Evaluation of chasing pavements

Every Single lesson (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) we would split into our groups and start our rehearsals for our devising piece. We didn’t have a schedule however at the beginning we would discuss whether we wanted to create a new scene or improve the scenes that we had already formed.  Every few lessons we would brainstorm our current ideas and just talk discuss what we thought about them.

Throughout the rehearsal process myself and other members of the group would experiment on ways we could use stage combat that is used with in the piece. Some members and I have been to some workshops in the past which has allowed us to use a slightly wider variety of stage combat and also allowed us to experiment  with our technique slightly more. Personally I think that the “punches” that were being thrown in the show were believable to an extent, I think that the only thing that didn’t make it believable was that there wasn’t much of an effect on the character that I was beating (black eye/broken nose).

Overall I think that the performance went good, there were a few minor errors that weren’t meant to happen however I think that we just went on with it and got it done with. One thing that I think really worked with our performance is that the scaffolding in the back worked rather well through put the whole thing; it was used pretty well for the date scene, the movement scene, the other date scene, and the stage combat scene. However I think that it mainly based around it when it wasn’t really necessary.

In my opinion as a group I personally think that we didn’t work well together due to too many distractions and at the week before the show few people decided that scenes we had come up with were too “cheesy” which I didn’t really agree with but other people agreed so I just had to go with it and make up something new. Another reason I say this is that during the process of developing the ideas people weren’t taking it seriously enough and it became fairly irritating when ideas that are good were being put down because some people would say they didn’t like the song when it would have fitted nicely.

When looking at the techniques, I think that it went quite well as there was quite a variety (Movement, Monologs, Split Screen, Stage Combat, Slow motion) . 

After our performance as a group we discussed what we thought went well (www = what went well) and then if there was anything we could improve (ebi = even better if). Even though we thought that the performance went well, we thought that there were a lot of things that could have been improved. I agree with all the ebi’s, but ones that I would really say that matches my opinion is the “more naturalistic” as it did seem a bit farfetched and really unrealistic however that is something that the group also agreed with and we said that it would be more engaging to an audience if it was something that they can relate to.  Another point that I agree with is “developing of characters”. I would probably say this is the most important point in the ebi’s as when we cut off characters, personally I don’t feel that the audience felt the emotions that we were hoping and by developing a character we can really engage with the audience so when someone they like gets cut off they feel upset or the emotions that we aim for them to feel.

Single - Brainstorm Analysis

This is one of our first brainstorms for the piece called “chasing pavements” , when we looked at what the title of the devising piece was, we looked at the lyrics to the Adele song. The lyrics say “Should I keep on chasin’ pavements, even if it leads nowhere?” .The word chasing seems to be a key term in our ideas as it’s based on people chasing hope that they can make a change to this futuristic based piece.

So in this photo the group decided that we would focus on more of our story line than what to base the piece on.

(1)    As you can see we had rules out characters in which we wanted to play and we tried to make it so that everyone wanted to play the part that they wanted to. This way we all would get to do something that we would put as a target and attempt to achieve. So at this stage, I wanted to play a soppy character as I tend to always play an angry character who shouts a lot.

(2)    This is when we started to talk about our previous ideas and tried to come up with some sort of plot for the piece. Eventually we had got a rough idea on what we wanted to perform however we just needed to attempt them and see if they worked and if we felt like they could have been used well enough when performing. 

 Once we had got to the next stage of developing our brainstorms. We had our introduction sorted and our 'training' scene also sorted by this point which left the rest of the story. We originally was going to have a physical theatre piece however due to some people being dancers in my group, we developed it so it became a movement piece. Also originally my character was going to start getting depressed and anxious as the girl he loves is cheating on him, he isn't 100% sure, however he has suspicions which lead to the whole depression thing, Personally I wanted it to stay like that as it would have made the audience feel more sympathetic for the character and therefore people would have felt bad when he gets killed off.

This is our final "plan" and as you can tell we have added a lot to our piece over the few weeks, Instead of opening the piece with the whole Graffiti on the wall thing. We had recorded some footage so that it started off with a news report which helps set the scene of "Chasing Pavements". It then goes into the original opening, we added a lot of stage combat into our piece as well, I think that it was good to use as the whole setting of the production is based in a post apocalyptic setting and you would try and defend yourself as much as possible. However I think in some cases it too much. We have added the "mission planning" scene to the plan as it allows the audience to get an understanding of how some characters think and feel (Craig). Instead of having Spencer and Jeremy talking all night and then having Sam and Ruby talking all night, we decided that we could use monologues as it gives us a chance for our audience to learn about their pasts. Personally I think that was a good idea as I find monologues rather easier to perform as it helps me think and feel like my character. Instead of having a 'cheeky' little affair going on, we worked out that it could potentially be better if we have two different relationships. However doing this meant that the audience wouldn't see that anxious side to my character. We added in a split screen and another report to show how the 'rebels' feel about their previous tasks and also to see how Jeremy starts to change from a fairly loved up character (When around Sam) to someone who will threaten to beat up a fellow member of the group right in front of her. So instead of having a whole piece on depression etc and making the audience feel sad, they are meant to feel sad due to the fact that he gets kicked out of the base. Personally I still think that the depression idea would have worked better.

Single - Character Profile

Name: Jeremy Smith

Role in Group: Combat Specialist

Age when becoming a rebel: 7

Backstory: At the age of 7, he was asleep on a cold autumn night when it happened. His father Rou Smith and mother Lucy Smith ran into his room. They had very little time however they managed to get Jeremy to safety. They were in such a panic and didn’t know what to say, they kissed his forehead, told him to run and to look after himself. Rou then assisted him as he climbed down the side of the house, as Jeremy was about to reach the floor his father let go of the bit of rope he was holding, Jeremy had a small fall however he heard his parents shouting with someone and he saw torch lights all around the house. He didn’t know what to do but just stand there at the side of his house, speechless as to what was going on. What he was about to witness changed his life. Gun shots were fired and his parent’s bodies were thrown out of the window. They heralded towards the floor and their faces staring at Jeremy.   Jeremy started to run, the faster he ran the more he started to well up and the tears streamed down his face. As he was running JAMIE’s swat van picked up on his movement and attempted to track him down. He could hear the van quickly gaining on him and just as he thought it was game over, someone grabbed him and pulled him out of the way, picked him up and ran out of the town.  He squirmed and tried to fight off this stranger, but did not succeed, after a long and tiring fight; the stranger put him down on the top of an old abandoned library. She takes off her mask and reveal’s her true identity. She tells him that her name is Sam and that she has seen the entire country burn and rot because of JAMIE. She then asked him if he wanted to stay, he was hesitant at first and still in shock but after the years past he adapted to the life style and decided to live with Sam.

Crimes: Murder, Assault, Vandalism

Hobbies: Fighting, Trying the be the Alfa – Male

Single - Writing in Role 2

I love her. I can’t even begin to explain the struggle of trying to have someone who doesn’t necessarily feel the same. I’ve felt like this for so long and now I feel like I am old enough to express these feelings. I know that I have to do these things when I’m left alone with her, I can’t let anyone know as well, he’s always watching. You can never trust anyone and I mean anyone but Sam. I just can’t help but tell her everything and anything. She’s practically raised me to be the person I am right now. I try my best to be a good person when she’s around. I fight off people that bring negativity into our home however she seems to get mad about that and for some reason it’s always my fault. That’s the only thing that annoys me with Sam. She never lets me protect her from danger, she thinks that she’s capable of fighting and killing everyone but I Know, one day she’ll need me but only when she’s pushed me too far to pull me back. 

Single - Writing in Role 1

It’s been going on for too long now. I just can’t help myself. It’s like I don’t know who I am half the time, maybe I need help? Or maybe I just need to find a way to resolve this “problem”. You see, I think I've inherited it from my father. He may have died like a hero but I had always despised him. The way that he would lie to my mother, the way he would go to beat my mother when he got mad. I hated him but he saved my life. One thing that really gets under my skin is that Spencer, my one true friend never takes my side, never backs me up in an argument, just sits there and watches me crash and burn. I've always taken his side, even if he’s in the wrong; I've always stuck by him. And the other day when he told me to back off from Ruby. She deserves a whole lot worse than what I was going to do, hell I’d push her off the top of the base if I could. And as for Spencer, I have nothing but the most disrespect for him, pure hatred.  He’s supposed to be my best friend, not some cocky, arrogant person who never defends me. I will come back and I will make sure they know who the real leader is. Nothing will stop me. 

Single - Response to the stimuli

When choosing music to add to our piece it was quite tricky as everyone had different views on music for certain scenes. As I looked at the lyrics for the song "Chasing Pavements" by Adele and a song called "The River" by Parkway Drive, it seems to me that both songs seem to have a common thing with hope, love and pain. The thing I like about "The River" is that it tells a story through the song, you might not be able to tell due to some heavy vocals however when you read the lyrics you can hear the feel the pain that the person may have felt.

"You were the first, you wouldn't be the last
What the river took, we could never replace
And as the pain set in so did the realisation
You were never coming home
For nights we lay awake
Wishing for answers, hoping against all hope
And if love could change the course of fate
These nights, we move mountains
But as the news filtered down the line, the impact shook us
Shook us to the core
Loss struck like a dagger in our aching hearts"
The lyrics above are from "The River" and I believe that you could make a piece a lot easier with these lyrics as it already has a story, however there could have been a piece based on this song, or it could be how people could cope in situations in which tragic events like this occur.

"The River" by Parkway Drive (with Lyrics) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5BDE3LPqck

Single - Back story of Jeremy

The back story of the character Jeremy is in my opinion rather depressing and upsetting.
When he was at the age of 7, he was asleep in his bed one night when his parents came running into his room and they opened the window, let his crawl down from the ledge and into the garden, as he was climbing down he heard the sound of doors being kicked down within the house hold, as he reached the ground in his garden he hid in a bush and looked up at his window, he witnessed his parents trying to climb out but getting pulled back into his room by soldier and then shot. He runs away as fast as he can, he bumps into Sam and and bursts out into tears. She then raises him and over time they begin to struggle, they are more and more vulnerable as time goes on. That's why they start the rebellion, however over time Jeremy begins to get more "greedy" and acts like a leader however he is put back in his place.

Single - Costume

This is a part of my costume for the devised show, the hat that says “Drop Dead” which is fairly ironic as it is a brand however it relates to the character of James Dying. The denim Jacket I believe can look rebellious as I think in some cases it can look intimidating, along with the black hoodie and I believe that it is a more stereotypical look for a thug or rebel which the audience could/might be able to identify.

Single - Updated Night Scene

The group have decided not to focus on Jeremy's and Spencer's "friendship" that much any more and we thought we should try and avoid what could be like a cheesy situation with the boys talking about girls and the girls talking about the boys. Instead we have come up with a scene based in the same location (room where people sleep) but we have each character stand up, give their back story. We have decided to do this so that it is an attempt to engage with the audience and add a more sympathetic atmosphere. Personally I think that this is a good idea as I know that a monologue is a stronger "skill" that I have when performing. However it's going to be a struggle for me as I tend to get carried away and get too much into character and I just tend to Improvise, So bringing the timing down and restricting myself to saying key things to my character is rather important.

Single - Updated dance pieces

This idea has been scrapped but elements have been kept, so an example is that Jeremy and Sam are seriously in love and wee see them get closer and more in love, however there is no cheating or 'playing' around as such. The dance has also been scrapped as the majority of people believe that the dance will be cheesy, however I believe that it would be a good idea as you can really see the emotions that the two characters have towards each other. There has been two different scenes for two separate dates now as "the other guy" (Spencer) begins to fall in love with Ruby.

Single - Updated Date Scene

Instead of seeing a 'friendship' between Spencer and Jeremy we have decided that we stick to the night time theme but so the audience can understand our characters better, we have decided to do a small scene where each character gives there story in a monologue. Personally I think that this updated version is better as it gives me a chance to show off one of my biggest skills when performing, I feel like if I can do monologues rather well and i can improvise it rather easily. However It will be a challenge as I tend to make them really long so shortening it to something that is about 2 minutes is going to be trick.

Single - Orginal Date Scene

As an idea for a date scene which is what I was set to think/research about, I had an idea of Jamie and Jeremy on top of an old ruined building, Jeremy and Jamie are sitting on the edge of the building having a picnic between the two and then Jeremy decides to tell Jamie how happy she makes him and she completely is breath taken by what he says, he stands her up and the slow dance to 'Thinking out Loud' by Ed Sheeran. We see the couple look deeply into each others eyes, they are about to kiss when it blacks out and while the music is playing a spot light is shown upon Spencer where he is is standing on his own in the cold looking at his watch  wondering where this girl is supposed be.

Single - Dance pieces

In our last lesson we tried to make a dance so that people could see that Spencer and Jeremy are being played around by the same girl but we try and make our audience feel sympathetic towards Jeremy as he is clearly in love with the girl but obviously she isn't too into him as she has cheated on both of the boys. The group and I decided on two different songs : "I'm already gone" by A Day To Remember and "Thinking out loud" by Ed Sheeran. But we will decide on what song is more suited when we see what the full scene looks like. We were testing which ways we can make the characters look good together but without trying to be too cheesy as we don't want our audience to cringe at something that is suppose to be serious and romantic. For example Jeremy and Sam are slightly cuddling and holding hands and rest each others heads in their shoulders, showing the audience that the two characters have passion towards each other.

Single - Night Scene

Original Idea
After this the Rebels decide to call it a night and the scene cuts to when everyone is in bed, we see Jeremy and Spencers friendship as that talk about girls etc, the audience hear that that both of them are in a 'secret' relationship, which is suppost to be an enigma until later on in the piece. The boys then go to sleep and we hear Jamie and another rebel talking about boys etc so we hear a similar conversation but just the opposite way around. They then go to sleep and then it goes into the next scene.

Meeting James for the first time.

The beginning to our new idea starts off with a sound scape of each character saying something that is related to the mission they are working on. Then we see my character Jeremy spraying a question mark on a wall of an old building. Whilst he sprays a police officer notices him and they have small fight, this is usually against the rules of this group of 'Rebels'. Jeremy gets thrown to the floor by the police officer and is beaten, Jeremy is seriously injured by this but is saved by Spencer. As Spencer fights off the police officer other members help Jeremy up and they retreat back to their base. Once they arrive Jeremy is approached by all other members that are at the base and is straight away noticed by the leader, Jamie. When Jeremy is being treated by the doctor/tech guy Jamie comes over and hints to the audience that they are a couple as they are quite close together and she holds his hands to make sure he's okay. Whilst this goes on the other rebels are suddenly approached by a stranger who enters the base seeking the opportunity to join them. Jamie is fast to get on to her feet and walks over to this stranger, whilst they talk about a 'trial' the other rebels go and see how Jamie is doing.

Single - Music for Fight Scenes

In today’s lesson I thought that it would be rather vital that there should be some music that is included in the fighting scene with James and Jeremy. Previously, when developing the idea we had thought that it would be a good idea to have some rather random piece of music that doesn’t really suit the piece just so it makes the audience a little bit more engaged as they aren’t exactly sure as to what’s happening. There is so many songs that we thought would be rather weird yet wonderful to use, here is a list of some of the songs:

·         Glenn Miller – In the mood

·         The Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls

·         New Order – Blue Monday

·         Lou Reed – Perfect Day

·         Pulp – Common People

So far we are more tempted to go for Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” as it is quite ironic.

For some reason myself and another member of my group decided that it would be more weirder/quirky if we had music varied from the 50’s/80’s. This was a good idea in my opinion as our piece is post-apocalyptic based so we have a wider range of music we can use. And it also means by doing this we can slightly take the audience away from the whole intenseness of the whole story and by the time it gets the final scene we can bring back the intenseness that was originally created and therefore engage with them in the biggest way possible.

Single - Final Scene

For the final scene it starts off with the four rebels (Tim, Jeremy, Craig and Spencer) are standing around the dead body of James, they all accuse each other as they unsure as to who killed him with the final punch/kick.  Ruby walks in and they pressure her into not saying anything as they are all scared of what Sam will say and afraid that they will get kicked out of the Group. No matter how hard they try, Sam gets into the room and confronts them about James’s dead body.  Tim comes to a conclusion that Sam is Jamie and with no hesitation she kills Spencer, Tim and Craig. She puts a gun to Jeremy’s ace and he talks her out of shooting him. They emotionally hug and then Ruby shoots Jeremy. He dies in Jamie’s arms and drops to the floor. Personally I think that this is one of our best scenes as there is so much tension.

For this final scene I would like to have some music slowly come on in the back ground as it can really help bring this atmosphere to the maximum potential. The song that I would choose is a song called "Gandhi mate, Gandhi'. I would suggest this song as it has a rap like introduction to the song about how 'corrupt' the world that they live in is and I think it would work nicely from when Ruby says she'll take guard at the door.

Link to "Gandhi Mate, Gandhi" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXcMJ1zBaXI 

Single - Movement Piece

We have added a movement piece for after Jeremy and Sam’s (Jamie’s) “date”. In this we will be doing a cannon (copying each other’s body language but lightly delayed). The whole purpose of this is to show that the rebels are on a mission and it goes wrong when Jeremy kills an innocent civilian and it’s to show the first step of Jeremy’s anger getting the best of him. By doing this we have choreographed a stage combat sequence involving punches and a bit where Jeremy strangles the civilian. Also by doing the movement it adds something different to the story instead of having it just dialog based which can in most cases loose an audience's attention. The song 'Suppermassive Black Hole' by Muse. This song was chosen as it has that kind of sneaky atmosphere to it and also the kinda of music that can lead to something terrible. 

Link to 'Suppermassive Black Hole' : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr_qDnDPyA4&list=PLJhmviD_-i_8vYjqWY6EbOwwPjhAEPgss

Single - The Beginning of a Downfall

We have devised quite a few scenes from my previous posts, for example we have a whole scene in which Jeremy loses his temper and he ends up squaring up with Ruby and Spencer and pulls out a knife on Spencer whilst getting pulled off by Craig. We thought that this scene would be rather vital to the whole plot as shortly after Jeremy is told that he has to leave the rebel’s ‘crew’.  By having these we can create a rather tense atmosphere and we can also see the ‘downfall’ of Jeremy as he is lonely, depressed and full of anger. This also allows us to see his emotions change rather dramatically as he is strongly in love with Sam however she leaves him heartbroken and tells him to leave.

Single - Christmas Planning, Date Scene

For the date scene with myself and Freya we have decided that we will still continue to use the small scaffolding however we are not basing the scene on that one object, myself and Freya have decided that we will include some small dialog based scene as it is easier for the audience to understand what’s going on. Personally I would think that it would be a good idea to do some movement so it shows off more creative skills but no one agrees as they think that it would be added just to kill time however i genuinely believe that it is a good chance to show off our skills.  

I think that this would be a good idea on how our stage should be set out as it gives off the impression that everything is ruined and it is Post - Apocalyptic. The top bit of the stage would be perfect for our date scene as the sky (set design) sets the right timing of when the date would occur. 

Single - Updated Ideas

We have changed the scenes a lot with in the past week or two, we have done so as to the fact that we thought of better ways to make our stories more interesting, for example instead of having Meg’s character “Ruby” come along and kill ‘Jamie’ due to her love for my character Jeremy, we decided that we should do it so that Freya kills off ‘Spencer’ and everyone else but Ruby and my character. She hesitates to kills me and Jeremy ends up persuading her to not kill him, she puts the gun away and they hug with emotion, shortly after Meg shows up to find her lover is dead and in return she seeks revenge and kills Jeremy, she watches as Jamie cries over Jeremy’s death and as Jamie goes to confront Meg’s character, she is shot.