eliminating the digital divide.

Facebook Reaches 100 Million Monthly Active Users in India

Last August we noted that Facebook had 82 million active users in India. But now the social network has hit an important milestone, surpassing 100 million monthly active users in the country.

Javier Olivan, Facebook’s vice-president of growth and analytics, told India’s Economic Times that the landmark number was reached on March 31st. 84 percent of those 100 million Facebook users in India access it via mobile.

India is set to hit a quarter of a billion web users sometime this year.

SEE ALSO: Facebook creates election tracker as a guide for India’s 814 million eligible voters

Despite Facebook’s strong growth in India – up from a mere eight million users in 2010 when Facebook opened a local office – the US-based site is still facing growing rivalry in the nation from messaging apps. Facebook-owned WhatsApp has 40 million active users in India, and rival chat apps like WeChat and Line are also battling to grow their numbers in the mobile-first country.
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This article originally published at Tech in Asia here

Source:http://mashable.com/2014/04/09/100-million-active-users-facebook-india/

How a YouTube Documentary Gave New Life to a Nintendo Classic

This post stems directly from the daily posts of mashable:

Super Smash Bros. was never meant to be an eSport.

For many, the Nintendo fighting game was nothing more than a fun party diversion where friends could fight each other with classic Nintendo characters — Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach and friends.

But the dedicated community that formed around the game has turned the second and most popular title in the franchise, Super Smash Bros. Melee, into a professional game (or eSport) for the last 13 years.

With its small community, Melee has always been an underdog. But in a new era of gaming where players can much more readily earn a living from streaming video games or compete in professional leagues, Melee has become an eSports darling and has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years.

See also: Next ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Coming to 3DS in Summer, Wii U in Winter

Major League Gaming, an established competitive gaming tournament, recently picked up Melee for its 2014 season after dropping it from the professional circuit in 2006. Even Nintendo, which initially inhibited Melee’s use at tournaments, announced its plans for a 16-player invitational tournament at E3 2014.

The community calls this current upward trend “the Platinum Age” of Melee. It could be due to Nintendo’s announcement of the fourth Super Smash Bros. title, set for release this summer, or because eSports companies are sponsoring remarkably talented players in the Melee scene.

But, more commonly, those invested in the Smash scene, or eSports in general, point to a nine-episode YouTube documentary series about the early competitive Melee scene called The Smash Brothers. Created by Travis Beauchamp, a 29-year-old filmmaker from Boston, it very well could be the lynchpin of the game’s new life.

Since its release last October, Beauchamp’s The Smash Brothers has amassed more than one million views across all nine episodes, with each individual episode netting at least 100,000 views.

The documentary series was immediately well-received by both the Smash and general gaming communities. A visit to any popular Super Smash Bros. forum reveals fans heaping praise on Beauchamp’s work:

A smashing release

Beauchamp premiered his first documentary at a Melee tournament on Oct. 11, 2013. Immediately following the premiere, he remembers positive and enthusiastic comments pouring in from fans.

“There was a point where I was waiting for someone to say something bad about it,” said Beauchamp. “[A]ll of the messages that I would get from people were 100% positive so I knew I hit well.”

He hit well in part because of the relatable gaming experiences featured in the documentary, which follows the lives of seven respected professional “Smashers.”

Every gamer has that one game that they played during the formative years of their childhood. For the seven pro Smashers involved, Meleewas that game. The documentary capitalizes on that nostalgic, universal gaming experience, making it appealing not just to other Smashers but to gamers in general.

Source:

http://mashable.com/2014/05/03/super-smash-bros-documentary/

Internet Regulations

State and Local
On a more local level internet regulations mainly affect schools, the work place, and local libraries. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, most internet regulations are implemented for the protection of the children in schools. Since the year 2000, about twenty four states required “internet filtering” regulations. These regulations are for the most part geared towards publically funded schools and libraries. The goal here is to restrict minors from viewing any obscenities, sexually explicit websites, and etc. These twenty four states have public requirements within their filtering software, placed in the public school systems. These states include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia. Tennessee specifically “requires the development of acceptable Internet use policies for public and private schools to protect children from certain online material” (NCSL).
These implementations are fairly new dating back to the early 2000s when the Children’s Internet Protection Act was enacted. The National Conference of State Legislatures online data base explains that, this particular act provided for three different types of funding: 1) aid to elementary and secondary schools; 2) Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants to states for support of public libraries; and 3) the E-rate program that provides technology discounts to schools and public libraries.
Under the Children’s Internet Regulations act, it is a requirement that public participants use computer filtering software. According to EHow.com, Internet Filtering refers to blocking undesirable content on the Internet. It helps you filter and deny access to any unwanted material. The person who sets up the filter provides a system to block certain data. The website goes further by explaining that internet filtering can be for more than just censorship towards children but also for virus protection and corrupted file transfers.
An online article titled “The Next Steps for U.S. Internet Regulation Future”, discusses the public consumer/ finance specialist feelings towards a new system for internet regulations. There is a general issue that “U.S. policy needs a makeover that will make consumers better off, even as it creates greater incentives to invest in the Internet and spurs productivity growth.” (U.S news.com). Others feel that the use of internet regulations stunts the growth of several online franchises. A portion of the public feels that internet regulations limit the creativity of consumer products, communication, and commerce. Cato Institute stated that the internet “…should be kept an unfettered, entrepreneurial realm so that we can get the maximum benefits from creative, industrious Internet communicators and businesspeople the world over.” The article goes on further to explain that “policy makers” should avoid intervention with the Internet’s economy.
According to Kids health.org, parents feel that “the Internet can be a wonderful resource for kids. They can use it to research school reports, communicate with teachers and other kids, and play interactive games. Kids who are old enough to punch in a few letters on the keyboard can literally access the world.” The issue however is the many dangers that lurk in the internet world. Debate.org, asked the public how they felt the personally about internet regulation, each person being anonymous. One person stated, “in my opinion, it should be somewhat regulated. I’m more on the yes side because sure everyone deserves their privacy, but there’s children out there that have access to anything that is viewable on the web. Whether it be something educational, to something censored or nudity involved, children shouldn’t be able to view this at their expense. The internet should be controlled by the government to provide a friendly and free internet service.” The importance of local and state regulations are not necessarily to restrict free speech or to injure internet productivity but simply to prevent certain websites from reaching, either under aged or unsuspecting web browsers.

Sources:
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-the-internet-be-regulated-by-the-government
http://www.ehow.com/about_6306561_definition-internet-filtering.html
http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/state-internet-filtering-laws.aspx

http://www.cato.org/research/internet-governance-regulation
http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/net_safety.htm

Unplugged (Technology Break)

Let me first start by saying that this was far easier than I ever thought it would be. Before I began this exercise. I called the people that generally call or text me on a regular basis and informed them that for one full day I would be completely out of touch. I told them I would not be able to respond to any texts and or phone calls on my 24 hour challenge. The only person that seemed to be bothered by this was my mother, but this was expected.

The following day was the beginning of the challenge. Earlier that day, I had my roommate to hide my computer, television, and cellphone in her room. I instructed her to not allow me to use any electronic devise until the next day. It all began at midnight. The first hour was slightly difficult. I had to force myself not to think about what might be going on social media websites and what interesting information I was missing out on. After that hour passed, it was smooth sailing from there. I slept for a significantly lengthy period of time. When I awoke, I patted my bed down in search of my phone. It took me a minute to remember that I was still “unplugged.”

After the realization hit me, I decided to get up out of bed and grab a bowl of cereal. Following that, I took a nice shower. It’s now 10am. I think to myself “Hmm I still have a huge chunk of this day to get through.” I decided that it would probably be best for me to take this time to get some work done. I soon realized that I needed my computer to do the work. Great! So much for homework. I sat in my room for about an hour, trying to think of some way to entertain myself. And then I looked up and saw how dirty my room was. I had never been so happy to clean in my life. You better believe I took my sweet time cleaning. After my room was spotless, I was a bit hungry, so I grab some deli meat and made a nice sandwich. It was now 1:00pm. This took some time off too, mainly because I’m an incredibly slow eater. After that I decide to clean my bathroom. I went further and clean my entire apartment. It was great and it took up time. By the time I finished it was about 3:30pm.

After all that cleaning, you’d think I’d be good and ready for a long nap, of course this wasn’t the case. What else could I do that didn’t involve using any technology?! I got it! Read! I read about 3 plays. By this time it was about 7:30. The day was beginning to wind down but still wasn’t sleepy enough to go to bed. I finally began to write poetry. This took up about 2 ½ hours. I was finally sleepy enough to call it a day. I woke up the following morning, completely proud of myself. I really enjoyed this exercise. I gave me a chance to get some much needed cleaning done and also just take some time to myself.

 

Why are participatory mechanisms vital to the effective functioning of a strong democracy?

Participatory mechanisms are vital to the effective functioning of a strong democracy because they are viewed as maintaining open access to the political system. These mechanisms give the community a voice in political decisions and allows their interests to be considered. The issue is that people are not taking advantage of these participatory mechanisms.

The chapter defines political participation as direct citizen involvement in or influence over governmental processes. The chapter goes further into the definition by saying that participation can be described as “activities of citizens that attempt to influence the structure of government, the selection of government officials, or the policies of government.” It was concluded in the chapter that aside from voting and the presidential election, there is no form of participation in which the majority of the public engages. Although there is a typically a disinterest in politics amongst the general public, there still exists a desire for the system. Without the system, political officials or elites will lose the public’s trust and sense of legitimacy.

The chapter goes on to discuss what would happen if systems become unresponsive and inaccessible. I feel that this is one of those situations where not many people participate in but will still be affected by if they no longer have access to these participatory systems. Although the majority of the public is not active in the systems there are still a great deal of the general public to be reckoned with. There would be such an uproar if the public’s rights were just taken away. These systems restore a sense of balance in the United States.

The emergence of new media, however brought forth new hope for public participation in politics. Most people have access to some sort of technology based system of which they can voice their opinion of certain politic issues they may feel strongly about. New media serves as one of many gateways for the public to get their voice heard. “By making allowances for continuing mass involvement, new media/ format serve the socially valuable purpose of bringing closer to reality the classical goal of full participation without over-extending already burdened political institutions.”

In conclusion, despite the fact that the public may not fully grasp how much power we possess, it is still necessary to keep these participatory systems functioning. We have the power to decide who government officials and local political figures are. The fate of democracy lies within the hands of the people. In closing, the chapter states that democracy thus benefits from opportunities for civic activity through citizen involvement by traditional standards is indirect. New media and its continual growth is creating not only a new generation of hope for participatory systems but also for the desire of the public’s voice n political decisions alive.

 

“Why does Decemebr consider the Web to be fundamentally a communication system (as opposed to a textual database, online encyclopedia, or tool for commerce)?”

The reason why John December feels that the web is a communications system rather than a textual database, online encyclopedia, or tool for commerce is because of the open communication opportunities the web provides. He stated in a section of this chapter that the web gives people a chance to create and share information. The public has open access to view, broadcast and publish whatever they please. Thus, creating an open medium for communication.

The Web puts the power of communication in the hands of the people. December describes the web as becoming a panoply of information. There are millions of ways to communicate through the web today. Although most of the communication online, stems from popular social media websites, there still exists instant messaging, blogs, and video posting websites that allow communication from person to person. According to the chapter, the media content industry has embraced the web as a key component of its overall strategy for communicating to customers.

The basis of the web was founded upon communication. Its original purpose was to further the connection of long distance conversation/communication and enable users to have easy access to information from any computer source. An extension of this original concept stemmed from Ted Nelson’s idea of Xanadu in 1965. Xanadu’s purpose was to create a system of which all world literature would be linked in a nonhierarchical way. The links would provide a connection among several stems of information that would enable web users to follow from one document to another.

After decades of research and trial and error of what was originally meant to be a highway system for linking literature and research information, the internet has become a primary source of communication. The web has achieved this goal and so much more. It has created something incredibly accessible and desirable to the public. It’s so simple to get on a social media website and type a quick message to the public about one’s day or about an upcoming event. Whatever the content the essential purpose of publicizing your personal information is to communicate a message to the public. Whether that message be “Hey come out to my event,” Or “I’m having a horrible day.” Through the use of the web, communication is able to take on many forms between both individuals and even groups. The chapter goes further into communication on the web by separating it into four different categories: interpersonal, group, organizational, and mass communication. Each group or media of communication functions differently depending on the parties involved. The chapter also broke down the many different categories of communication functions that the web serves: information delivery, communication, interaction and computation.

To conclude, John December’s philosophy of the web being a communications system is dead on. The web has created both an efficient and effective way for people to converse without being face to face. Communication has definitely evolved into a key component on the web today.