Tag: Videos

That’s where I’ve been for a week or more … in the theatre sitting out front at the director’s desk. The Groundling apologises to readers for the long time between drinks; theatre has a habit of taking over your life when you’re in a production. Thus, an excuse for neglecting my scribbles here.

I’ve been working on a student production of The Rimers of Eldritch, Lanford Wilson‘s 1967 take on societal decay in a small American town. It’s about lots of other things too of course, and a fine vehicle for the actors and technical production students in the professional training course.

I took random pictures throughout the process of workshops, rehearsals, and then at a dress rehearsal. We open tonight and welcome the missing ingredient, the audience.

Here’s just a taste of what it looks like. Heigh ho, on to the show!

From today, the fabulous Flickr photo application allows pro users ($US24.95 a year) to upload up to 90 secs of individual videos to their site. Formerly users could submit still shots only.

I’ve been shooting and collecting images in a ‘theatres’ set on my Flickr page for a few years now. This morning I added a couple of little videos which will find their way into the collection. They were taken between 2005 and 2006 in London and show the interior of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (above) and a walk along the South Bank in the evening: from the National Theatre to the Globe. The last is 30 seconds or so of the Love’s Labour’s Lost pre-show warm-up by the musicians at the Globe.

Be warned … no Spielberg efforts here, but shot with my trusty point and shoot Minolta and Nokia N95 still cameras. Editing done on iMovie.

Now I’m thinking this could be the start of a whole new kind of movie-making: 30 second tales, ‘moving postcards’ and so on for your iPod, iPhone etc.

Love Flickr!

I often use improvisation with my students in acting classes. It is never entirely ‘free-form’ as is often thought. Improvisation bears fruit when allowed free rein within a ‘cage’ of understood rules … what we tend to call in acting the given circumstances or GCs … the who, where, when and what of a scenario. Add an understanding of the character to these GCs and with improv as the tool you have the opportunity for an artist or a group of actors to let rip imaginatively.

Now I know next to nothing about musical improvisation, though I do get jazz. Here though is one musical improvisor who will make your jaw drop. Jennifer Lin was a 14 year old pianist and composer invited to present at the TED (Technology Education Design) Conference in February 2004. I’d strongly recommend that you get to know more about TED and the treasure trove that is the series of TED Talks. You won’t be disappointed.

Anyhow, Jennifer Lin performs, discusses how she composes and then gets into the business of demonstrating improvisation about 16 minutes into the 24 minute video. She produces 7 cards with the 7 notes of the scale (ABCDEFG) and asks an audience member to select 5. Goldie Hawn obliges … TED attracts lots of interesting people … and Ms Lin then proceeds to improvise on the spot a quite lovely piece from Goldie’s selection of 5 notes (her improv ‘cage’). It’s riveting stuff. There’s more on the site about this talented young woman and the selection of pieces in the talk.

I hope she is still working at her music. She must be all of 18 by now!

Now this I like. More please … everywhere!

Think about it.