Working With Photoshop

In art we are looking at photographs because it’s another way of expressing art. We were asked to take pictures of each other and edit them on Adobe Photoshop. We're studying certain artists and were asked to edit the pictures in the style of that particular artist. It’s a very complex program but I think I’m getting used to it. I think it’s really good for this course because it’s electronic so it’s not fully practical.

Planning Our Woyzeck Performances

In drama we have been studying the play Woyzeck. It is about a man who murders his wife because she cheats on him. We were put into groups of around 4 and asked to pick a character and study them. My role was to be Marie (Woyzeck's wife) and I had to pick out 10 lines throughout the play. The point in this exercise was that the 10 lines we picked out should be able to tell the brief story form that characters point of view. Then we were asked to plan out the death scene and think about lighting, set, audience, shape, positions on stage and costumes. I’m looking forward to performing in front of the class and getting the whole production done!

Making Clay Heads

In art we have been studying quite a few artists such as Francis Bacon, Julian Opie and Andy Warhol. As part of our course we were shown different ways of producing art and one of the ways of doing that is by sculpting. We were shown how to make clay heads.
Steps:
1. Get a wooden stand.
2. Wrap paper around it to create a basic head shape.
3. Stick it together with selotape.
4. Start adding clay onto the head bit by bit.
5. Mold in all the features
I found it quite hard. When sir was showing us an example he made it look much easier which got me quite worried. If I were to do it next time I would probably make it more abstract as my head was really smooth, unlike others in the class. The only down side of it was getting a little dirty, but I guess art is always messy so ill get over that. :)

Work Experience

For work experience I worked in mahogany's costume design shop, which is located in Harlesden NW10. Basically the make most of the costumes that appear in carnivals (Notting hill) etc. when I first got there they explained the reason they make all the costumes out of foam and why they use certain glues, paints and so on... it was quite a lot to take in but I found all the practical work easy. On our second week, we were asked to design our own headpiece and make it. I loved designing it but didn't enjoy making it as much. I thought cutting the foam was quite hard because it was quite thick and it was hard to cut circles out without making any jagged edges. The painting was probably the best part of it because there was so much to do with it, you could barely go wrong. Overall I thought it was a really good experience but not quite to my taste. I would recommend it to someone who is quite practical. The only down side to it all was the travel, as it was too far.

Guildhall

On the 21st of January, me Alex Yasemin and Marley had the chance to go to guildhall and interview the secretary of state Ed Balls. When we got there we took a few establishing shots of the hall itself and took some photos. We set up our cameras and everything and went downstairs to have a talk with some of the people. There were teachers, journalists, photographers and more there. Having the chance to interview them was really good because it was part of our scene course so it added onto my work. Unfortunately we didn't get to interview Ed Balls because he had an important meeting he had to attend to, but we still managed to listen to his speech. We will be going back to his office in the summer to interview him due to the slight inconvenience. Our school was mentioned in his speech which I was very proud about :) a brilliant night!

Edward Scissorhands.

A few weeks ago my creative and media class and I went to see a performance in Sadler’s wells called Edward Scissor hands. It was a night performance and we got our tickets for free, which was great. We had learned about the performance in drama before we went to go and see it, which was a great starter. When we were in our seats I was automatically in a scared mood because of all the lighting. And when the performance started I was dragged in. the performance was amazing. Everything was brilliant. I got a lot of ideas from it and thought about that parts I might be able to use for my own work. I thought the idea of the big white board was really good and it added effect to it. The set was also very good. The only down side of it was probably the seats we had because I couldn't really see much. If I were to go and see it again I would pick up on the little things I missed the last time so I'd go. I would recommend it to other students!

Sadlers Wells Dance Workshop

In drama we were introduced to Vicky and Jack, two dancers from the production Edward scissor hands. They came to do a dance workshop with us as part of our diploma. As a warm up we played a little game called zip zap. We were then standing in a circle. Vicky was teaching us a routine they used in Edward scissor hands. Next we were placed into pairs and were asked to imagine we were in a BBQ and come up with our own routine. I think the experience was quite fun. We had a talk about making moves exaggerated and over the top so it’s more dramatic and easier to see what’s going on. We were also discussing the positive and negative points of speech.
We were then asked to perform our routines in front of the class. It was really interesting to see everyone else’s dance and comparing it to mine. Everyone’s performances were completely different! After the performances we got the chance to ask Vicky and Jake questions about Edward scissor hands and their job. This was also part of our diploma so everything came handy in the end. Big thanks to Vicky and Jake for coming!