TPER 201 Commentary on articles

On “Michael Chekhov’s Chart of Inspired Acting by Mala Powers”

Reading this chart of acting techniques, I cannot help but feel that I am understanding new concepts while simultaneously understanding that all of them are common sense and already planted in our subconscious. Taking a course like TPER 201 really teaches us to be aware of each technique by discovering them within ourselves. One of the techniques mentioned in the chart, Imagination, really struck my attention. I always wondered whether or not imagination could be used as a technique to transport the actor into a feeling. Logically, I would think that the more imaginative an actor might be, the better he might able to convincingly play his role by imagining that he is that character. However, this is not necessarily the case. This worked for me, as I have a very vivid visual imagination and am constantly picturing things in my head when people talk all the time. When I was doing the bamboo stick exercise in class and we had to do different types of movements, I would suddenly imagine myself getting out of canoe or putting down a heavy grocery bag. It was easy to me to associate many details; I knew the movement was happening at night or I knew the grocery bag came out of a blue Buick car parked in a suburb. I was associating with memory. When I commented about this to my class mates at the end of class, I was surprised to learn that others did not necessarily picture anything. This brought me to realize that you don’t necessarily need to have a strong imagination to be a good actor. Others, such as David and Isabelle, for example, said they focused more on  a feeling and their body movements rather than imagination. Other factors can also affect imagination, such as the room you are in. When I was on stage and the cazalet, I felt it was easy to visualize things because they were very dark places isolated by spotlights. When I was in the CC building, the feeling was less imaginative and more emotional. I think this was due to all the natural light coming from the windows, and the wooden floor. It felt much more personal and realistic when I interacted with people. Of all of the mentioned techniques, I feel that everyone may have one that they can most relate to when they are discover the actor within them. For me it was imagination, but for it others it may be composition, form, style, gesture, focal point, objective, ensemble or any other one that might strike that match and spark their understanding of what is meant by “feeling it”. Once you connect one point and proceed, I feel that is easy to understand the other points and may have already connected many of them. It can then be apparent which technique is a weakness also and what can use improvement.  

On “On Acting by Sanford Meisner”

In the text, the author writes “ Acting… is an emotional creating. It has inner content. Unlike the English, who know intellectually what the character should be feeling and indicate this verbally through the way they handle the text, we work from living truthfully, under imaginary circumstances”. When I read it, it struck me as something very powerful since this is my own personal acting philosophy. To hear someone write it out in plain text gave me a rush of inspiration, reminding me that it is OK to think this way. The text also mentions a charater ( Beth) saying that sometimes she finds herself forcing too hard to be something. The other person (Sandy) replies by asking her if she ever listened to a a record so many times in a row that if she were to hear the same track one more time she will break the record, so to change it instead. Come with different preparation, bring something different to the table. I truly believe in this. It can be applied to anything in daily life. Wear a color shirt you’ve never worn before. Listen to a kind of music you never had the chance to get into. Pick up that tennis racket and try tennis. Learn how to sew for goodness sake, even if you are a man, so what big deal! Cook up that interesting Malaysian dish you saw on that recipe site, its not too exotic for you. When we change our routines and habits, and explore new things we learn more about ourselves. Liz said, take every chance. Take a risk in acting! She said if she fell on her face right now, it would hurt but at least she will learn something from it and not do it again. This is a great habit for learning a progressive and optimistic view on things and inspire yourself in everyday life and in acting. 

Journal Entry # 12

Project #4 in this course asked as to create something that shows a “before” and an “after”. There were several different options given, ranging from a set of photographs, to a GIF animation or video, etc. I decided to do a little bit of all of them in a compound media format. I decided to compiles sequences of animations taken by stop motion photos, and compiling them together to make a video. I had come across a term when searching about camera forums called “CHDK”. As it turns out, it is a hack someone has developed for all Canon brand software cameras (most models). You simply put the hack onto the memory card, and open your camera to advanced features that it is physically capable but was not originally programmed for. Some of these features include motion detection, extra-long exposures, ultra high shutter speeds and stop motion interval shooting. After some experimentation, I got a hang of stop motion shooting and began shooting people walking in the street downtown and compiling a couple of very short clips. Then my camera got stolen, but recently got a new one and decided to try it up again for this project and shot some footage but this time the viewpoint from my car driving. I named this short video “Speed Of Light”. What I am trying to convey in it is this aesthetic beauty of time passing us by. We tend to be afraid when we feel time passes us by very quickly, however we never stop to wonder about the phenomenon and realize some beauty in it. Since we feel we are the ones that are not changing, it is too easy to feel alone and purpose slipping away. I introduce in this video, Kloe, someone close to me, in hopes of changing the feeling a bit. She serves as a concept, to contrast the previous aesthetic of feeling alone as time flies by. She is a reminder in the video, that when you spend time with those who are closest to you, the speed of time can go as fast as light and you will still end up feeling at home (such as the ending of the video suggests).

Journal Entry # 11

In this project, the theme was to show some sort of array denoting a collection of some sorts. Whether it were pages in a book with a theme or motion, a polyptych or photo series, all were acceptable formats so long as they portrayed some kind of collection. For my personal interest, I was immediately curious about polyptychs. Some of the examples shown in class in the power point presentations showed 3 panels, or frames with photographs on them and description. The one I remembered in particular was about blindness. It showed an empty room with a wooden floor, a portrait of an actual blind man, and a photo of a woman with her hair slung down in front of her face, covering it. Next to the three images was a description of the piece. In a sense it was a collection of feelings, real and imaginary about the perception of blindness. The empty room was the unknown, and the unawareness of the detail around. The real blind man was a sense of reality, a concrete example of the commonality of the subject. The woman, hiding behind her hair, perhaps demonstrated the frustration and emotion involved. I did some further research on the internet, and came across religious triptychs. I remember as a little boy going to church, and behind where the altar stood, there would be these intricately carved wooden panels to house it. They would be painted with all kinds of religious. Then after browsing some of my photographs to think of ideas, I came upon some photos I took at St-Joseph oratory. I decided to make my own collection themed polyptych. The title I gave it was “Modern Gods”. There was something eerily strange about the way some of the saint’s statues were displayed at the oratory. Blue lights coming from a hole in the ceiling, rings, platforms, and little red candle holders. It seemed almost extra-terrestrial to me. I wanted to emphasis this theme as if the “Gods” were modern religious prophets or something, and depict them as if they had arrived in the future. I made 4 panels, all shaped like tombstones to imply that the idea of future modern religion will inevitably fail and die. The second image shows the crucifix of Christ at the basilica of the oratory. Just the size and creepy background art in that photo makes it look like a still from the movie “Aliens 2”. The third panel goes on to show a double exposure photo I took in an alleyway in a street nearby. The result produced a sort of cross in the sky. Perhaps this new “cross” which looks less perfect in symmetry is a sort of apparition from the sky. It is a denouncement, seen from a lower-level perspective of an alley. The final panel shows another saintly figure on top of a pyramid of candles. As the candles are light, the future remains uncertain. Perhaps for some of those faithful to these religious there is still much hope. I took all four photographs myself, scanned the negatives, and had some prints enlarged to 12” x 18”. I then used photo adhesive spray to glue them to 4 foam-core panels. I cut the second panel in the shape of the arch, and decided to use this as the final shape for the rest as well. I proceeded to tape up the sides with electric tape for a cleaner finish. To bind them, I used thumb tacks in the sides of the panels and small ball magnets to act as the hinges.

Journal Entry # 10 Gallery Visit

Since I was unable to attend the Belgo gallery due to a class conflict, I decided to write about a piece at CTRL Lab gallery on St. Laurent blvd. It was the "Home, Paralleled. " vernissage for Art Matters. I myself, was also partaking in it.

1. What is the work / exhibition you chose to write about? Who is the artist?

 The poutine bed named "Comfort Food" by Jia Chen Cardy Lai.

2. Which gallery is it shown in?

 CTRL Lab gallery, 3634 St. Laurent blvd.

3. Describe the work (what does it look like, what is the size, what is the subject matter, what does it convey either aesthetically or conceptually):

The work itself is a beveled bed frame, about the size of a double bed. It is white and emulates a large poutine styrofoam take-out bowl. Inside consists of large french fries carved from foam pieces, white pillows sewn as cheese curds ands a gravy blanket with holes in it to allow the fries to stick out. The visitor sits in the bed and puts on some headphones playing some very warm music inviting music similar to the sounds of a tuning orchestra. 

4. What are the materials, what is the presentation format (ie. a video projected on a wall, a mixed media collage, pencil crayon and charcoal drawing that is framed and hung on the wall, etc):

 The bed sat it in its own corner of the room as is, with the described material. On the wall above it, there was a projection of a girl in a one piece swimsuit doing leg stretches and swimming in a pool. The headphones and video are meant to submerse you in a different reality.

5. Why did you choose to write about this work?

 I chose to write about it because the concept seemed so unique, and inviting. Everyone loved the poutine bed. Also, when I sat inside of it, I was surprised at how effective it was as transporting me to another environment.

6. How do you think digital media has influenced the creation of this work?

 Digital media allowed for digitally recorded music to enhance the experience along with the visuals of the swimmer. This changes our audio and visual perceptions despite the fact that we are sitting in a white room.

7. Try to relate your writing to a topic discussed in our lectures. 

ENTRY # 9: Diego Stocco - Music From A Tree

Browsing some sound blogs, I came across “Music from a tree”. Does not sound very unusual maybe to some people. Just about half of all musical instruments ever made were carved from wood. In fact, most instruments, if not metal, are traditionally made from wood, animal skins and hair and gourds. Many of the attributes of a musical instrument’s signature sound are because of the material it’s made from and how the sound resonance through it. Different woods resonate differently, as well the sound from a hollow instrument vs. a solid one. In the last hundred years or so, people have easily improvised instruments like the jug bass (metal washing jug with a broom handle and string) and have played on them. But this man, Diego Stocco, really takes the experiment a step further conducts an experiment where he decides to create musical sounds from a tree. Using contact microphones, Diego experiments ways to produce sounds. Sometimes he makes tapping sounds, sometimes bowing twigs with a violin bow. He then layers them in a loop until a plethora of woodsy organic sounds of orchestrated your ear drums! Aside from personal interests in sound recording and field recording with ambient noises, I thought I was able to relate to the thought of exploring spaces. The entire thing is a creative experiment, and if you function visually or by hearing, this is an exercise of the imagination worth conducting. In the past I have explored with ideas such as recording the sound of my keys hitting the floor and then slowing it down and adding delay or running a gunshot backwards. The possibilities were endless, and it is good to see videos of people like Diego who are pursuing their curiosities.

ENTRY # 8 : The Singing Ringing Tree

Perhaps one of the most bizarre things I have ever heard about was the Singing Ringing Tree in Burnley, northern England. I first heard about it from a British friend that I met in London once and kept in touch with. I had completely forgotten about it, and then suddenly remembered again so I went on to look it up. And what a strange piece it is indeed. It composed by many galvanized tubes of varying lengths stacked up to form a tree. It was designed by architects Mike Tonkin and Ana Liu. Imagine a waling amorphous oblique in a barren cliff’s distance. The sound as eerie as one might imagine a well of lost souls where spirits in limbo might stick like a magnet. Well that is exactly what it sounds like to me, but oddly enough the sound is soothing. Perhaps this is due to the fact that its nature causing the sounds and I realize that it is completely at random in that sense. It is not as if someone is playing badly on purpose. The hypnotic, constant drone of the Singing Ringing tree can be heard from far away as visitors approach the site. In a sense, it is an interactive piece of art since it requires our ears to listen, which draws up the crowds. It is also exceptionally a landmark art piece. This discovery has prompted me to look into other musical art pieces that sit on their own outside such as wind harps. It is baffling how a little bit of sound emanation can create a real presence, as if in the company of some celestial entity. Perhaps it is our way of being in the company of Mother nature.

ENTRY # 7: Bjork "Hyperballad" video

One slow evening at home when I was feeling like carpol tunnel syndrome, I came across this brilliant dvd that had a collection of some of director Michel Gondry’s best works. One of the videos on the DVD was the music video for Hyperballad by Bjork. I watched it and was immediately blown away! The video is jam-packed with layers and is an innovative creative concept by itself. The video begins with the sunrise over a mountainous landscape that resembles a cardboard set for a stop-motion animation of a children’s TV show. But as the light appears, it become s apparent that some of those mountain tops are actually the topography of Bjork’s face: her nose, her eyebrows, her lips and her forehead. The camera then rotates so that horizon is vertical and shows her sleeping on this cartoonish set. It then rocks back and forth above her face and shows a static flat digital green projection of an awakening Bjork singing with her eyes open. The emphasis of 3D mountain terrain blending in with her “giant” facial features really brings them out in a perspective. Adding the flat projection on top of her face creates an interesting array of layers during the camera motion. It would seem as though the projection represented what she is dreaming of, singing in her mind while she is sleeping. Yet, since she is green in the projection and static-like, it is just as fuzzy to remember as a real dream. I wonder if all these subliminal implications are coincidentally paralleled, or if the director had planned this multi-layer polyptych of the imagination on purpose? There are so many themes of lost perspective: is she up? Is she down? Is she sideways? The camera continues to flip and she is seen running with oversized shoes as though a video game character. The way we are cleverly sucked into these perspectives will always intrigue me. The fact also that this was made in 1995, I could barely believe how far ahead of its time it was.