1) What importance do you, personally, place on production elements?
I believe that a well made production requires a high technical standard of all production elements. I will use the Harry Potter movies as a reference point for a good production. Harry Potter movies have very well designed costumes that are made to fit all aspects of the series, such as the flowing black robes of Lord Voldemort. Also the costumes are very good to define which character is which, such as telling who are the students of Hogwarts, who are the professors of Hogwarts, and so on. It is very obvious that a lot of planning, designing and detailing has gone into the design of the costumes.
The Harry Potter movies is not a theater production, so there is less obvious showing of the importance of good lighting. However, lighting is used in the movies to show the mood and the situation of the scene, such as black and foggy skies when the Death Eaters are around in the movie.
Make-up is very important in the Harry Potter movies, from Lord Voldemort's pale skin, to Draco Malfoy's hair actually having to be dyed platinum blonde for the role, and the final scene where the actors are made to look much older than they actually are when they are parents. It is effective, and it is convincing, such as Daniel Radcliffe at the end where his make-up is used to make him look like a parent, he looked a bit like my dad with the good usage of makeup.
When it comes to set designing, the Harry Potter movies have done very well with scouting locations to look like a thousand year old school (Hogwarts), and the end result is that the whole thing can convince me that it is a very ancient school for wizards set in Britain. Therefore the high standard of research, and the painstaking amount of detail used to recreate the inspiration for the school into a movie set shows that a high technical level of production element usage can make the sky the limit when it comes to showing an audience things that are otherwise impossible such as Harry Potter.
Finally the sound usage in Harry Potter is great. From the soundtrack of the Harry Potter movies which fits into the whole movie, and carries the film along well instead of hindering it, to the different sound effects to show the effects of a Giant roaring, or an explosion caused from a magical spell, it enhances the viewing pleasure of the audience by a big margin. Would we still look on the Harry Potter films as being great if lets say the soundtrack was filled with Eminem rapping or David Guetta's big thumping club beats in the background? Would we believe in the Harry Potter story being real if when a potion is being brewed, the sounds coming out were that of a robotic voice? The answer for all these questions is a flat no, therefore this shows that if the production elements are being used to a high technical standard, then a production can really be great.
Something that wasn't in the Production Elements booklet but I feel is an important production element is actually the script. In Harry Potter, the script is based on a very critically acclaimed book so the source material for the dialogue and the visual imagery in your head is already excellent. However a script is not only the dialogue, and so whoever wrote the script also had a very big hand in saying what kind of costumes, sets, props and sounds should be used. Therefore the script is basically the key of all production elements, as this is the first place where all the other production elements get inspiration and ideas from.
After all this, going back to the question, I personally feel that without the usage of production elements, it is simply not a production, it is just a skit with only the drama. In other words, yes, production elements are crucial to a good production. The objective of our production is to show people the influence of technology on humans. If the production elements can be used to emotionally connect the audience to the play, such as the correct sound effect to make the play realistic, then it can go a long way in convincing the audience in what they see is real and a message to them.
2) Which production element do you think is the most important? Why?
As stated above, I have said the script is key to any of the other production elements, and so I believe the script is the most important production element. A production element is basically an element that is required for a good well made drama/film production, such as the sound, the visuals (sets, costumes and props), and the script. I say that the script is the most important production element because it controls what the actors should say in the play/movie, and more importantly in this case it sets the setting of the play/movie, and also the costumes can be described in the script as well, or at least can take inspiration from the script because the script will place the play/film in a time era or setting that calls for certain costumes and make-up. The script also influences the sounds that can be used in different scenes, and also influences the soundtrack to match with how the script goes. Finally it influences the lighting because the script will be the place where it tells when the lighting should be used.
3) What role did you choose? Why?
I chose to both help out and edit the script, and combine that with taking care of designing the set and props. I did this because I like to write my own lines to a play so I can choose the words that I will feel capture the audiences attention and move the story along, and I chose to take care of set and props because I feel that I can come up with a good visual image of what would be the best background and props to create as realistic a setting as possible for our play.
4) What you know already and what you want to know / learn
To be honest, apart from script-writing I know almost nothing about what goes on behind stage. However I might want to learn how to use the sound booth and the lighting because the technology behind it really interests me. Also since I am doing set and props, I want to learn what I can use to create the setting in my play such as how far can I take the setting.
5) Research and read your booklet then write up a list of your responsibilities
- I will need to firstly look at my script, because that will be where I base my source material from as a set and design worker. Before that however, I need to create the script.
- I will need to discuss with my group which parts of the stage they wish to use during the play. This is where we get together and read the script, and mark down where the actors will be in each scene.
- I will need to research the time period or setting that my play will take place in. This is to get an accurate feeling on how I should display the setting.
- I will then need to start working on designing the stage for the play. I must take into account how the actors can move around in the stage, how lighting can affect my play and where I place my props/ set pieces, how the audience can view my stage and so on.
- When I am done designing the stage, I must create a full scale model, or a drawing of my set so I can have an actual visual look on how my stage is planned out.
- After I finish designing the stage, I will see which and what props I should add and create to enhance the stage to make it look more authentic.
- At the end of everything I must give a presentation on how I am going to plan out and create my design. Also very importantly I must document my process so I can look back and see the progress I make each lesson.
Question 6 is missing.
7) Are there any images or film clips that inspire ideas / the /styles you would like to imitate, be influenced or inspired by.
A few days ago, I was watching the Godfather, and I was amazed that even after 50 years the key ingredients to a movie such as good make-up, good setting, and most importantly outstanding acting can influence how good a movie/production can be. In the Godfather, the pace isn't the fastest, and the focus can be placed heavily on the dialogue and how the dialogue can show a period of time for certain people. Also the usage of Sicilian when the movie takes place in Sicily really helps influence the authenticity of the movie. Therefore I can take influence from the Godfather in how dialogue can influence the authenticity of a play/movie, so I will work as much as I can on ensuring the dialogue is immaculate for the audience to see. Obviously I cannot go to different locations such as Sicily or the middle of New York to recreate scenes for my theater since it is in a theater, and the production budget is a lot lower than the one used in the Godfather, and so the least I can do is research the time frame and setting of my play, and try to recreate as much as I can inside my play.
Also last year, our grade was watching a performance of Romeo and Juliet in the Dubai Community Theater And Arts Center. What impressed me at the time was that they could make such a great piece of drama or something memorable in a scene before they transitioned, so that instead of awkwardly waiting for the next scene to come by during the transition, the audience was still buzzing and talking about what happened in the scene before. I would like to be able to do that with the audience for my play, so that moving the sets and props backstage and replacing them wouldn't have to be such a rushed job. I have had experience moving thing backstage during one MYP concert last year, and although it wasn't a drama production, it is a very similar thing because you have to move the chairs into the right position for the orchestra, or the stands in the right position for the orchestra players, or even some black boxes for a drama skit. Therefore the problem for me isn't the moving items backstage part, what I would like to try is to take influence from that performance of Romeo and Juliet and keep the audience so captivated by the play that during a scene transition, the play is what they are talking about and not about waiting for the next scene, or something completely unrelated to the play.
8) List one thing you learnt in the sound workshop that you didn't know before?
Something new I learned in the sound workshop is that they had thousands of CD's full of special effect sounds. I thought that people just created the sounds themselves instead of searching through piles of CD's to find the right sound.
I believe that a well made production requires a high technical standard of all production elements. I will use the Harry Potter movies as a reference point for a good production. Harry Potter movies have very well designed costumes that are made to fit all aspects of the series, such as the flowing black robes of Lord Voldemort. Also the costumes are very good to define which character is which, such as telling who are the students of Hogwarts, who are the professors of Hogwarts, and so on. It is very obvious that a lot of planning, designing and detailing has gone into the design of the costumes.
The Harry Potter movies is not a theater production, so there is less obvious showing of the importance of good lighting. However, lighting is used in the movies to show the mood and the situation of the scene, such as black and foggy skies when the Death Eaters are around in the movie.
Make-up is very important in the Harry Potter movies, from Lord Voldemort's pale skin, to Draco Malfoy's hair actually having to be dyed platinum blonde for the role, and the final scene where the actors are made to look much older than they actually are when they are parents. It is effective, and it is convincing, such as Daniel Radcliffe at the end where his make-up is used to make him look like a parent, he looked a bit like my dad with the good usage of makeup.
When it comes to set designing, the Harry Potter movies have done very well with scouting locations to look like a thousand year old school (Hogwarts), and the end result is that the whole thing can convince me that it is a very ancient school for wizards set in Britain. Therefore the high standard of research, and the painstaking amount of detail used to recreate the inspiration for the school into a movie set shows that a high technical level of production element usage can make the sky the limit when it comes to showing an audience things that are otherwise impossible such as Harry Potter.
Finally the sound usage in Harry Potter is great. From the soundtrack of the Harry Potter movies which fits into the whole movie, and carries the film along well instead of hindering it, to the different sound effects to show the effects of a Giant roaring, or an explosion caused from a magical spell, it enhances the viewing pleasure of the audience by a big margin. Would we still look on the Harry Potter films as being great if lets say the soundtrack was filled with Eminem rapping or David Guetta's big thumping club beats in the background? Would we believe in the Harry Potter story being real if when a potion is being brewed, the sounds coming out were that of a robotic voice? The answer for all these questions is a flat no, therefore this shows that if the production elements are being used to a high technical standard, then a production can really be great.
Something that wasn't in the Production Elements booklet but I feel is an important production element is actually the script. In Harry Potter, the script is based on a very critically acclaimed book so the source material for the dialogue and the visual imagery in your head is already excellent. However a script is not only the dialogue, and so whoever wrote the script also had a very big hand in saying what kind of costumes, sets, props and sounds should be used. Therefore the script is basically the key of all production elements, as this is the first place where all the other production elements get inspiration and ideas from.
After all this, going back to the question, I personally feel that without the usage of production elements, it is simply not a production, it is just a skit with only the drama. In other words, yes, production elements are crucial to a good production. The objective of our production is to show people the influence of technology on humans. If the production elements can be used to emotionally connect the audience to the play, such as the correct sound effect to make the play realistic, then it can go a long way in convincing the audience in what they see is real and a message to them.
2) Which production element do you think is the most important? Why?
As stated above, I have said the script is key to any of the other production elements, and so I believe the script is the most important production element. A production element is basically an element that is required for a good well made drama/film production, such as the sound, the visuals (sets, costumes and props), and the script. I say that the script is the most important production element because it controls what the actors should say in the play/movie, and more importantly in this case it sets the setting of the play/movie, and also the costumes can be described in the script as well, or at least can take inspiration from the script because the script will place the play/film in a time era or setting that calls for certain costumes and make-up. The script also influences the sounds that can be used in different scenes, and also influences the soundtrack to match with how the script goes. Finally it influences the lighting because the script will be the place where it tells when the lighting should be used.
3) What role did you choose? Why?
I chose to both help out and edit the script, and combine that with taking care of designing the set and props. I did this because I like to write my own lines to a play so I can choose the words that I will feel capture the audiences attention and move the story along, and I chose to take care of set and props because I feel that I can come up with a good visual image of what would be the best background and props to create as realistic a setting as possible for our play.
4) What you know already and what you want to know / learn
To be honest, apart from script-writing I know almost nothing about what goes on behind stage. However I might want to learn how to use the sound booth and the lighting because the technology behind it really interests me. Also since I am doing set and props, I want to learn what I can use to create the setting in my play such as how far can I take the setting.
5) Research and read your booklet then write up a list of your responsibilities
- I will need to firstly look at my script, because that will be where I base my source material from as a set and design worker. Before that however, I need to create the script.
- I will need to discuss with my group which parts of the stage they wish to use during the play. This is where we get together and read the script, and mark down where the actors will be in each scene.
- I will need to research the time period or setting that my play will take place in. This is to get an accurate feeling on how I should display the setting.
- I will then need to start working on designing the stage for the play. I must take into account how the actors can move around in the stage, how lighting can affect my play and where I place my props/ set pieces, how the audience can view my stage and so on.
- When I am done designing the stage, I must create a full scale model, or a drawing of my set so I can have an actual visual look on how my stage is planned out.
- After I finish designing the stage, I will see which and what props I should add and create to enhance the stage to make it look more authentic.
- At the end of everything I must give a presentation on how I am going to plan out and create my design. Also very importantly I must document my process so I can look back and see the progress I make each lesson.
Question 6 is missing.
7) Are there any images or film clips that inspire ideas / the /styles you would like to imitate, be influenced or inspired by.
A few days ago, I was watching the Godfather, and I was amazed that even after 50 years the key ingredients to a movie such as good make-up, good setting, and most importantly outstanding acting can influence how good a movie/production can be. In the Godfather, the pace isn't the fastest, and the focus can be placed heavily on the dialogue and how the dialogue can show a period of time for certain people. Also the usage of Sicilian when the movie takes place in Sicily really helps influence the authenticity of the movie. Therefore I can take influence from the Godfather in how dialogue can influence the authenticity of a play/movie, so I will work as much as I can on ensuring the dialogue is immaculate for the audience to see. Obviously I cannot go to different locations such as Sicily or the middle of New York to recreate scenes for my theater since it is in a theater, and the production budget is a lot lower than the one used in the Godfather, and so the least I can do is research the time frame and setting of my play, and try to recreate as much as I can inside my play.
Also last year, our grade was watching a performance of Romeo and Juliet in the Dubai Community Theater And Arts Center. What impressed me at the time was that they could make such a great piece of drama or something memorable in a scene before they transitioned, so that instead of awkwardly waiting for the next scene to come by during the transition, the audience was still buzzing and talking about what happened in the scene before. I would like to be able to do that with the audience for my play, so that moving the sets and props backstage and replacing them wouldn't have to be such a rushed job. I have had experience moving thing backstage during one MYP concert last year, and although it wasn't a drama production, it is a very similar thing because you have to move the chairs into the right position for the orchestra, or the stands in the right position for the orchestra players, or even some black boxes for a drama skit. Therefore the problem for me isn't the moving items backstage part, what I would like to try is to take influence from that performance of Romeo and Juliet and keep the audience so captivated by the play that during a scene transition, the play is what they are talking about and not about waiting for the next scene, or something completely unrelated to the play.
8) List one thing you learnt in the sound workshop that you didn't know before?
Something new I learned in the sound workshop is that they had thousands of CD's full of special effect sounds. I thought that people just created the sounds themselves instead of searching through piles of CD's to find the right sound.