A student driven blog on the experiences of new directors.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Art Project Post
Hello, folks! Please post your art project observations on this thread. Briefly summarize your performance and let me know how you thought it went. Also, pick out one other and make some commentary on it as well. Thanks!
I thought my piece went well even though we hadn't had time to practice very much. We originally had the plan to use music but thought that it would be too cheesy so we scratched that idea. Austin acted the diving board scene very well, and i thought the piece came together. I thought this piece was much better than my last piece, because i actually had a clear conflict this time. I'm definitely not a director, but I feel like i'm improving in this class with directing.
I really liked the Mona Lisa scene, and it was acted very well. I thought the portrait was done well as well
For my piece I chose the painting "The Kiss". Typically this painting symbolizes a deep love and passion however I wanted to do something unexpected and different with it. I chose to have the scene be about a girl who is in love with a boy who is dating a girl that used to be her best friend. The two of them are alone and things are getting heated but she can't have her conscious eating at her so she leaves because she knows it is wrong. In the story there is a pause in the position the figures are in in the painting. I think that my piece went well. We did not have a lot of time to practice but the actors were very good at remembering what direction I had given them as well as emitting the right emotion to tell the story. I tried to work with different levels and angles to give the piece some dimension as well.
Another piece that I really liked was the one where Nick was a little boy who was punished and everyone spoke in a British accent... I can't remember who directed this one or the name of the painting- Sorry! It was a simple but fun story line and the end picture fit the painting well. I think it was nicely done and well planned out because it didn't look sloppy or thrown together.
For my piece i think it went very well for not having any practice on it much.It was a simple piece of art work so i wanted the story behind it to be kinda of simple and cute all at the same time. I think this was kinda of hard to find some art that you really want to use but other then that it was kinda kool to see everyone's idea behind a piece of art work. It really shows you how everyone can look at something different and get a different idea about it.
Another piece of art work i liked was the disc throwing one because it was funny when the picture makes you think it is suppose to be super serious. I laughed really hard. another statue on that i liked where they used the work out theme was also super funny. haha it is so true that other people check out others that they are working out with or seeing others work out. all of them were a lot of fun and it was awesome to see everyone's ideas come together.
My piece was Nighthawks. I think the piece went very well. The piece was simple and pretty straight forward and the actors knew their motivations and cues. I think for this assignment simplicity worked the best.
The Mona Lisa scene was hilarious. The switch between being painted and not was really strong. There was motivation for the way she acted while being painted and and the way she acted while she wasn't.
My biggest struggle with this project as a concept was that the most famous pieces I could think of were simply static people: Old Guitarist, Mona Lisa, Girl with the Pearl Earring, Whistler's Mother, etc. For some reason, it seemed very difficult to figure out a story from a simply person. My piece was based on Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. There was something so specific about the pose that I thought could make a scene. Unfortunately, it didn't come across as a story so much as a simple gag. I though Mae's piece was really interesting. She simply used the Girl With the Pearl Earring pose simply a starting place and really put a full story around it, and a funny one at that.
My directing scene was "The Old Guitarist." I initially started out with an overly ambitious story of two homeless people finding love, followed by the death of one. After figuring out a simpler and less muddy story to tell, I found it much easier to direct and get my point across. I'm finding that by simplifying and creating an engaging clear story, it makes for better theatre. Complex thoughts, metaphors, and plot, make for an altogether unappealing and unnecessary scene. The simpler and clearer the better, by making it too complex and "Artsy" you are sacrificing the thought behind the piece in some instances.
I would have really liked to see how someone handled abstract art. I think that lends itself to the most creative freedom, and also could be interesting. The audience is forced to pull what they get from the piece, much in the way they would the artwork.
On a side note, MONA LISA was really awesome. I loved the fact that it was about what could have been happening when it was painted, rather than a modern day interpretation of the art, which I thought was a really interesting choice.
I chose to do Pierre Auguste Cot's "The Storm". It is one of my favorite paintings, if not my absolute favorite. It is so romantic- so full of young love- love in its purest form. I took a very literal interpretation. I know that it looked a bit cheesy and maybe dramatic, but I didn't care. That is the only story that will ever belong to that painting in my mind. It was easy to teach as well, which was nice. I was happy with my final product. My favorite of the others' pieces was Mae's Girl With the Pearl Earring. It took a totally different approach, which made it interesting. On top of that, it was funny and clever.
My Art Project Scene utilized the painting the Epoch of Murder Madness. It is a newer piece by Karl-Kristjan Nagel. I wanted to do a simple piece that would be clear and concise. I have had trouble in my other scenes with over thinking the story and adding to much. This approach over complicates the scene and makes it muddy. This time I picked a picture that was minimalistic so that I wouldn't be able to complicate the process. I would have wanted this scene to be longer if i had had more time to work on it. I would have included the reasoning behind the murder and given Jenny's character more depth. I felt like she was more of a prop then a person in much scene and I wish her character had been more clear.
Something that's sort of a running theme for my directing pieces has been mapping out a storyline that doesn't directly relate to the tone of whatever it was I based the story off of. When I first saw The Boy in the Red Vest, I immediately got the sense that the painting was depicting some sort of sad event. Naturally, I decided to create a story that could be seen as comedic. I felt that the end product was successful and the message was received.
I chose an untitled Ukiyo-e print from an unknown artist. I wanted to choose a non-western piece of art because many of us are unfamiliar with this style of art. I also wanted to incorporate Japanese theatre into my piece as much as possible. Overall I believe my piece went very well and I am happy with the end result. My actors presented a culture many of us are unfamiliar with as well as created an appealing scene that matched my picture.
I loved the Mona Lisa piece since it was an idea of what was happening while the picture was being painted.
I think it's interesting that I chose a 3D sculpture to base my scene from, while everyone else chose paintings or drawings. I don't think it "worked" any more or less than the ones done from paintings or drawings, it's just interesting.
The theme in my work remains the same ... personal sacrifice and fighting for the freedom and well-being of others. I'm not sure if my art choice influenced the story of the scene, or of the desire to portray a certain theme influenced my art choice. Either way it wound up being a pretty darn cohesive set, I thought. I'm obviously not a combat choreographer, so if this were a full-on production getting ready for a professional run, I would call in a fight choreographer for a more detailed fight. As it was, Nick and Brandon did a great job with the fight--they made it a clear one-two punch type thing, and got the point across. I like that it looked more like a street scrap than a boxing match. If I may toot my own horn for a moment, I'm really proud of how naturally the scene flowed into the image of the Pieta. Nick and Meg did that seamlessly.
As far as acting, I really enjoyed working on Brandon's Boy in the Red Vest project. I adored all the moments for clear acting choices and wants and needs. I also liked that it was a good blend of comedy and drama. It wasn't a totally comic take on the art, but it was entirely dramatic either. The thought running through my head the whole time I was watching Nick's "Charlie" was, "Hashtag first world problems." XD
Now for watching, I thought "The Kiss" was outstanding as far as a new story behind an old piece. Holy CRAP. Now there's one that chose to be dramatic and went all the way with it, just pulled out all the stops. And the choice of mood with the story directed the "moment" of the original art and it wasn't forced and it wasn't contrived and it was solid and not just a pause and the white space had meaning and it was .... I just ...... *tears in eyes* Perfection.
I thought my piece went well even though we hadn't had time to practice very much. We originally had the plan to use music but thought that it would be too cheesy so we scratched that idea. Austin acted the diving board scene very well, and i thought the piece came together. I thought this piece was much better than my last piece, because i actually had a clear conflict this time. I'm definitely not a director, but I feel like i'm improving in this class with directing.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the Mona Lisa scene, and it was acted very well. I thought the portrait was done well as well
For my piece I chose the painting "The Kiss". Typically this painting symbolizes a deep love and passion however I wanted to do something unexpected and different with it. I chose to have the scene be about a girl who is in love with a boy who is dating a girl that used to be her best friend. The two of them are alone and things are getting heated but she can't have her conscious eating at her so she leaves because she knows it is wrong. In the story there is a pause in the position the figures are in in the painting. I think that my piece went well. We did not have a lot of time to practice but the actors were very good at remembering what direction I had given them as well as emitting the right emotion to tell the story. I tried to work with different levels and angles to give the piece some dimension as well.
ReplyDeleteAnother piece that I really liked was the one where Nick was a little boy who was punished and everyone spoke in a British accent... I can't remember who directed this one or the name of the painting- Sorry! It was a simple but fun story line and the end picture fit the painting well. I think it was nicely done and well planned out because it didn't look sloppy or thrown together.
For my piece i think it went very well for not having any practice on it much.It was a simple piece of art work so i wanted the story behind it to be kinda of simple and cute all at the same time. I think this was kinda of hard to find some art that you really want to use but other then that it was kinda kool to see everyone's idea behind a piece of art work. It really shows you how everyone can look at something different and get a different idea about it.
ReplyDeleteAnother piece of art work i liked was the disc throwing one because it was funny when the picture makes you think it is suppose to be super serious. I laughed really hard. another statue on that i liked where they used the work out theme was also super funny. haha it is so true that other people check out others that they are working out with or seeing others work out. all of them were a lot of fun and it was awesome to see everyone's ideas come together.
My piece was Nighthawks. I think the piece went very well. The piece was simple and pretty straight forward and the actors knew their motivations and cues. I think for this assignment simplicity worked the best.
ReplyDeleteThe Mona Lisa scene was hilarious. The switch between being painted and not was really strong. There was motivation for the way she acted while being painted and and the way she acted while she wasn't.
My biggest struggle with this project as a concept was that the most famous pieces I could think of were simply static people: Old Guitarist, Mona Lisa, Girl with the Pearl Earring, Whistler's Mother, etc. For some reason, it seemed very difficult to figure out a story from a simply person.
ReplyDeleteMy piece was based on Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. There was something so specific about the pose that I thought could make a scene. Unfortunately, it didn't come across as a story so much as a simple gag.
I though Mae's piece was really interesting. She simply used the Girl With the Pearl Earring pose simply a starting place and really put a full story around it, and a funny one at that.
My directing scene was "The Old Guitarist." I initially started out with an overly ambitious story of two homeless people finding love, followed by the death of one. After figuring out a simpler and less muddy story to tell, I found it much easier to direct and get my point across. I'm finding that by simplifying and creating an engaging clear story, it makes for better theatre. Complex thoughts, metaphors, and plot, make for an altogether unappealing and unnecessary scene. The simpler and clearer the better, by making it too complex and "Artsy" you are sacrificing the thought behind the piece in some instances.
ReplyDeleteI would have really liked to see how someone handled abstract art. I think that lends itself to the most creative freedom, and also could be interesting. The audience is forced to pull what they get from the piece, much in the way they would the artwork.
On a side note, MONA LISA was really awesome. I loved the fact that it was about what could have been happening when it was painted, rather than a modern day interpretation of the art, which I thought was a really interesting choice.
I chose to do Pierre Auguste Cot's "The Storm". It is one of my favorite paintings, if not my absolute favorite. It is so romantic- so full of young love- love in its purest form. I took a very literal interpretation. I know that it looked a bit cheesy and maybe dramatic, but I didn't care. That is the only story that will ever belong to that painting in my mind. It was easy to teach as well, which was nice. I was happy with my final product.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite of the others' pieces was Mae's Girl With the Pearl Earring. It took a totally different approach, which made it interesting. On top of that, it was funny and clever.
My Art Project Scene utilized the painting the Epoch of Murder Madness. It is a newer piece by Karl-Kristjan Nagel. I wanted to do a simple piece that would be clear and concise. I have had trouble in my other scenes with over thinking the story and adding to much. This approach over complicates the scene and makes it muddy. This time I picked a picture that was minimalistic so that I wouldn't be able to complicate the process.
ReplyDeleteI would have wanted this scene to be longer if i had had more time to work on it. I would have included the reasoning behind the murder and given Jenny's character more depth. I felt like she was more of a prop then a person in much scene and I wish her character had been more clear.
Something that's sort of a running theme for my directing pieces has been mapping out a storyline that doesn't directly relate to the tone of whatever it was I based the story off of. When I first saw The Boy in the Red Vest, I immediately got the sense that the painting was depicting some sort of sad event. Naturally, I decided to create a story that could be seen as comedic. I felt that the end product was successful and the message was received.
ReplyDeleteI chose an untitled Ukiyo-e print from an unknown artist. I wanted to choose a non-western piece of art because many of us are unfamiliar with this style of art. I also wanted to incorporate Japanese theatre into my piece as much as possible. Overall I believe my piece went very well and I am happy with the end result. My actors presented a culture many of us are unfamiliar with as well as created an appealing scene that matched my picture.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Mona Lisa piece since it was an idea of what was happening while the picture was being painted.
I think it's interesting that I chose a 3D sculpture to base my scene from, while everyone else chose paintings or drawings. I don't think it "worked" any more or less than the ones done from paintings or drawings, it's just interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe theme in my work remains the same ... personal sacrifice and fighting for the freedom and well-being of others. I'm not sure if my art choice influenced the story of the scene, or of the desire to portray a certain theme influenced my art choice. Either way it wound up being a pretty darn cohesive set, I thought. I'm obviously not a combat choreographer, so if this were a full-on production getting ready for a professional run, I would call in a fight choreographer for a more detailed fight. As it was, Nick and Brandon did a great job with the fight--they made it a clear one-two punch type thing, and got the point across. I like that it looked more like a street scrap than a boxing match. If I may toot my own horn for a moment, I'm really proud of how naturally the scene flowed into the image of the Pieta. Nick and Meg did that seamlessly.
As far as acting, I really enjoyed working on Brandon's Boy in the Red Vest project. I adored all the moments for clear acting choices and wants and needs. I also liked that it was a good blend of comedy and drama. It wasn't a totally comic take on the art, but it was entirely dramatic either. The thought running through my head the whole time I was watching Nick's "Charlie" was, "Hashtag first world problems." XD
Now for watching, I thought "The Kiss" was outstanding as far as a new story behind an old piece. Holy CRAP. Now there's one that chose to be dramatic and went all the way with it, just pulled out all the stops. And the choice of mood with the story directed the "moment" of the original art and it wasn't forced and it wasn't contrived and it was solid and not just a pause and the white space had meaning and it was .... I just ...... *tears in eyes* Perfection.