Mime Workshop 5

We did the interview today. It took longer then I thought it would. Most of the time we were trying to figure out lighting. Ahh light, so important! We used what we learned for the stac live commercials, rule of thirds, different angles, cool stuff like that. I can't wait to edit it. As we were filming it I was editing it in my head. Then we practiced what we've been working on. Gregg is going to leave us with the beginning to the middle and the end. That way if we don't have time to finish it with him, we have the basic framework done and can finish it on our own.

I've been thinking about my script. I shouldn't be. Every time I think about how things are going to go when I write, it turns into crap. I try to force it in a direction it does not want to go. It just doesn't sound natural. This happened to me when I wrote for the Second Quarter Project. Especially the forest essay thing. I had originally written about Metropolis, Mattise and The Prisoner as if it were a response for an eighth grade english class. I kept it safe and tried to force it into something creative. It was crap. So, at the last minute, after having written an entire essay, I threw it out. I went with my gut and just started writing. I ended up writing a weird little drugged dream. I didn't know if it was any good, but I honestly didn't care. It's a scary thing to do.

Mime Workshop 4

Sorry about the lateness. Anyway, on Friday we continued on with our final project. I wrote a bit about how we are using the concept of metamorphosis and rituals to create a little skit. We are still working with that idea. We practiced what we did on Tuesday and added to the beginning and end of it. There really is no order for what we are doing. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just leave it at that. We had a bit of a problem determining how the skit would flow. If we keep it too connected it becomes a plot. Greg showed us that if we transition with a single person, then the audience follows that person, and by doing so, create a story for him/her. We learned to avoid that by using what he calls "whips", which could be spinning around or putting the focus on someone else. LIke the way whips were used to change scenes in "Star Wars".

Mime Workshop 3

Today was great. We began by doing some warmups and then got straight to talking about the final project. I cant wait until we actually do it. We incorporated what we have been talking about in class, rituals, traditions, and hollow verses holy. Gregg showed us a mime technique/skit called metamorphosis. It is when the mimer changes the action in the middle of the action, or "metamorphs" into something else. For example the mimer could start out by tossing a baseball and then changes in the middle of the action into throwing a grenade. It becomes even more interesting when the solider throwing the grenade suddenly becomes a priest preaching in front of a church. We are going to take the idea of metamorphoses and of rituals and combine them to create our final project. Today we brainstormed for ideas of rituals that we could mime. The next step is figuring out the order we will change into them. This is very important as the order will determine the entire message of the little play. I sort of had an ah-ha moment in class when practiced today. This is why mime exists! Gregg was able to keep us on our toes by changing from a soldier to a priest in a matter of seconds. He evolved before our eyes. This is not something you could do in plays or even in movies. Sure, you could flash contrasting images in film using cuts, and change something into something completely different using special effects but it's not the same. It's like why mime is silent, the audience comes up with more interesting sounds and visuals on their own.

Mime Workshop 2

After doing a couple of warm up exercises Gregg taught us how to do the robot. I thought I was able to do it before but now I know I was wrong. The robot is not dancing, it's acting. You are acting like a robot. It seems so simple to me know, I don't know how I didn't get that before. Gregg taught us how to move our bodies in short, controlled stops to get the mechanical look. We also learned to make sound effects out loud. They really help take you away from moving like a human would. I showed my sister, who takes three dance classes, jazz, hip hop and theater, competes in gymnastics competitions once a week and is on a cheerleading squad and she now thinks that I am the best dancer in the world. What she doesn't know wont hurt her.
Later, we did an exercise where we were split into two groups. We acted (mimed) out a skit where we were fans cheering on rival teams while watching a game at a bar. We learned to mime in phases of three. For example, if your team scored and you want to show your excitement, you show it in your eyes first, then your face and then your body. Emotion is always expressed first in your eyes. We did three sets of three, with each set getting progressively slower. The last set we did in slow motion. We also learned how to fight in slow motion. It isn't just swinging your arms and legs and someone at half of normal speed. You have to be smart about it, if you punch someone in the face, how are they going to fall down in slow motion? We learned to work with each oher, so that whoever was getting the punch or the kick would control the movements.

Mime Workshop 1

Today we worked with Gregg Goldston at the mine workshop. It was awesome. We learned how to create invisible walls and tables, walk invisible dogs, push and pull invisible carts and then put what we learned together to create a fun little skit. Although mime mostly has to do with the way you control your body, it also has a lot to do with what you do with your face. Goldston taught us that the expressions in your face are key to having the audience "see" what you are creating. When you mime a wall, the wall becomes more solid if you actually focus on where you are going to put your hand. The audience follows your line of vision and create the wall for themselves. It's the same with everything. It all has to do with your face. These are very useful tips when performing in general. You need to learn to project your energy out to the audience and keep your face visible.

I noticed something interesting happen during class today. We all fell silent, and we didn't need to be today. This is rare for a group of usually loud Stacies. Mime is supposed to be silent, but I don't think we were keeping ourselves quiet. Goldston said that the reason mime became a silent performance was because whatever soundtrack, words or sound effects the audience is thinking in their heads is better than what you can come up with, because everyone thinks differently.

Shh

I could sit here and write up a short summary of Gregg Goldston's biography. I could write where he was born and where he went to school. But, chances are, anyone who will read this blog will already know the basic facts of Goldston's life, it's all over my blogger homepage. So instead I've decided to write only what interests me, and why ( I hope that's okay ).

Goldston decided that he wanted to study mime when he was 18 after seeing a performance by Marcel Marceau. I was shocked when I read this. 18 is so old. There is a pressure on teenagers to know exactly what they want to be for the rest of their lives as soon as they enter high school, especially if what they want is in the arts. It seems as if actors, dancers, singers and basically anyone successful in the arts began as toddlers. Singing lessons as soon as you can talk and dancing lessons as soon as you can walk. Of course this is not true, you could easily prove me wrong. But, I get the feeling as if it's too late for someone my age to begin now. Crazy right? I'm only sixteen. And then again, I'm sixteen and there are people who have been studying since they were two.

Goldston began at 18, and he proved that he could be just as and even more successful than someone who has their entire life planed out by working hard. He has toured all over the world and in 1980 founded the Goldston School for Mimes and in 2008 co-founded The School of Modern Mime. He has worked closely with his greatest influence and close friend Marcel Marceau while on Marceau's solo tour and Marceau's seminars at his school for mime.

I spent most of my time researching watching Goldston's videos on youtube. They are snippits of play's that he has written and performed in mime. I never knew there was such a thing. Goldston tells stories, has intense conversations, and develops relationships without speaking. The body can say so much without words. It's fascinating.

We Come to Dream

Today I went over Courtney's house to film the commercial about her. I'm not going to lie, I was freakin scared. Last year I was a newbie, so I knew that I could always fall back on the oldies if I screwed up. We sink or swim together right? But now, I'm the oldie that is supposed to know what I'm doing, and my nerves and insecurity got to me and I felt like I didn't know what I was doing at times. I had to keep reminding myself why I was doing this. It's not because Luke assigned the commercials to be filmed by me. I could have easily said no, I really don't think it will come out well, Can I take the next one? But, I didn't. Why? Because I want to do it. I want to film the commercial and help direct Ellen with hers. I know that I could do it. I know this stuff, and even if it comes out like shit, it can't be that bad and I know that at least I'm learning. Courtney and I work really well together and even if this first try is really bad we will end up with a decent commercial. Today may have been great and it may have been shit, but at least we actually went out and did it. It's really hard to make shit twice. This is starting to sound like a pep talk.