#i would ask about script memorising techniques

[nmotypdfsfg]

Q:"How do you manage to get out of your character/role after a very emotional or sad scene?"

kh: Release the pain, release the sadness, take a deep breath in out.

fs: Breathing deeply is one of the acting techniques we use when filming and the other method is to drink sweet drinks, like soft drinks to feel refreshed.

kh: Also being alone, staying alone to concentrate.

"voice in my head says..."

[gaywineauntsstuff]

Birthdays

Dicks starts a tradition, for every first birthday one of his loved ones spends with him, he gives them a part of his heart.

Jason: Dick isn't there for Jasons first birthday at the manor because well... he isn't exactly welcome at the manor but he snuck Jason his number weeks in advance to make sure Jay would be at his crappy apartment the day after his birthday. And he gives Jason a collection of poetry his mother had written while they had traveled around the world. He had memorised all of them many years ago but he wanted to give Jason something tangible to connect them together. He might not be related to Bruce, he might not be Jason's brother by law or blood but Jason carries the robin name and Mary Graysons words so he is Dick's brother no matter what Bruce wants to say about it. Some of the poems aren't in English but they all flow beautifully and are written in the same black swirling script. Jason cries real tears and clings to Dick because this isn't something he can say he's had before. When Jason died, Dick took it from Jays room because he didn't allow it to be part of a mausoleum for his brother he wasn't going to let it be part of one for his brother.

After Jason comes back to life, and he's left Gotham he finds that familiar notebook in a safe-house he was sure Nightwing didn't know about with a post-it note on top reading.

I'm so glad you're back little wing

-DG

Tim: Dick and Alfred celebrate Tims birthday alone and Dick knows that Tim is struggling with who he is and his place in the family. Jason needed connection Tim needed purpose. Tim needed something to do to prove his value so on Tim's 13th birthday Dick teaches him the quadruple summersault. he teaches Tim the Full-Twisting Shaposhnikova his mother's favourite move on the bars and the moors. They spend all day practicing together until Tim can do a loose approximation of as many of his parent's signature moves as they can squeeze into one day. And every time Dick sees Tim for the next two months he asks for a spotter and they spend two odd hours practicing the moves. Tim never ends up incorporating the Flying Grayson's moves into his fighting style but he starts to follow Dicks habit of getting up high when he's stressed and working out all his frustration by practicing those moves over and over again until his body is pleasantly sore. Sometimes when Dick is on undercover missions, Tim will do one of the routines to help with the fact he cant reach his brother.

Damian: canonically Dick gave Damian a trapeze bar but that was long into his Robin tenure I believe it was after the Lazarus island debacle. So I think that by the. time Damians 11th birthdays rolls around, Dick and Damian have a pretty solid relationship and the first thing Dick would have given Damian was his father's unfinished sketchbook which contained the original designs for the robin costume. This book is Thick and its not like a modern sketchbook no, John Grayson found this leather bound monstrosity in Egypt and paid pennies for it. Its so dense that its filled with about 3 years of drawings and still has more the half of its pages a yellowed blank canvas. Damian, who is naturally talented at art and was encouraged by Dick to try and find non-vigilante methods of enjoyment has already taken up drawing months prior but this gets him to start practicing with fervour. He tries hard to mimic John Grayson's art style before eventually giving up at trying to create identical pieces and just incorporates various techniques the man used. For Dicks birthday that year he gifts him a portrait of his late parents but unlike the ones he's made for the manor, Dick's parents are in motion, with his John Grayson's grin stolen right off his sons face and Mary Grayson's boisterous laugh as she crashed into her husbands side could be heard in the famous cackle of her son.

now I wanted to do Cass or Steph or (maybe even Babs or Kori if I wanted to pivot from family to romance) but I genuinely the girl who has Mary Graysons wedding ring would

Donna Troy: Dick Gave it to her when they were still wonder girl and boy wonder. They were 14 and it was right after they had started the titans, back when it was a kids club more than a hero organisation. It was accompanied with a whispered confession of his identity, an identity the rest of their team wouldn't learn for another to 2 years. She wears it around her neck with a simple gold chain. She didn't take it off during her wedding or funeral, she was buried in it and came back with its barely there weight a comfort against base of her neck.

[blps]

Let my hands guide you

Pairing: Akaashi x reader

Genre: fluff! And strangers to lovers

Summary: You meet Akaashi at a pottery store. (PLEASE TAKE NOTE THAT I NEVER DID POTTERY IN MY LIFE, SO PLEASE DON’T TAKE IT TOO SERIOUSLY PLS)

Word count: 1.3k

a/n: ...... ok so I’m not sure I like this, the scenario in my head is way better so I might do a different one with pottery!Akaashi because I can hahaha; I hope you lovely people had a nice weekend and here’s a fic to handle the week! Enjoy!

///////////////////////////////////////

You opened the door to enter the shop. It was a pottery store where they taught classes for beginners, sold from every type of work from mugs, plates and vases to original decorative art pieces some students were willing to sell.

It was your first time to come here, a little intimidated by the beautiful artwork displayed. You shook that feeling away, determined to simply enjoy yourself and have fun creating something. A feeling of excitement washed over you, ready to try pottery for the first time.

A kind girl greeted you, showing you the way to the back, the workspace for classes and artists. You put on an apron and followed her to your assigned molding stand for hand building method of making pottery. She showed you the three main techniques; the pinch pot, coiling and slab.

Once she taught you every method and the use of each tool, you thanked her as she left you alone to concentrate on your work. It was fun and relaxing. Concentrating on the details of your pieces and handling the tools. It was strangely therapeutic. You made one bowl, one mini pot for one of your plants and, with the clay that was left, you made a small ladybug to go on the pot as decoration. You were proud of what you accomplished and turned to notify the nice girl but you couldn’t find her. You were nervous to explore and leave your familiar workplace. Thankfully, another staff member saw your distress.

“Do you need anything?”

He took your breath away. You couldn’t believe you got the chance to lay your eyes on his beauty. He glanced at your workspace and you remembered what your goal initially was.

“Oh, I just finished my clay and I was wondering if I could know how to finalise it?”

“Yes no problem. They are wonderful for a beginner,” he complimented you, making you even more confident in your new hobby,”I can take care of this for you. So first we’ll -”

He then proceeded to show you how to finalise your pottery, explaining everything methodically and clearly. You listened as he kept on talking, entranced by both of his looks and his words.

He notified you that it would take three to eight hours for the clay to harden. They would supervise your work, taking good care until your next visit. He accompanied you to the front desk as you paid for today’s expanses.

“I would also like to book another session, preferably one with an electric wheel?” you asked.

“Of course,” the pretty staff member smiled at you and proceeded to book you your next appointment.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You realised that you never asked for the pretty staff member's name. When you picked up your artwork, you didn’t see him for the entirety of painting your mug and pot. But even at that, you enjoyed brushing the paint on the clay and continuing your newfound hobby. Akaashi was forgotten at the back of your mind, too busy enjoying your new favourite activity.

You painted your mug your favourite colour and added some details to your liking. For your pot, you chose a nice blue colour to mimic the blue sky, a contrast to your plant’s different hues. Your ladybug sat nicely on the side of the pot. It might not look hyperrealistic, but it was still one you were proud of.

Your day finished well as you returned home with your new acquired creation. Putting your plant in the new pot, it was well decorated and a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction overcame you. Pottery made you happy and you were eager to start new projects in the future.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

For the next few sessions, you made various mugs and tableware for the shop. Making these allowed you to not pay for anything as you were producing for the shop. But of course, once in a while, you would create for your own place. Pottery soon became a regular activity of your weekly routine.

With how much you spent time there, you met the pretty staff member again, often at that. His name was Akaashi and he was the one who always put your clay to harden. He always complimented you on your work and helped you if you needed any advice. Akaashi quickly became a friend to you.

The nice girl who first taught you the basics, Yukie, was also a friendly person you could depend on.

Currently, you were frustrated because the clay wouldn’t do as you guided it to do. The shape you wanted to achieve was a challenge and the shape you had was all deformed and abstract. You turned off the power of the wheel and let out a sigh.

“Do you need any help?”

You gave Akaashi a desperate look, your eyes clearly saying yes. He smiled a little and pulled a seat facing you. He fixed the oddly shaped clay, and let your hands work. When you started to mess up the shape, Akaashi joined his hands over yours, guiding them to the proper movements of your shape. His hands were covered in clay, as were yours, but the gentle way his hands held yours made your heart skip a beat. His long fingers corrected your mistakes as he explained what you were doing wrong.

For the first time, your ears didn’t listen to him. You were surprised by how he held your hands so easily. His gaze was focused on the clay as he kept on rambling about pottery, but yours were on him. You noticed that everytime he talked about his passion, he got more talkative, having this eager tone that made his eyes light up.

Sensing that your hands were not moving and that you didn’t respond, he looks up, meeting your eyes. None of you could look away as nothing was said. The wheel continued to spin, the room was still noisy from other workers, but it seemed that the both of you were frozen in time, neither of you moving.

Then, someone bumped into you, from behind, making you fall forward into Akaashi. This seemed to wake you up from your trace as you quickly excused yourself and went to pack your stuff to go home.

Akaashi was still in the same position, looking at the door you left, wondering if you felt his heartbeat quickened.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You proceeded to avoid Akaashi for the next few days, too embarrassed to face him again. You came when he didn’t have a shift, Yukie keeping you company.

Pottery helped to take your mind off of him. You concentrated on making various creations, new pots for your new plants. The spinning of the wheel drifted your mind elsewhere, your surroundings fading away. Maybe that’s why you didn’t notice him.

“Can we talk?” You froze entirely. You already felt bad avoiding him, you might owe him an explanation.

You agreed, following him to a more private area of the store, your hands still tainted of clay. Akaashi on the other hand was dressed casually, the first time you saw his style. Of course he knew how to dress with style too. His only sign of nervousness was him playing with his fingers.

“I’m sorry if I crossed a line when I touched your hands, I should’ve asked first, I-”

“That’s not it Akaashi,” he looked at you curiously, the script he memorised completely unnecessary, “When we held... well touched hands, I felt something that may cross the line of friendship. I needed time to myself-”

“What if I told you I also felt it”, your look of surprise met his, “If you are willing to try, for a relationship, I’m willing to try.”

You didn’t know what to say. Were you ready to be in a relationship with Akaashi? Would you risk your friendship? You did think he was handsome, and kind, and easy to go along with, and easy to open up to, and your heart was clearly affected by him. But was that enough? Maybe it was.

“I’m willing to try.” Your affirmation put a smile on Akaashi’s lips. Maybe, just maybe it was worth it.

[vampiresuns]

For the kiss prompts!!! 8 for Amparo and Camia and 20 for Lee and Nana (one or both whatever you want!)

8. Laying a gentle kiss to the back of the other’s hand. Amparo & Camia go first. 1,707 words, let’s gay it up.

When she first met Camia, Amparo noticed two things about her: number one, she had the kind of handsomeness and beauty which the scar on her face only augmented, somehow. She made no comment on it, as she did not know what Camia’s feelings about it were, but she thought so all the same. It made her look dashingly handsome in a way that made Amparo want to retrace her face in her mind, until she memorised the curve of her eyes and her brown irises, with her scar right in the middle. 

The other was how serious she was. It was impossible for Amparo not to pick up on something that laid inside of Camia, a weight inside of her. Once again, she didn’t know if that was the reason why Camia seemed so serious, but for someone who could pick up on energy like Amparo did, it was impossible not to notice. Maybe her seriousness was what had made her laugh so enchanting for Amparo.

The first time she heard it Leon had made a comment to her; whatever the comment had been, it sent her into a fit of laughter. Anatole had asked what it was, and while Leon had repeated themselves, Amparo didn’t register their words, too focused on Camia’s laugh. From then on, Amparo took it upon herself to hear it as often as she could — be it a dramatic re-enactment, a story, a passing comment or a joke, she liked to make Camia laugh. Sometimes she would try to take her up for making up silly little dances, when she tagged along with the Band and Anatole. Anything which made Camia smile was a good excuse in her books.

That’s how she knew she must invite her to her next play. The rumour mill about it, as Vesuvia’s local sport had always been gossiping, was strong and steady, but four weeks from its opening night, not many people knew what the play was about. Amparo, with one of the titular roles did, however; nothing like a bit of insider’s information about Camia’s theatre preferences to know she’d hit the spot. So during one of her rehearsal lunch breaks she found herself making her way to the shop, asking the gondolier to take her to the marketplace first. It would be quicker than walking, and both out of politeness of not arriving somewhere empty handed, and out of being an incorrigible flirt when she liked someone, she wanted to take Camia a bread basket from Selasi.

She walked with her basket from the market to the shop, her heart beating a little faster as she knocked on the door, waiting for Camia to open up. When she did, a smile crept into Amparo’s face, as she offered her the bread basket and gave her a kiss on each cheek as a greeting. 

“Ampi, you shouldn’t have,” Camia said as she took the basket from her hands.

“No, I should’ve, I was taught never to arrive somewhere empty handed,” she leaned closer to Camia, shooting her a cheeky, conspiratorial smile, “particularly when you want something.”

Camia gave her a once-over, smiling back at her. First victory. “And what would that be?”

Amparo walked away from her, only to sit with a jump on the shop’s counter. She played with her hair before speaking, draping it over her shoulder and curling it around her finger. “So, you know the play I’m rehearsing…”

“The one Alec’s angry about because you aren’t telling her what it’s about, but Leon somehow knows, and no matter how hard she tries to guess, she doesn’t guess it right?”

“That one. Well, I do know what it’s about, and I wanted to invite you to the opening night. I have a feeling you’ll like it.” Camia walked closer to her, leaning on the counter she was sitting on. Amparo licked her lips. “And I like it when you watch me perform.”

Camia brushed her fingers against Amparo’s knee, looking intently at the fabric of her clothes, before looking up at her again. “I like watching you perform. Who are you playing?”

“I will tell you as long as you don’t tell Alec.”

“It’ll be our secret then.”

“Anatole,” Amparo replied matter-of-factly.

 “You’re kidding me?”

“Nope.” Camia began laughing, Amparo counted it as her second victory. 

Two weeks later Camia discovered that she was, indeed, not joking about playing Anatole. Proper announcements for the play began, and Alec was surely upset about not guessing but she quickly forgot about it given the topic of the play. It was a satirical recreation of “Vesuvian society and its Mysterious Court”. Given both the playwrights knew half the Court and were friends with Valerius, the description in itself was a joke too.

Needless to say both former Consul, now Court-Advisor, and Soon-To-Be-Consul lived in fear of whatever horrors which might come out of the opening night, though the former had read the script, and per his own admittance (to Anatole, Camia rarely spoke to him, if ever) he was taking it as public atonement.

The fortnight before the opening night passed quicker than Camia expected it too, finding herself in a packed theatre box with the rest of the Band and no less than seven of Amparo’s relatives — Anatole, Milenko, her parents, her sister and Valerius, other relatives of Amparo had come too, but they were sitting elsewhere. 

Eventually the lights dimmed and the play began. By Act III Camia’s sides were sore with laughter, fearing she might laugh too loudly in the middle of the play more than once — every characterisation was spot on, and every joke delivered. Amparo was wonderful in her blonde wig, mimicking her cousin’s mannerisms in a way only someone who spent an ungodly amount of time near Anatole could. 

Camia had seen Amparo perform in the other theatre before, the Opera house for serious plays and Ballets, and preferred by the fashionable elite, twice. A ballet and an opera, and while there was nothing that could be said about Amparo in terms of technique and execution — she was simply mesmerising and good at her job no matter what — it was obvious to Camia how much comfortable and looser she was in her Goldgrave performances, where the topic of the plays themselves usually allowed her a je ne sais quoi, which Camia couldn’t explain. 

“True theatre versus elitism often co-opting genius,” Camia had heard her complain once, followed by one of her impassioned speeches about culture. 

Camia was too absorbed in the moment to reminisce, standing up to clap eagerly with the rest of the crowd, applause and ovations falling on the cast and crew. Watching Valerius mortification as the director of the play thanked him was a treat Camia was not expecting — she made a mental note to ask Amparo or Anatole about it later. 

She knew the community theatre well. As she headed out of the box with the rest of the group, she began eyeing towards the way where she knew she could get to the backstage from where she was standing, losing track of the conversation until Jamil spoke to her.

“Cami?”

“Sorry, I was distracted. Do you mind if I meet you outside?”

No one objected, though when she was a couple of metres away, she heard someone thank some deity about Camia going to see Amparo, as she had not been able to shut up about her. Camia couldn’t distinguish who it was, but the swell of pride she felt was unmistakable. She made her way through the theatre, greeting some of the cast and crew members that she already knew, until someone pointed at her where Amparo was. It was one of the shared dressing rooms.

To Camia’s luck — not that she would’ve minded otherwise — Amparo was alone when she asked if she could go in. She was dressed in her own clothes, folding her costume neatly, her hair in what had once been a neat bun. Camia discovered herself not only congratulating Amparo, but eagerly sharing her thoughts on the play too, before the actress herself got to ask. Camia wanted to tell her everything: her favourite moments, what had made her laugh, how amazing she had been on stage, and ask why the director had thanked the former Consul, all to which Amparo replied merrily. 

At some point of the conversation, Amparo had taken Camia’s hand in her own and was now playing with her fingers. 

“Well, Valeriy is a benefactor of the theatre, and he’s trying to be less terrible. You know, more him.”

Camia snorted. “Actually I wouldn’t know.”

“He’s always been a bit of a bitch but he was— not this way when I was a kid. He used to take me to the theatre a lot, actually. Him or my parents, or Great Uncle Blasio or Valerian… sometimes they made him take care of all three of us. He now says he hated it, but we all know he’s lying.”

“By the way, how did they make the costuming so accurate? Your costume and the one of the actor who played him were identical to what they wear.”

“Oh, that’s because they are their clothes. Both of the suits are theirs, this is Nana’s. He lent them to me with the sole condition I stopped stealing one of his shirts for at least a month.” 

“His clothes aren’t short on you?”

“Only sometimes.”

There was a pause, where Camia began to trace her fingers over Amparo’s wrists, her touch soft and gentle. “You do look good in his clothes. Better than him, but that could be because I’m biased.”

“You better be,” Amparo snorted. 

“But I think you look better with your dark hair.” Camia took Amparo’s hand, taking it to her lips to the back of her hand. “You were very good tonight,” she said before kissing it.

Amparo sucked in a breath. When Camia looked up at her, she was softly biting her lower lip. “If you wanted to, you could kiss me too.”

Camia smiled, tucking a hair that got loose from the bun behind Amparo’s ear. “Would you like that, Amparo?

“Yes, very much.”

[jandhstudies]

Tips to learn the Korean Alphabet (Hangul)

Hello everyone! 🐰👋 I got a few requests from people asking for advice on how to study and learn Hangul (한글). This is based on my experience and what helped me, so I hope this can somehow help you guys 😊❤️

What I do first is write organise all the consonants and vowels in two separate sections such as this. So if I find myself a bit lost or confused, I refer back to this chart.

Now writing it important and romanisation is possible. But I do not recommend it as the writing cannot transfer well into how the sound should be.

The way I learnt how to pronounce these syllables correctly and help me memorise the alphabet, I watched a YouTube video. I recommend visiting her channel if you haven't yet!

Miss Mina Oh has a YouTube channel known as "sweetandtastytv". As of now, she currently posts many videos of her travels and food reviews, but I recommend to also check out her older videos.

I learnt Hangul through her video lessons :)

In her descriptions, she also shares practice worksheets of her lessons to help you apply your learning. I recommend to download and print these worksheets, if possible or write them down in your notebooks.

Also, do not have any music or any other video playing while watching this.

I often slowed down my progress in learning because I had so many distractions or I'd pause the video often to write down notes. This would lead me to lose concentration and not fully immerse myself into the lesson.

I honestly would recommend to do the following.

1) Drilling technique 🗣️

Watch the video once.

Pay attention and repeat out loud when she writes or says the syllable.

Do not take any notes yet.

Just listen and repeat.

2) Practice listening👂

Play the video a second time but with lower volume so it doesn't distract you when you are writing down notes.

Think of it as background noise, unconsciously you could possibly already pick up some syllables as she speaks or when you're writing them down in your books. This could stimulate your memory as you will probably already recognise sounds from listening it the first time.

Honestly I still struggle with pronunciation but practice makes perfect. Keep going and you will master it ❤️👍

3) Production 📝

Copy/download/print a worksheet.

You can remember the consonants easier by repeating them with a single Vowel. I recommend the Vowel "ㅏ", as its the easiest to learn with.

Here is a quick video of me showing how I organised mine.

(Apologies for the not so good quality and filming, I'm very camera shy😭 I will probably do a better video on this topic and post it on YouTube for you guys.)

You can do this to learn consonants, double consonants and vowels :)

4) Have fun! 🎶

If you want to get more creative, you can try to sing the Hangul characters!

A very quick way I learnt at least half of the basic Hangul consonants with Vowel "ㅏ" is through J-Hope's rap in "Boy in Luv". If you're a BTS fan, this could make it a bit more fun for you to learn.

Song by BTS and lyric video by Hamtaro Gasa. I wish to share the video with audio but unfortunately I can only have one video per post. Apologies!

Another fun way is to sing Hangul with the melody of the alphabet~🎶🎤

5) Test yourself 📑

I know this is pretty common knowledge but it really does help!

I suggest to do worksheets often. Maybe learn half of the consonants first. Then when you are comfortable, learn the other. Practice the vowels, combine them once you're happy.

What I did was write down all the syllables on a whiteboard, hung it up on the wall and checked it every now and then. This made it easier and quicker for me to learn it as I had the information near me instead of using a lot of my time searching online.

Every few hours I would test myself reading the syllables out loud. Its okay if it's hard to recognise it at first, take your time~

6) Read, Write, Check 📝👀

I think this method is a common activity to people. My teachers did this to learn new vocabulary in English when I was really young. I tried applying it to learning Korean, and have positive results! 😊

First, read the syllable you are learning. Try a syllable with one consonant and a Vowel.

Pick one or a few from the diagram. Then place a sheet of paper over the character and make sure its not visible to you.

Write down the syllable from how you remember it.

Finally, check your answer by comparing it to the diagram. Do this often and it will really help you memorise~

If you remember any other activities you were taught when younger, try to see if you can apply them to learning Hangul or Korean! 🤗

7) Further Study 📚

Once you're comfortable and want to improve your speed in reading either the characters or words, I recommend these methods...

You don't necessarily have to understand what you are reading at the first time, so don't feel pressured. This is more to help you recognise hangul~

Maybe you enjoy kdramas! 🎬 Why not download and print the script of your favourite kdrama? Although this is more towards intermediate and advanced learners, I think it's useful for beginners so they can enjoy reading ❤️

Or maybe you like listening to Korean music! 🎵🎧❤️

Here's a website that has most Korean songs in Hangul format. This will help you recognise the sounds your favorite idol sings the next time you listen to their songs~ 👂

Follow some accounts on social media~📱

Most social media apps have a character limit, so the messages are usually small and simple to read 📖

8) Apps!

Here are a list of apps I recommend. Some are more practical for learning Hangul while others will help you learn Korean in a fun way!

9) Take breaks

Please remember to stay hydrated, eat and don't worry about the time it's taking you to learn it. Just focus on the material and please don't compare your progress with others as this would cause you to lose confidence and motivation. 💪

Love and take care of yourself. Let your mind rest to process everything you've studied and continue when you can~🤗❤️

I recommend the pomodoro technique! You can search this technique and maybe you will feel more comfortable applying it to your study plan. 😊

This is the end of the post hahaha

Sorry its taken so long to post this. Tumblr kept crashing for me whenever I tried posting, so this is the 4th time trying to post it. 😂

Also, this is based on my experience and what helped me learn Hangul and progress on my Korean. I hope some of these methods help you. Feel free to adapt them into any way that helps you. We all learn differently and at different pace, so please remember to not be harsh on yourself.

If you have any other questions, suggestions or your own experience learning Hangul that you think will be useful for others, feel free to reply to this message! Let's help each other in our language journey~

Take care everyone, good luck and see you again soon!

-Hayleen 🐰❤️

[datascienceunicorn]

Experiences from Both Sides of the Data Science Hiring Table

You’ve spent years being educated, months skill training, weeks writing job applications, and days going through phone screenings. (At least!) Finally, you’re invited to an interview. How much effort do you put in to best prepare yourself, and is it enough? Be honest…

As scientists, we often struggle to highlight our transferable skills or tailor our academic experience for commercial roles. This can make it a challenge to get invited to interview and so we tend to postpone interview prep while we work on our skills gap and CV. Or worse, we presume that there is very little need for it because we fall for the clichés of “just be yourself” and “act natural”. But it’s naïve to think that interviewing is something you’re either good at or you’re not. Or that it’s just down to luck on the day. If the interviewers catch you off guard with their questions, there’s simply not much you could have done, right? Wrong. I’ve realised that knowing how to best prepare for an interview can make or break your chances on the day. “Practice makes perfect” is a much better cliché to arm yourself with. And while I have never heard of a perfect interview I would like to draw upon my experiences to date, on both sides of the hiring table, to help set you up for one.

You may have heard that people form lasting judgments within the first seven seconds of meeting. I’d like to dismiss that philosophical claim straightaway, at least in the context of an interview. The whole time you are being interviewed you are building a picture of who you are and how you fit the role. It’s a journey to establish your competence, skills and personality. If you get lucky and hit the ground running, then you’re on track to do well. If you have a weak start you still have the rest of the time to compensate. And even if you flat-out make a blunder; from human errors like a misinterpreted question to technical errors like a dead laptop battery, you can still salvage the interview by showing your resilience in the face of adversity. But it’s only by practising for such varied scenarios that you can give yourself the best chance of success.

In my experience, the strongest interviewees seize every opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge. They have prepared and are ready to show this, but with a flexibility that keeps their responses relevant and engaging. They treat each line of questioning, not as an interrogation, but as a welcome prompt for showcasing their strengths. Their answers flow easily because they are confident in them, which results from good preparation. I always appreciate when a candidate is ready and willing to take me on a journey through their experience. And although some people are inherently good storytellers, I do think it’s possible for the rest of us to learn how to do this.

For example, take the time to prepare case studies as evidence of your skills, and script the main points you want to hit upon. I was taught in school to approach essay writing by preparing each topic with a “point, evidence and conclusion”. In an interview, the same logic can be applied using the STAR technique: establish the situation, outline the task, describe your actions, and explain your results. The interviewers need to be shown that you recognize the necessary skills, that you have experience applying them, and that you know how to realise value from them. Key to this is making sure you’re sincere and relatable so that the interviewers can picture you in the role. Try to frame every answer in the context of the team or workplace you were part of, to show that you understand your part in the bigger picture. If you have done your homework and practised speaking this way then it becomes easier for them to envision you in the role as they listen to you.

We may feel it’s a strength to come across natural rather than sounding rehearsed, but the point is that knowing what you want to say can really help when you have nerves to contend with. Consider that you’re probably entering an unfamiliar building to meet with strangers in a whole new environment. It can be understandably nerve-wracking. So do yourself the favour of having prepared the parts that are within your control ahead of time. If it makes you feel at ease, then memorise some key phrases and discussion points based on the variety of questions you might expect. Don’t worry if you think it won’t come across natural, because the whole situation is unnatural. For example, it’s always likely that you’ll be asked why you applied to this company and role. In knowing that, a rehearsed answer can help hide nerves and avoid rambling whilst showing that you’ve prepared and done your homework. It also helps maintain your confidence as you minimize the chances that a question may catch you unawares. And in so doing you will inspire your interviewers to have confidence in you too.

Try also to be somewhat empathic to your interviewers. You want to make it smooth and enjoyable for them too where possible. Employ active listening by practising ways to pause and think about questions. Reword them out loud and ask for clarification when you need it. Be careful about the length and relevance of your responses and watch for cues that you’ve said enough. If you feel you’re starting to ramble, stop and ask if you should go on. This helps keep the interviewers engaged and shows you welcome their guidance. Or when you simply don’t know how to answer something don’t be afraid to highlight it as a current limitation. Honesty is a highly valued trait. Plus, it shows self-awareness and humility. Neither the interviewers nor you will gain from attempted cover-ups, and it rarely works, but the alternative can reflect well on you.

Finally, recognise the opportunity for you to ask questions throughout the process. The interview is a two-way street after all. From the moment you arrive you should show enthusiasm by being interested and inquisitive in the people you meet and their team dynamic and workplace. It can be tiring but valuable. It again shows you are excited about the opportunity and that you have spent time preparing.

While these examples are somewhat general I hope they’ve helped you recognise the benefit of solid interview prep. As with any personal skill it can be hard to measure and takes time to get comfortable with. But there are many varied resources available to help you once you’re willing to dedicate some time and effort to the challenge. So, don’t just be yourself, be your best self. Your future self will thank you.

I originally wrote this blog post in March 2018 for Pivigo’s S2DS blog page here: http://blog.s2ds.org/2018/03/experience-from-both-sides-of-the-data-science-hiring-table/

[westendin]

10 GREAT REASONS TO TAKE AN ACTING CLASS

Maybe you've always dreamed of being an actor, but never yet had the chance to try it, and don't want to put it off any more? You might have done a few plays at school, or a beginner's course once upon a time, and would love to get back into it. You might work in another aspect of theatre, or teach drama, and would love to communicate better with actors or students. All of these are great reasons to sign up for an acting course this Spring.

However, having taught and directed adults from all walks of life for nearly twenty years, I’ve seen acting offer benefits that go far deeper than "mere" professional training. Here are ten ways in which taking an acting class can enhance your day-to-day existence.

1. IT'S A GREAT WAY TO MEET PEOPLE

Perhaps the new term has brought you to a new town to study or work? Or your life circumstances have changed in some way? Maybe all your friends are married with babies, or you're sick of the pub, perhaps you've recently retired or gotten divorced, or you feel stuck in your social circle and would like to make new friends? By its very nature, a drama class breaks down barriers between people through group and partner work, building trust and, most importantly, shared laughter. As students focus on creating work together, interaction happens without thinking about it too much, friendships spark, post-class social occasions start to spring up, and you suddenly find yourself with a whole new social circle which has the added zing of creative collaboration.

2. IT'LL BOOST YOUR CHARISMA

One of the silliest myths around acting is the idea that "Presence" is some magical thing that "special" people like Cillian Murphy or Saoirse Ronan have, while the rest of us are unremarkable mortals. Of course, some people may have cultivated their presence to a greater degree, but it's accessible to everyone with a body and breath. Stage Presence is simply the ability to be fully present in your body and in the moment, so that you can access the power needed to radiate your being out into the audience and respond truthfully to your fellow players. Nearly every style of acting training seeks, through different techniques, to bring students into this experience, which makes it easier and easier to be present in our outer lives as well as on stage. You'll notice over time how much more grounded and magnetic you feel!

3. IT'LL SPARK YOUR IMAGINATION

And one of the most ridiculous myths about becoming an adult is that you lose your imagination. Or you might have always felt that some people are just born more imaginative. That's not necessarily true, it just looks like that because, for any number of reasons, some people just find imagination easier to access - a little like presence. You just have to trust that it's there. Indeed, imagination begins with presence, being still and observing, and then taking what you observe and asking questions about it and that way transforming it. A good drama class will allow the space for people to try out ideas in their raw form, and then learn how to shape them. A good facilitator will keep an eye out to make sure that everyone in the group has space to explore and that people listen to one another. It can often take time to trust yourself to follow your creative impulses, but over six to twelve weeks, if you go with what comes up, you will definitely surprise yourself.

4. YOU WILL LEARN TO EXPRESS YOURSELF MORE CLEARLY

For students whose first language is not English, an acting class is an ideal place to utilise their existing linguistic knowledge in all kinds of dramatic situations, to learn new words and phrases as they are encountered in scripts and improvisations, and master the subtleties of how words and syllables are stressed. Clearer expression is also a by-product for native speakers, as we explore breath support, resonance and diction for the voice. As we commit to our characters, we learn how to commit to the words we speak and what we are trying to achieve with our words. We become aware of how we use our body to express ourselves, and notice the things we might be doing which unconsciously counteract the message we want to get across. We learn how to ground ourselves and connect with the space and audience before speaking, which is invaluable for those with a horror of public speaking, but whose work demands it of them from time to time

5. YOUR CONCENTRATION AND MEMORY WILL IMPROVE

The best acting exercises will have multiple benefits. For instance, many exercises around developing physical presence have a knock-on effect on your concentration with their demands upon you to be ready and responsive in the moment. Getting on top of your cues in performance trains your mind not to drift, while learning lines and memorising (and most importantly, making sense of) of the actions that have to happen do wonders for your sense of recall, which can help stave off memory loss later in life.

6. YOUR INNER CHILD WILL THANK YOU

My absolute favourite thing as a teacher of adult drama is registering the difference at the end of class between the shy, guarded individuals who come in after a long day of conforming to the demands of work and/or home life - of responsibility and productivity, of fitting in to the space they have carved in the world - and their sparkly-eyed dopplegangers who bounce out of the room full of energy, mischief and a kind of breathless incredulity because they have just played for two or three hours, with nothing too serious at stake, and nothing too heavy to take home with them. This is because drama at its heart is gorgeously ephemeral, and yet powerfully transformative.

7. IT'S A SAFE SPACE TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR SHADOW

And my absolute favourite thing about being an actor is playing a villain, because, let's face it, behaving badly is ridiculously fun sometimes. You get to do and say things that you'd never be allowed to (and probably wouldn't really want to) in the outside world. This is me, for instance, playing an evil nun called Lucifer - and having a ball! Everyone needs that safety valve where they can own and release the darker aspects of their nature, take them out into the light in such a way that they are not acted out on anyone in reality, but also to find the power in parts of themselves they might have repressed. Shadow selves are not always bad - in fact it has been said they contain the real gold in your personality - they might just be modes of being you might have been afraid of, or might not have permitted yourself to explore. An experienced facilitator will create a safe space for all of this to happen by keeping a strong boundary between acting and reality, and, especially for beginners, always keeping it at the level where it is fun. An acting class should never be therapy, but at the same time, you never know the gold you might find!

8. IT WILL BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE

One of the most common questions I get asked when people phone me up to enquire about courses is “I’m really shy, can I still do the course?” and my answer is always “If you are shy, and want to get out of yourself, this course is the best thing you can do!” The first thing I ask them to do is to be aware of what their personal line is in terms of what they are comfortable doing - it varies from person to person and situation to situation - and then go the equivalent of one or two steps over that line week by week, thereby incrementally pushing that line forward. Most traumatic memories around performing in public from childhood come from where the personal boundaries of a child are not respected and they are pushed too far into the deep end of a situation before they are ready. Confidence begins with minding your own boundaries and learning how to challenge them in a safe way. A good teacher should be able to sense those boundaries and know how to respect them, but also how to safely coax you that one or two steps over the line. However, the best teacher will make sure you are having so much fun, that you won’t even notice that this has happened!

9. YOU'LL ENJOY WATCHING MOVIES, TV PROGRAMMES AND THEATRE SHOWS MORE

As you learn different filters through which to observe the world in order to interpret and create characters and the relationships between them, you will gain a deeper appreciation for how the media you watch are put together. You’ll see differences in approach, for instance, actors who work from outside-in as opposed to inside-out. (I will write a more detailed blog post on this in future, but if you’re curious now, come along to a class!) Having worked hard at mastering a particular technique in class, you cannot fail to be wowed when more experienced artists make it look effortless. The experience of mere entertainment gives way to the more satisfactory experience of craft and you’ll probably start enjoying long spirited discussions after evenings at the cinema or theatre!

10. YOU CAN'T BEAT FUN, FREE, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT FROM YOUR PEERS ON A WEEKLY BASIS!

It’s great being entertained by professional actors, whether live or on the golden or silver screens, but I have to say nothing entertains or satisfies me quite as much as being in a room with my peers, creating work from our own experiences and for our own enjoyment. And nothing makes me laugh quite so much either. When you think about it, this is the way people used to entertain themselves - telling stories to one another, enacting them with whatever was to hand, singing songs, doing our party-pieces. This is how society used to come together and it sometimes makes me sad that this, along with so much else, is outsourced to people who have been airbrushed beyond all recognisable resemblance.

For more information, visit our website, or call 0330 088 4194 in order to enquire or book.

[directproductionsuk]

Job Interview Technique

By Julian Dismore: TV Series Producer and Media Skills Trainer

Next Sunday my latest documentary series ‘The Mega Council Estate Next Door’ starts being broadcast – 9pm on Channel Five. The show is about the rich and poor living cheek by jowl in Islington, London. It’s always a bit weird watching your shows going out – very different to viewing them in an edit suite. Seeing your programmes at the same time as over a million people often leads me to reflect on my career…

If I hadn’t happened to be in the University Careers Office for the umpteenth time in November 1987 when the call came through from the YTV science department saying they were looking for researchers, would I have ever got into TV? Would I have ever had the opportunity to meet some of the compelling characters I filmed in Islington earlier this year? TV was hard to get into then – it's even harder now – so the odds are that if I hadn’t been in the right place at the right time I’d have settled for my second choice career, market research, and I’d have missed out on the amazing adventures I’ve enjoyed all over the world.

I think there are lessons to learn from my job hunting experience for youngsters hoping to get into the media industries in the 2020's. There are do’s - and there are don’ts! First it’s important to realise jobs won’t come to you – you need to bust a gut to find them! If you aren’t proactive you are unlikely to succeed. If I hadn’t gone into the careers office so many times, I would never have found out about that opening at YTV. However, that’s about the only thing I did get right!

I was incredibly lucky to be offered the job. I was late for the interview because I wrote down the wrong address – poor organisation and sloppy research! Youngsters should note – be early so you can compose yourself before the interview. You also need to do what I failed to do - research the company, find out all about the programme you are being interviewed for and look up the person interviewing you and see what other shows they’ve made. Treat it like an exam and do your revision! This interview could change your life – giving you an opportunity to go into the best career in the world. Fail to prepare and prepare to fail!

Before the interview, I suggest you role play it with a friend or relative. It’s pretty obvious the questions you are likely to be asked; “Why do you want this job?” What qualities do you have that mean we should hire you?” “What would you do if…”(appropriate runner scenario for that show) “Are you looking elsewhere at the moment?” “What is your rate?” “What is your availability?” etc. Don’t script and memorise your answers, but certainly have a long think about your responses and practise them.

At the end you will be asked if you have any questions. This is an opportunity for you to play your strongest card, if you haven’t done so already – e.g “Will my experience  last year being the runner on x for two weeks, working 16 hour days looking after contributors, keeping the presenter sweet and being given the responsibility of wrangling the rushes help me in this role?”

This is also an opportunity for you to ask the interviewer when they will be letting the successful candidate know. There’s no point you being on tenterhooks for weeks on end if the position has been filled the day after you were seen.

And the correct answer when you’re asked if you’re being interviewed for other positions? “Yes, but this is the job I really want because… x y and z!”

Good luck – and don’t forget to tune in next Sunday evening at 9pm on Five. ‘The Mega Council Estate Next Door’. Let me know what you think to the series… if you like it!

Best wishes

Julian

TV Series Producer and Media Trainer

Direct Productions UK

Mob +44 (0) 77177 44321

For blogs, tips and work ex opportunities, follow us on social media!

Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr: @DirectProductionsUK

Twitter: @DirectProdUK

[westphotolukedas]

Production Journal - The Farewell

060320

As a creative of British Asian origin, I am attentive of the perceptions of the Eastern community within Western mainstream culture. Crazy Rich Asians (2018) was an uplifting rom com that limited Caucasian actors to background fodder and reserved leading roles for those of Asian descent. Although glossy in its approach, it was a landmark victory for ethnic minorities in the film industry who have long been typecast to portray dated stereotypes. It suggested that we could be charismatic, comedic and above all desirable. Awkwafina is a rapper, comedian and writer who has successfully transitioned to acting. Her character Goh Peik Lin is a bleached blonde version of her gregarious stage personae. In The Farewell (2019) she plays another feasible derivative of herself as aspiring writer Billi Wang.

There was no shortage of story beats in the film that resonated with my own narrative. As well as a protagonist played by an actor with a similar background, the writer and director Lulu Wang is a Chinese American eager to accurately depict her upbringing. In the opening scene Wang walks the streets of New York while speaking to her grandmother on the phone. She confidently exclaims that she is wearing a hat for the cold weather, even though she is not. In response, her grandmother says she is at home when she is actually at the hospital for an appointment. ‘The back-and-forth makes for an elegant volley of disinformation; if love is kinetic, it’s best to keep things moving,’ wrote Chris Gayomali in his review of the film. It sets up the dynamics of the plot that eb and flow between familial ties with cultural expectations. In Chinese traditional it is regarded as moral to withhold the severity of a medical diagnosis from an elderly relative, even if the outcome is certain death. This clashes with the sentimentality of American born Wang as she struggles with the situation. In an emotive exchange, her mother asks her to conceal her feelings when she blurts, ‘Chinese people have a saying - when people get cancer, they die. But it’s not the cancer that kills them, it’s the fear.’ (Gayomali, 2019) (Ide, 2019)

Anna Franquesa Solano (Born 1984) is the cinematographer responsible for The Farewell’s (2019) sensitive visuals. After graduating with a degree in Art History from the Universitat de Barcelona, she later studied film in New York. Her other noteworthy projects include I Don’t Like Cinnamon (2009), Silent Notes (2020) and The Normal People (2020). To breech the fourth wall, the characters walk directly into shot in slow motion during select scenes. While centred in the frame they stare at the audience as if in a dreamlike trance. This picturesque device references the Asian understanding of the passage of time. Buddhist thought encourages its practitioners to bring attention to the present moment and cast aside a preoccupation with the past and future. Furthermore, Solano pays close attention to filling her frame with long, timely shots. In a heartwarming scene, Wang and her grandmother practise Tai Chi together. The differences between the characters are shown to be generational as well as cultural. Nineteen takes were attempted and it was nearly left on the cutting room floor. My interest in the footage is its semi-autobiographical nature with two actors playing versions of themselves. Although there is a degree of scripting, the director captures genuine emotion by allowing any candid spontaneity to play out. As a result, it is equal parts documentary and constructed. (Weber, 2020)

Summary

There are certainly media codes that I will recreate from The Farewell (2019) and I am hopeful to represent its semi-autobiographical aspects - setting up a situation and then letting it resolve on film appeals to me. My interview is not purely documentary because I need to extract enough footage for the project and make it appear real. My email conversation with Teemu Hupli also covered some of the spiritual themes in this blog post.

‘In another tutorial I mentioned that there have been arguments that the Western conception of time has tended to be that time is linear - that it moves in one direction from past to present to future - and this is essentially what Hollywood conventions of continuity are designed to represent illusionistically. You can find this kind of conception particularly strongly in the philosophy of Hegel, who saw history as a progressive movement towards an ultimate goal of what he calls ‘spirit’ gaining freedom (you can try to read more about this by researching Hegel’s Philosophy of History, but it is heavy going reading, and I would perhaps suggest not spending too much time on it right now). More importantly, however, it was therefore interesting that your work seemed to derive inspiration from Japanese filmmaking. It has been suggested that the Japanese, or more broadly, Oriental conceptions of time are less linear than the Western notion, and therefore it stands to reason that some films originating from those areas construct different ‘pictures' of time too. This would be quite a fitting connection if your project ends up playing with questions of what is ‘genuine' thinking and talking in the here and now of ‘natural time’ so to speak; what is rehearsed, memorised and edited acting of such thinking and talking; what is continuous shooting and what is not, etc.’

Production Notes

The cyclical nature of Eastern philosophy was not investigated in the final cut of my piece. The voice over covers events that are not necessarily linear; however, there is a progressive property to the clips that expresses a beginning, middle and end. This is sealed with Natalie giving advice to her audience before switching a television off at the end. In post-production, I made attempts to shuffle the order of events but my experience as a filmmaker made this edit confused and unconvincing. The dream sequences from The Farewell (2019) were appealing too but I was not proficient enough with my knowledge of camera techniques to present my version of this storytelling device.

In several of the scenes of my film, Natalie and I are playing versions of ourselves in a similar fashion to Awkwafina’s portrayal of Wang. To film the section where we meet at the front door, I placed the camera in the kitchen and shot through the doorway. I was satisfied with this frame within a frame and then I left the flat to re-enter on cue. The events that occur on screen were not planned or scripted, and on some level, are representative of our real life interactions as friends. Following this, I found another shot in the living room that enabled us to speak to each other and remain seated on sofas. During an early screening of the project, I was given feedback that the burnt out window was distracting. I was not able to reshoot the scene and I feel that the way that it compartmentalises the composition is appropriate - I am respectful of her space as a performer that she may need to express herself. The chatting and laughing between us are spontaneous acts. She is actually showing me the Shakespeare script that we discussed beforehand and the enthusiasm is sincere. In the final cut, the voice over of her talking about improvisation seemed appropriately matched to this moment.

My initial proposal foresaw outside scenes shot on location - Natalie walking, on public transport and crowds. These were never produced due to time restrictions. As a result, the film comes across as more stagnant by being restricted to the confines of her flat. The scenes above contribute some spark to the footage and it would have been interesting to see how she engaged with strangers, other friends and family.

Bibliography

Ide, W. (2019). The Farewell Review - Beautifully Bittersweet Chinese-American Family Drama. The Guardian. Available from www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/21/the-farewell-review-lulu-wang-awkwafina [Accessed 10/04/2020]

Gayomali, C. (2019). How The Farewell Director Lulu Wang Stayed True to Herself. GQ. Available from www.gq.com/story/lulu-wang-the-farewell-interview [Accessed 10/04/2020]

Weber, J. (2020). The Farewell - 10 Things We Learned from The Director's Commentary. Screen Rant. Available from www.screenrant.com/the-farewell-things-facts-trivia-learned-directors-commentary [Accessed 10/04/2020]

Final Cut, Manual Mode, 25 fps, WB Natural Light

[alexandradavisonlma32]

Heathers Rehearsals: Candy Store and Script Work

The next number is ‘Candy Store’ and this song is the moment that really highlights to the audience how much bullying and nastiness the Heathers are capable of. It is a number that I am heavily involved in, as I am a Heather and so I did some research, self reflection and a lot of practice to help me achieve this number successfully. Our tutor told us that we would have to get the movements into our bodies as it’s quite an intricate dance routine with isolated positions and bitty sections where we swap and change and very rarely do the same movement at the same time except small sections, but if done right this routine will be very effective.

Script 

Before the number begins, there is a section of script that happens between the Heathers, Veronica and the Jocks. We are at the front of the stage at this point, not long after ‘Beautiful’ has ended, so it  is important we continue the mean girl approach while still getting our individual characters across to the audience. This part of the script is where Heather Chandler, who now knows of Veronica’s forgery skills after ‘Beautiful’, orders Veronica to write a note to Ram pretending that its from Veronica’s best friend Martha as Martha has had a crush on Ram for such a long time and the Heathers know it will bring a lot of embarrassment for Martha as they know that Ram has no feelings for her. Veronica’s hesitance is what starts the number, springing the Heathers into action of peer pressuring Veronica into the task. A part of the script I have is “oh my God, I totally forgot, Ram kissed Martha Dumptruck, it was disgusting”, and the way I deliver this is with a high pitched and ditsy voice, making sure to emphasise the purposeful mispronunciation of the name to highlight the bullying that the audience members have probably seen many times in their real lives and triggering a potential memory. 

There is an interesting moment between the Heathers, Heather Duke collects Veronica for Heather Chandler, and when she arrives back to Chandler and McNamara, Heather instructs Duke to bend over so she has something to write on, which made me even more sure that there was a definite difference between the treatment of Duke and McNamara, which continues throughout the number also. This lead me to continue playing my character as if she is stupid, as it works for her and means that Duke is always the one who gets mistreated as opposed to McNamara, but this could also mean that McNamara is cleverer than she lets on. When this happens and Duke has bent over for Chandler, I decide to shift on my feet and look away from what is happening after shooting Chandler a scared look from behind her and stepping backwards, as McNamara has an ongoing battle with her morals, without fully knowing how to handle them yet.

Vocals 

When learning the vocals, this number is especially finicky as there are many chops and changes as to who is singing and when, which sounds fantastic but took a lot of learning, focus and practice. In an earlier post I discussed our timetable, and this was very useful for me for this number as I could look ahead and learn as much as I could to ensure that the harmony work could go smoothly and I could focus on learning the vocals without having to worry about the lyrics, and this will also make it easier for my tutor and the rest of the cast to continue moving forward to work on bigger ensemble pieces. 

All of the Heathers were placed on the melody, so we could keep up with adding lots of character and producing a strong routine, and our version of the show has been amended to have all of the cast added onto the harmonies to make the vocals stronger, and to support us through the number and I think it makes a good improvement on the number. The final high note riffs have also been changed and we have created an innovative idea and other cast members do the high notes and form their own group of Heathers for a split second before the original Heathers wave a hand and they cut off. There was one particular part that I struggled with in the vocals, however, as on the last set of ‘it’s my candy store’s I am on the middle harmony, and was really struggling to match it without clashing to the track. To overcome this is took a lot of repetition and practising with the soundtrack to hear other voices and continue to stay on my harmony and slowly this started to improve and I now can produce the harmony successfully. Below is a link that takes you to a video where I have included the final section and the bit I was struggling with.

Dance Routine  and Acting Through Dance

The dance routine I found very challenging but I was determined to get it right and do it to the best of my ability because I understand that this number is one of the well known numbers and also the one that asserts the Heathers power and so it can’t be shaky or unsure in any way. I have to include an effortless sense of dance, that this is something that comes easy to McNamara, as she is head cheerleader whilst also adding enough attack, but not so much that it looks too much or overdone. 

I asked my tutor before we started the dance rehearsals what kind of intention she envisioned behind the dancing, as I was aware that throughout the show there has to be a difference in level between Heather Duke and McNamara and Heather Chandler as Heather Chandler is above everyone and my characterisation so far has been klutzy and stupid, and I recognised that this mightn’t be the correct intent for the atmosphere this song needs to create. My tutor suggested that we should all be nasty, sassy, mean girls in this number, and leave individual characterisations at the beginning of the number and pick them back up at the end of it. I really liked this take on the song, as it makes it more threatening and shows the audience why we’re in charge of the school. A big part of the movement of the number is moving in uniformity and as a unit, we move together whenever we move around the stage and try to keep the same triangle that we always come back to. 

In some of the dance sections, the bit I struggled with was retaining all of the movements. It’s very rare for us as the Heathers to do the same movement apart from in some sections which adds to the effect of the dance but I had to use extra focus to remember which move was on which count and not get distracted by the other Heathers and what they were doing. The only thing I found helped me with this was constant rehearsals and making sure that I had the movements well memorised so I could add character on top of this and make sure the movements looked well polished and technically correct. 

For example, the link below contains a video of the dance routine when it was first blocked and is it is a very rough version, but I felt like this helped me see where I need to improve more as it wasn’t clean and perfect. I noticed that I need to be much more muscular in my approach with my arms in certain moves like the motorbike handle section, and I spent a lot of my time off stage and at home practising the way I walk as on the video I realised I move my arms too much and it doesn’t look sleek enough, and so I used the technique from ‘Beautiful’ and made sure to lead with my chest and have my arms relatively still with only natural swing, this actually helped me to stay in character as well as letting some of the Heather McNamara character be present even though I’m quite sassy in this performance. 

A problem that I also encountered was stamina. I realised that throughout this number I was struggling to sing and dance at the same time, and this was picked up on from my tutor and it was discussed that it was something that I needed to improve, which I dramatically agreed with, even more so considering that I have solo lines that have to be delivered in the middle of the song and this song cannot show any flaws it has to be precise for the point of it to be understood. You can see in the link to the video below how out of breath I am for my solo section, and how much the energy drops because of this. To overcome this obstacle my tutor and I discussed in feedback that I should dance and sing completely full out on every run of this number and drop out on vocals where I need to, but be mindful on where that is and try to get further as I progress, and I noticed a definite change and was able to start singing my parts quite well. 

Research Into Candy Store 

Upon research, I discovered that this song had actually replaced a song called ‘Human Connection’. It is said that this version of the song made had Chandler justify her nasty ways with twisted logic that would make the audience question their morals, however, according to Playbill (2018), Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy reveal that “ this approach weakened Chandler’s character. As undisputed dictator of the school, Chandler would have no reason to lie. She fears nobody and nothing, so she readily admits to Veronica that she enjoys hurting people because she can” which confirms that the girls would have a nasty but nonchalant approach to this number because they can do whatever with a click of their fingers. Playbill, (2018) also goes on to say that Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy suggest that this is when ‘Candy Store’ is discovered: “we dug deeper and found a song that makes Heather’s cruelty feel fierce and joyful” which will be a thrill for the audience to watch as it could be confusing as to them as to why they’re thinking its a good number and song when it’s about something so cruel. That will be enticing for the audience as well as “a more retro sound that felt a bit like Ann-Margret and Amy Winehouse were throwing a party with En Vogue. A happy accident and fun to dance to too.” as it is a sound that is quite new for a musical theatre production but one that will be nostalgic and is catchy which makes it a crowd pleaser, and this as well as a good performance is one that is important.

Link To Rehearsal Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvFUI2P0TS4&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1YOobjh4pwCG-Jfim5kFa_EqIlBcz3n9fH12TN1seMgJXar3Vwyf7H4bQ

This is the link referenced throughout this post!

[evangelinecullperformingart-blog]

Romeo and Juliet, Blog 5

In today’s session of Romeo and Juliet, we met at Tapton house in the morning and prepared the set for our performance. For example, we prepared Juliet’s bed and set up the chairs for the audience. We also created a fake body out of a mannequin and placed a white cloth over it with fake blood to represent Tybalt’s body lying in the tomb. We added lanterns and candles to make the tomb look realistic, this created an atmosphere of melancholy for the audience. We were happy with how the set looked as a whole. For the ballroom scene, we added a table with sterling silver teapots, we decorated the table with a white cloth and flowers to give a high class feel to the scene which emphasised the wealth of the Capulet family. Once costumes were organised and all set/props were in the correct places, we began to do a full run through of our performance from beginning to end. In this session, we performed Act 2 twice to ensure that all the cast were confident with the performance as this was the part most people were still slightly unsure about. Overall, we found that the second half of the play ran smoother than the first. 

In this session, our director insisted that we were all off script. Personally, I think that this helped to develop our acting technique as the cast’s movement and gestures were no longer restricted. The cast could perform exaggerated gestures with their arms which suited our melodramatic style of performance compared to when our acting was quite naturalistic when performing with the script in hand. Since we were actually outside in this session, we could practise projecting our voice to see how loud we truly were which helped me with my overall performance skill of projection. We also did an intense warm-up activity that included lip drills, stretches and vocal training such as exercising the pitch of our voice, pace and volume. This helped with performance skills such as pace, tone, clarity and diction. It developed our vocal skills and brought our vocal qualities to performance level. I am happy with the progress that I have made throughout our rehearsals; I have developed my vocals, movements and gestures to a high standard that suits the melodramatic style. I now feel that I am ready to perform to an audience. I feel that I have achieved the melodramatic style of performance and have a strong understanding of the skills and techniques that are needed to perform this style. From performing outdoors, I did find that in certain scenes, I still need to be louder and project my voice even more than I am already. 

I was excited for this session and keen to see how the full run through at Tapton house would go. I was looking forward to performing in costume, I personally find that costume helps me get into character. I was also looking forward to performing outdoors to see if I was loud enough for the audience to see, hear and follow the story. 

I showed my personal management skills in this session by making sure that I was at the correct location and on time. When performing, I followed my running order so that I didn’t miss any of my scenes and so that I was on time for my cues, entrances and exists. I had good communication skills with my cast members which helped to solve problems such as finding needed props and costumes. I also managed my time well, for example, when I wasn’t performing, I completed my tech role by helping cast members change costume quickly. I continued to self-develop my work by considering what I could do to improve my performance after every scene. 

In today’s session, I personally didn’t explore the text of my character. I now feel confident that I have a good understanding of the text, characters, themes and issues. I mainly focused on practising the scenes in the performance area. However, I did help Emily to explore her character of Juliet because she was still slightly unsure about Juliet’s intention within one specific scene. I helped her to critically analyse Juliet’s aims, relationships and concerns to help her perform Juliet in a more realistic way. We considered Juliet’s language and how Emily could use her gestures and vocals to portray Juliet’s emotions in a more meaningful way.

This helped Emily to understand the text and overall improved her acting skills because she now had a deeper understanding of how Juliet would truly react to situations. Therefore, she could show more emotions such as anger, sadness, hope and love through her use of exaggerated gestures, facial expressions and movement. Analysing Juliet’s language allowed Emily to think of different ways of performing and it opened her to different interpretations of her character. Therefore, she explored her character’s emotional range in a lot more depth.

Strengths: 

One strength of mine would be my understanding of the text and language. Although I have memorised my lines, I also know the material well and understand what I am saying. This means that if I do forget a line on the day of the performance, I will understand the scene and be able to improvise around the issue.

 I now know exactly where I am performing and which rooms I need to be in for specific scenes. I know which actors I am entering the rooms with and I know which doors I need to be waiting at before entering the performance space. Overall, I feel confident and ready to perform. I have worked hard to meet my personal deadlines and deadlines set by my director. I am excited about our final performance and look forward to performance to a live audience.

 I have completed my tech role of costume. All the cast have costumes that fit them properly along with props to add to the scene. I have helped the cast by making costume adjustments, for example, Olivia's dress needed adjusting to fit her properly so I used safety pins to ensure that her dress wouldn't fall down. In the performance, Juliet has to change costumes. I have arranged to meet her so that I can help her to quickly change costume in time for her scene. Since I had finished my tech role and was confident with the character's costume, I helped to make the set up of Juliet's bed, I also added suitable throws for the bed and pillows. I feel that my tech group worked together as a team, we had good communication skills which helped us to quickly meet deadlines. I am confident that the costumes add believability to our performance and suit the Georgian era. 

Areas to develop:

Now that I have performed outside, I realise that in certain scenes I need to be slightly louder so that the audience can hear me. When performing indoors, I thought that my projection was at a high standard but I now realise that it is an area that I must develop even more before Thursday's performance and taken into consideration the surrounding background noise. 

When we rehearsed Juliet's death scene, I made the mistake of thinking that Tom had finished his line and accidentally interrupted him as I said mine. Therefore, I must ensure that I don't cut other people's lines and that I am 100% sure of when it is my turn to speak. 

I also need to develop my transitions between scenes and ensure that I have all the needed props and costume such as my veil and black lace gloves with me during the scene. When we first performed Juliet's procession at Tapton, I forgot to get my veil and began the scene without it. Also, my transitions need to be faster so that I do not miss my cues, on reflection I can see that my entrance was slightly late for Tybalt's death scene. 

Action Plan:

To ensure that I am loud enough for my performance, I will practise performing in my garden with surrounding outdoor noise. This will allow me to judge if my projection is at a high enough standard for Thursday and Friday's performance.  I will also ask other cast members to watch me perform outside so they can give me honest feedback on the volume of my voice. 

I am going to go through my script again and highlight all the lines before mine, write them out and practise speaking them aloud myself. This will help me to memorise and understand the previous speech so that I do not interrupt other characters when performing. 

When rehearsing scenes I will ensure that all my costumes and props are ready and waiting for me at the side of the performance area. I will also speak to the level 2 students who will be helping on the performance day; I will ask them to double check that all needed props are ready and in the correct place. I will continue to practise my scenes and watch the scenes before my mine in order to improve the transitions; this will make them slick and fast for the final performance. 

[sublimedeal]

Michael Breen – Using Hypnotic Language Like A Ninja

“What you’ve learned is a bunch of phrases and techniques and called it ‘hypnosis’… but you can’t use them beyond the prescriptive formulas…” FINALLY! NLP MASTER TRAINER MICHAEL BREEN FILLS IN THE GAPS IN YOUR NLP AND HYPNOSIS TRAINING Revealed! The “Top Down Method” That Will Shoot You Past Outdated Memorised Phrases And A Restricted Set Of Tools & Techniques… …To A Fully Integrated Change Model That Allows You To Create Elegant And Effortless Change During Normal Everyday Conversations. Dear Reader,

Did you know that every week, we have many frustrated and angry students calling NLP Times to complain?

Students who come to us for answers having exhausted traditional training routes.

Practitioners, Master Pracs and even Trainers that still don’t have that confidence and certainty to create change… despite all the money and time they have spent on training courses.

Students that want to feel confident in their abilities…

…that want to direct the client conversation…and make change effortless…

…that want to be admired for their training ability and skill with language….

Students that want to know with absolute certainty that their clients will follow suggestions… or that the change work they do will last.

People that want to know how to communicate more like Michael or Richard Bandler.

And after talking to hundreds and hundreds of these NLP and Hypnosis students, here is what I have worked out…

There are two very specific reasons why people are not at the necessary skill level and lack confidence in their NLP and Hypnotic change work…

(1) NLP and Hypnosis training today is outdated

(2) You have been taught from the bottom up and not from the top down…

Why Everyone’s Wrong About Hypnotic Rituals, Memorized Patterns, “The Hypnotic Voice” And Other Outdated Tools? For starters, most hypnosis trainers still teach you to use inductions, deepeners, hypnotic protocols and the hypnotic voice as essential to creating lasting change….

(In fact, I don’t think that you will find a single course that shows you how to achieve hypnotic trance phenomena with eyes open).

Even worse, conversational hypnosis training requires you to memorise scripts and language patterns!

That is exactly why you don’t have the confidence.

That’s exactly why ‘those trainers’ say that not everyone can be hypnotised.

That’s exactly why they believe there is an unconscious mind that you have to talk to.

Because they are teaching you to just throw a memorised set of techniques and language patterns at people and hope that they stick.

HOPING Your Hypnotic Suggestions Will Work Is Not A Wise Strategy! Secondly, instead of learning from the top down, you have been taught from the bottom up! This means that it is first necessary to understand the brain and how it works.

The next step is to master the structure of language and its effect on the brain.

Finally you need to put it all together in order to create change.

But that’s not what you’ve been taught. Instead, you have been taught from the bottom up.

You were taught a series of memorised patterns and phrases and a sequence to use. However, you didn’t have any real understanding of what lies behind these patterns – including how they work and why they work.

This method may work occasionally.

However, the problem is that this bottom up process misses key steps AND the understanding required to CONSISTENTLY create magical change. The main reason you’re missing these steps is because it is part of the Top Down way of creating change.

A method most schools and courses don’t teach (or don’t know).

As far as I can tell, only Michael Breen shows you …

The 3 Step “Top Down Method” To Become A Master Change Agent, Create Communication Magic…AND Direct And Influence People At Will! To become a master change agent requires you to master 3 specific things:

First, you need to be able to read your clients minds and map out their model of the world (Skill With The Framing Tool) Second, you then need to be able to shift their frame of reference until they find a solution that works for them. (Advanced Meta Model Skills) Finally, you then need to be able to use your language and coaching skills to set them up for success. (Understanding Structure Behind Hypnotic language) This is exactly what you will learn from Michael’s new training program. Through a video recording of a live seminar, you will see how Michael helped coaches, consultants and therapists master the ability to make fast, effective and permanent changes… Through what looks like every day normal conversations.

Through the professionally recorded Q&A sessions where I interrogate Michael – you will then gain more in-depth insights into the framing tool, the Meta model and the power of suggestion. This is more than we have ever shared before.

No other program or training course in the market covers this level of detail on the structure of language, how the brain works, mental models of the world and the power of suggestion.

No other program provides you with a 3 step change process.

AND the reason no other program can teach you this is because it’s a model Michael Breen has created and refined over decades.

A model he has never shared before and a model only he can teach you. But more importantly – a model that is guaranteed to work.

In fact, you’ll start seeing results as soon as you apply the concepts covered on this training. And the more you practice and do the exercises in the course… the easier, more elegant and more effortless your change work will become.

This is because, for the first time you will finally get a detailed understanding of how the power of questions, the Meta Model, Hypnotic Suggestion and Michael’s Proprietary Framing Tool work together to influence and change others.

Without this understanding – creating magical and consistent change work is just not possible.

The reason why no one else knows this 3 Step Top Down Method is that Michael was forced to create it.

“He Had No Choice But To Get The Results Of Hypnosis Through Normal Everyday Conversations”

Let me ask you a question…have you ever heard these statements before?

“But you can’t use hypnosis in a corporate setting”…

“The thing is not everyone can be hypnotized”…

“You have to talk to the unconscious mind”?

These are the LIES that Michael Breen is sick of hearing!

For over three decades, Michael has used hypnosis in the corporate environment as a coach to CEO’s. And as a world-renowned consultant and trainer.

In over 30 years, Michael hasn’t yet come across someone that he can’t hypnotise.

And he NEVER uses traditional outdated hypnotic rituals like scripts, patterns, and ‘the hypnotic voice’. Or even a closed eye processes.

All of his change work is done through normal everyday conversation with eyes wide open.

In most cases, the change work is completed before the actual session even starts! The work is done as they walk to a coffee shop or during the introductory chat.

However, it wasn’t always like that.

You see, Michael had no choice when he started – he made his living in the business world. A world of fortune 500 CEO’s.

People with limited time and a need for quick results.

People that would not sit there and go through a long winded hypnosis session – in the middle of their ‘fish bowl’ office.

To survive he had to get the results of hypnosis through normal everyday conversations. He did it so well that Michael is now one of only 30 elite coaches in the UK!

A group that are so good – they are trusted to work only with top executive leaders…

So just how did Michael go from the outdated hypnosis training to becoming a linguistic wizard?

He did this through months and months of what he calls – radical subtraction modeling (RSM).

RSM involves slowly and methodically taking away each individual aspect of the hypnotic ritual and testing what would happen.

He removed outdated rituals and hypnotic scripts and still got results.

He removed language patterns and the hypnotic voice and still got results.

He worked out what was THE MINIMUM required to get the results of hypnosis without any of the rituals… and in any environment!

Eventually, he was able to work out the pure underlying structure of hypnosis.

But, he worked out a lot more than that…

He developed an insight into how people communicate with themselves.

And the ability to use this to effortlessly create change!

This is what allowed Michael to Hack Hypnotic Change Work!

The results of this Radical Subtraction Modeling are all revealed in this new course. A course that shows you…

A New Way Of Combining The Meta Model With The Power Of Suggestion… To Elegantly Direct People’s Thoughts. The idea behind this new training all started with an email…

An email that arrived late on a Friday afternoon… BUT had Michael working through the weekend.

One of Michael’s students had sent him an email and a challenge.

The email itself was fairly simple but ended with one line –

“Can you make me a Hypnotic Language Ninja?”

This was the challenge Michael undertook. Could he create a course that would make his student – and any other student a ‘hypnotic language ninja’?

A course that did away with outdated hypnotic protocol.

That finally integrated the learning of his Top Down Method and Radical Subtraction Modelling to create effortless change in normal everyday conversations. The ability to create magical change – without having a therapy or counseling session.

A course that didn’t give you any memorised patterns or tools – but truly developed a strong foundational Top Down understanding.

A program for people to take their skills to next level…For people who know that they haven’t got it all yet and that know there are pieces missing.

A training that finally integrates the NLP model so that you can think with it, create with it and change with it.

An advanced training designed to make you a master of change.

A training that will up-skill your ability to use language to change, influence and persuade.

A training that will finally fill in the gaps that outdated hypnosis and NLP trainings don’t cover (or don’t know).

A training that delivers Michael’s latest insights on the brain, communication and language.

USING HYPNOTIC LANGUAGE LIKE A NINJA Is That Training!

Instantly downloadable online A total of over 10 hours of life transforming training 28 HD videos of the live 2-day workshop Including a 53 page PDF Training Manual 28 SD videos for easy playback on smartphone or tablet Along with 14 bespoke training exercises (35 pages in total) On This Advanced Training You Will Master Insights Such As… The Secret to true Communication Magic – it involves doing the complete opposite of what most hypnotists and NLP’ers are taught Why you need to get past memorised patterns and tools if you ever want to become a master of change How to develop Ninja like elegance and simplicity – the ability get in and out of peoples minds without being noticed Why believing in an unconscious mind may actually limit you from becoming a great hypnotist How to use the structures and patterns of ordinary conversations to direct people’s thoughts

How Michael used Radical Subtraction Modeling to identify the underlying structure of suggestions and hypnosis

An easy to apply method Michael uses to ingrain his learning into muscle memory. You can use this to make hypnotic language an automatic natural part of your communication How to use NLP Goal setting principles to enhance and accelerate your linguistic wizardry skills The only way to train your brain to become twice as good The unique and little known Sherlock Holmes Hypnosis Formula. Master the ability to ask hypnotic questions that change people How Michael gets his mentees to accelerate their learning by watching more TV! How to build a state of belief and certainty that your client will accept your suggestion How Michael used face reading to chose what language to use The real reason why weak trainers say not everyone can be hypnotised and why this is a complete LIE The insiders secret you need to know to change someone’s life with just one question How Michael can take the least likely technique to work in any situation and still deliver amazing results. Michael takes you thorough how he resolved a debilitating phobia of flying with just a simple conversation Advanced insights into the Meta Model never shared before Michael’s favourite exercise to master the Meta Model What really happened when Michael flipped the Meta Model upside down. And how it helped him become an elite coach and change consultant The secrets of the Framing Tool to almost magically read people’s minds …that will change how you work with clients forever The most in-depth Q&A Michael has ever done on the Meta model. He explains the underlying structure of language, the brain and human communication get inside your client’s head How and when to elegantly use convincers in your language

What you need to do to become a hypnotic pattern maker Michael’s video camera exercise to master time and space predicates How to use tone and non-verbals to ensure people follow you Watch Michael live as he coaches audience members using the 3 step hypnotic language ninja skills The Ultimate Formula for creating suggestions that stick and influence How to construct suggestions and test that they are working during a normal conversation The real reason why people like Michael Breen (and Richard Bandler) succeed in changing their clients And So Much More… BUT! This is Not A Course About Hypnosis…

If you are looking to memorise a set of language patterns and techniques, – this is not for you…

In fact, if you are looking to learn any of the traditional NLP and Hypnosis tools, techniques or patterns – you will not get that.

This is a course about the mind.

This is a course about language and structure.

It’s a course about how to move and shift people’s frames of reference… with just your words.

It’s about filling in the gaps from your outdated training in NLP and Hypnosis.

It’s about creating change, persuading and influencing. Helping people open their minds through a deeper understanding of how they communicate with themselves!

It’s about the pure structure of change and hypnosis. What’s left after months and months of radical subtraction modeling.

Because the secret to doing change work. The secret to how people like Michael Breen and Richard Bandler can get almost miraculous results…

…is NEVER in the language patterns.

Its not even in the tools and techniques they use The secret to getting world-class results… The secret to never having a client you can’t help… The secret to almost magical results always happens BEFORE YOU USE THE TOOLS. The real reason Michael can create change without overt hypnotic protocols and without traditional tools and techniques is because he spends most of his time on steps 1 and 2; (1)Understanding the clients model of the world (2)Shifting their frame of reference Once you have done that – creating the change is easy! And that’s what this course is about. Increasing your ability to use your words to enter the clients’ model of the world. Shifting their frame of reference to find a solution that works. And then locking in the changes with hypnotic suggestion. This is the real skill set of a hypnotic language ninja. The ability to get the results of hypnosis through a normal everyday conversation!

And this is the only place you can learn how to do this.

Digital Download USING HYPNOTIC LANGUAGE LIKE A NINJA Is The Most Advanced Training On Suggestion, Influence, Change Work And The Meta Model That Exists Today! As a coach, hypnotist or change agent your clients are placing their trust in you. They are looking to you to help them. To improve their lives. To help them move past their limitations.

It is only right that you do the best you can to help them. If you are going to commit your career to changing people’s lives, then you owe it to yourself and to your clients to get the highest and best results possible.I would go so far as to say that you should NEVER accept anything but the highest and best results for your client.

This is what Richard Bandler means when he says, “You will change or I’ll die trying.”

This is the philosophy that Michael has built his career on and is the reason why he created this course. Hypnotic Language Ninja is over 10 hours of video training and exercises to up skill your abilities to help your clients change.

It is based on the three steps that Michael has used with CEO’s, celebrities and the thousands of people attending his seminars.

The key principal is that you cannot create effortless change without first understanding the client’s model of the world. You cannot create elegant change without first helping them come up with a solution that works for them.

It’s only after this Top Down ‘pre-work’, that you should use your ‘toolkit’.

And this training program takes you through everything you need to know to create this kind of effortless change and influence.

By the end of this course, you will be a much more powerful communicator. You will be a hypnotic pattern maker and more importantly a better coach, therapist or trainer.

Someone who delivers the best possible results for every single client. A true practitioner who delivers results anytime, anywhere and with anyone that asks.

Someone who has moved past tools, memorised phrases and other gimmicks to a true in-depth understanding of how change works.

But That’s Not All… You Are Also Going To Receive An Exclusive Q&A Recording On Using Hypnotic Language Like A Ninja…

Michael Breen – Using Hypnotic Language Like A Ninja published first on http://ift.tt/2qxBbOD