Networking - that very important yet very underestimated word in the performing world. In the last two years the famous saying 'It's not what you know, it's who you know' has never been more true.
After graduating from the Hammond School in Chester I made the move to London. Personally I feel one of the major disadvantages of training out of London, which is the heart of the performing world for the UK, is that your links and connections are nowhere near as strong as those who have trained down south. I have come to know many performers who trained in London and they talk about how they had guest teachers in, directors and choreographers still working in the business come in to conduct workshops and other people still very active in the industry. This giving them a strong stepping stone on their way to start making those all important connections and getting their faces known.
With the way modern technology has progressed there are many ways and tools people can use to network. One big tool that I use is e-mail. This is how I keep in touch with my agent. Any corresponding that we do takes place over e-mail, with the odd phone call thrown in here and there. It's a simple, fast way to keep in touch. Also a lot of people these days have smart phones so can receive e-mails on the move.
Another major tool that I use is that ever so wonderful web site called Facebook. Facebook allows me to keep in touch with other performers no matter where they are in the world but also casting directors/ casting organisations have started to take advantage of the web site and have created there own pages that you can follow where they update the page with up and coming audition information. Once again the joys of technology means that this is very easily accessible. People can download an app onto their phones that will allow them to access their Facebook page in seconds. This method of networking is also being used by some agents. For instance my housemate's agent, Gielgud Management, will simply post any jobs on their Facebook wall and if you wish to be submitted all you have to do is leave a comment on that particular post.
More experienced practitioners will properly still have a Facebook page but I would imagine they would keep this private and only visible to friends and family; so they don't cut themselves off from the public most established artists will have their own personal website. This tends to be a page where people can get information on the person in question and can keep up to date with events that they are taking part in. A more popular craze to come out of the twenty first century is the app known as twitter. This app allows people to post their feelings, thoughts, inform on what they are up to, connect with people, post pictures etc. The amazing thing with this app though is that you don't have to know the person to follow them. When you follow a person anything they post will appear on your update page. So it has allowed the general public to get a closer connection to a high ranked artist. A connection that ten years ago people would have laughed at. An artist who is really well known for using this way of networking is Will.I.Am. who is constantly tweeting, even on the live shows of 'The Voice:Uk' he would be known to be tweeting while they were recording. It's a free way to connect with people and use it to your advantage by publishing the release of your new single/ album, new music video, future events/ concerts etc.
Again this app is used by casting directors. I have found out about two auditions from the same casting director by using this app in the last 6 months. Ann Vosser constantly tweets about events and auditions that are happening, opening the doors to a new way of getting the word out about auditions.
It's very clear why these have taken off so quickly and with such great effect. As I mentioned they are so accessible due to phones/ laptops, fast, you can receive information on the move and to top it off these ways are free! It's a way people can stay in touch and informed using tools that have become an everyday part of the socialising network. When speaking to people it's become very clear that most people cheek their Facebook at least twice a day and this is just for general socialising so to combine these social sites with a perfisional networking aspect is a very easy and personally I feel wise move.
At this particular moment in my carer I feel my connections in the performing area are strong. In-between performing jobs I always work front of house at theatres which means I am still working in the theatre environment and the majority of people I work with are fellow performers. This is very handy as it allows us to share information on auditions, agents, singing teachers etc. Also we socialise with cast members, dance captains, resident directors - allowing us to get are faces out their and you never know when you might come across these people again in the future. My main area to focus on at the moment is my networking in the teaching world. In London this is very weak, I have some good connections up north that I am still in touch with but would like to develop my connections down south. I
Aim to do this by connecting with teachers via e-mail and also I would like to look into researching web sites and chat forums that have been set up to allow teachers to connect with each other. This is something that I need to look into.
I am currently in touch with the head of drama at a high school in Hackney via e-mail. From this I have set up the opportunity to shadow her classes next year. This will hopefully open new doors and widen my connections in this particular environment.
Friday 28 December 2012
Thursday 15 November 2012
KOLB'S LEARNING CYCLE...
Kolb's learning cycle...
At which point in Kolb's cycle do you feel you enter learning?
Personal I feel this is a difficult question to answer as the response will differ depending on the person being asked.
Everyone's mind works in completely different ways; no two people with have the same thinking method or pattern therefore the way we break down and evaluate a situation will alter.
Some people might click onto the fact that they could learn/ grow from the experience as the experience is happening (DONALD SCHÖN - Reflection-in-action). Others might let the experience go by with out thinking anything of it until a question/ event happens and stimulates them to review or reflect on the experience in question (Reflective Observation or as SCHÖN would say Reflection-on-action). I feel by stage three everyone who would use this method will have started learning as to complete this stage your mind frame needs to be in the position of - 'I've had an experience that can help me grow/ develop/ take action as a person, I've reviewed the situation now I need to decided what I want to gain from that experience' this being the conclusion. What am I going to take away from this experience and what actions can I take to for-fill the conclusion. This leads on smoothly to part four - taking action. Putting what you have learnt into action and using it in everyday life or in similar situations to create new experiences.
Kolb's method is a heightened, slightly more in depth method that people will use naturally with out even knowing they are doing it. When people have an experience they naturally reflect on it - if it's a bad experience they will bitch to their friends, if it's a good experience they will inform their friends/ family's as it will properly be a highlight in their day. This might be where they will naturally stop, they will get it off their chest and think nothing of it but if people would just break it down and come to a conclusion they could learn/ gain something from the experience and help developments in their lives or careers. Which is what the Kolb's method is all about learning - putting the learning outcome into use.
When using this method in my journal I found I tend to use the Active Experimentation approach. I find I naturally take an experience and reflect on it straight away and then I come up with different ways I could use that experience to further my career. It's all about trial and error I prefer to give myself serval options to get the outcome I want, if none of these work then it's back to the drawing board. I have an addictive personality and won't stop until I get the results I want so I find this method of trial and error gives me more of a chance to reach my goal.
Every experience is a learning curve whether we embrace it or let it pass us by subconsciously and effect us without even knowing it has. Obviously if you embrace it you can learn alot more from it.
At which point in Kolb's cycle do you feel you enter learning?
Personal I feel this is a difficult question to answer as the response will differ depending on the person being asked.
Everyone's mind works in completely different ways; no two people with have the same thinking method or pattern therefore the way we break down and evaluate a situation will alter.
Some people might click onto the fact that they could learn/ grow from the experience as the experience is happening (DONALD SCHÖN - Reflection-in-action). Others might let the experience go by with out thinking anything of it until a question/ event happens and stimulates them to review or reflect on the experience in question (Reflective Observation or as SCHÖN would say Reflection-on-action). I feel by stage three everyone who would use this method will have started learning as to complete this stage your mind frame needs to be in the position of - 'I've had an experience that can help me grow/ develop/ take action as a person, I've reviewed the situation now I need to decided what I want to gain from that experience' this being the conclusion. What am I going to take away from this experience and what actions can I take to for-fill the conclusion. This leads on smoothly to part four - taking action. Putting what you have learnt into action and using it in everyday life or in similar situations to create new experiences.
Kolb's method is a heightened, slightly more in depth method that people will use naturally with out even knowing they are doing it. When people have an experience they naturally reflect on it - if it's a bad experience they will bitch to their friends, if it's a good experience they will inform their friends/ family's as it will properly be a highlight in their day. This might be where they will naturally stop, they will get it off their chest and think nothing of it but if people would just break it down and come to a conclusion they could learn/ gain something from the experience and help developments in their lives or careers. Which is what the Kolb's method is all about learning - putting the learning outcome into use.
When using this method in my journal I found I tend to use the Active Experimentation approach. I find I naturally take an experience and reflect on it straight away and then I come up with different ways I could use that experience to further my career. It's all about trial and error I prefer to give myself serval options to get the outcome I want, if none of these work then it's back to the drawing board. I have an addictive personality and won't stop until I get the results I want so I find this method of trial and error gives me more of a chance to reach my goal.
Every experience is a learning curve whether we embrace it or let it pass us by subconsciously and effect us without even knowing it has. Obviously if you embrace it you can learn alot more from it.
Wednesday 24 October 2012
WEB 2.0!
So I'm a little behind on writing this. As I'm sure a lot of people taking this course the first time I read the reader I had no idea what it was saying or trying to convey to me. I have had to read it over and over a few times to try and get a deeper understanding... What is web 2.0?
After reading through the reader I have decided web 2.0 is a form of technology that most people will come across in everyday life and will use it without even knowing! I started using it when I was just 13 years old when I created my first 'My Space' page. 'My Space' is a very simple page that combines blogging the ideas that Facebook is created from. You could use it to upload pictures, videos, blog about what's going on in your life. what you've been up to and also upload your favourite song to your home page.
It's amazing to think how rapidly the technology has grown, and has created one of today's most popular social sites - Facebook. A page that most people take for granted and a lot of people find addictive! Who would have thought that a site only open to American students would spread across the world and become the addictive social site we know and love today.
In my opinion web 2.0 is an amazing creation and allows the world to connect in ways that with out it we could only dream off. It offers a platform for people to voice their ideas and opinions. Not only is it a tool used by us as the public but it is also used as a way for business to communicate and connect to an audience that without normally they might not have been able to reach. As with a lot of things though it's more complicated then that. Take for instance Facebook, as most people are familiar with the page layout, down the right hand side of the page there is a section that is normally used for advertising. A space where a company can rent and place an advert and can use what ever format they wish - text, picture or video. This is where things get clever, Facebook will filter what adverts appear on your screen. They do this as the reader suggests by using past search options, history on the site, pages linked to your home page and information provided by you. It doesn't just show you anything and everything, it gives you the adverts you are mostly likely to be interested in. Providing the best service for you but also the best service for the investor, the business. Below is a very basic example of this being used.
On my Facebook I have listed that I am a male interested in men. Straight away this tells Facebook that I am a gay man, also I provided the information that I was single. Facebook then took this information and the adverts that then appeared on my page were adverts for 'internet dating for gay men'. I also had adverts for Gay Times which I linked to my homepage.
The more information you provide the more specific it can be. When Facebook created the more developed location section on the page I changed my location to London and sure enough the adverts became focused to the London area.
As the system grows the the ability to target the more appropriate audience gets easier. Surely this must be beneficial to businesses and is allowing them to create advertising for the right audience rather then a general audience saving them time and money therefore seeing the financial gain of web 2.0.
As Reich states there has been a dramatic decrease in costs due to the creation of the modern day communication technologies that are growing each day, not just for businesses but also for us as the user. A person no longer has to have their own website and pay for a web domain and web server to store data to get their pictures, videos and thoughts out their. We simply create a blog or Facebook page and with in the space of one click it is up online ready for the world to see.
Another website that has been created using web 2.0 is the widely used internet sensation 'YouTube'. As O'reilly talks about the development from web 1.0 to web 2.0 it's amazing to think that 'YouTube' was only created in 2005 and has since taken off and has become a platform for people to share videos and their comments with the world. The rapid growth of such technology is incredible not even one year old (October 2008) 'YouTube's users were uploading 15 hours of video every minute. The last record shows that in May 2010 'YouTube' exceeds 2 billion views a day.
http://www.youtube.com/t/press_timeline
With sites such as these it allows us to express ourselves and share information that with out wouldn't be able to happen. We as people are the fuel to keep web 2.0 going. As Lorenzo states the web is 'not just created by experts- it is created and co-created by amateurs'.
Without even realising it web 2.0 can play a massive part in the performing arts industry. It has allowed me to upload my C.V to a website called Spotlight, where I am more accessible to casting directors. I have been able to upload clips of my work as a director onto 'YouTube' allowing people to comment helping my work to grow and develop. Also it allows us as performers to communicate more easily and spread the word of projects and shows that are on going.
As a whole I personally think web 2.0 is an amazing creation that has enhanced and developed my day to day life without me even knowing it. Personally I am excited to watch it grow even further and can't wait to see what the future holds.
Well I'm glad I have finally got that out the way! Now onto the next task! :-D
After reading through the reader I have decided web 2.0 is a form of technology that most people will come across in everyday life and will use it without even knowing! I started using it when I was just 13 years old when I created my first 'My Space' page. 'My Space' is a very simple page that combines blogging the ideas that Facebook is created from. You could use it to upload pictures, videos, blog about what's going on in your life. what you've been up to and also upload your favourite song to your home page.
It's amazing to think how rapidly the technology has grown, and has created one of today's most popular social sites - Facebook. A page that most people take for granted and a lot of people find addictive! Who would have thought that a site only open to American students would spread across the world and become the addictive social site we know and love today.
In my opinion web 2.0 is an amazing creation and allows the world to connect in ways that with out it we could only dream off. It offers a platform for people to voice their ideas and opinions. Not only is it a tool used by us as the public but it is also used as a way for business to communicate and connect to an audience that without normally they might not have been able to reach. As with a lot of things though it's more complicated then that. Take for instance Facebook, as most people are familiar with the page layout, down the right hand side of the page there is a section that is normally used for advertising. A space where a company can rent and place an advert and can use what ever format they wish - text, picture or video. This is where things get clever, Facebook will filter what adverts appear on your screen. They do this as the reader suggests by using past search options, history on the site, pages linked to your home page and information provided by you. It doesn't just show you anything and everything, it gives you the adverts you are mostly likely to be interested in. Providing the best service for you but also the best service for the investor, the business. Below is a very basic example of this being used.
On my Facebook I have listed that I am a male interested in men. Straight away this tells Facebook that I am a gay man, also I provided the information that I was single. Facebook then took this information and the adverts that then appeared on my page were adverts for 'internet dating for gay men'. I also had adverts for Gay Times which I linked to my homepage.
The more information you provide the more specific it can be. When Facebook created the more developed location section on the page I changed my location to London and sure enough the adverts became focused to the London area.
As the system grows the the ability to target the more appropriate audience gets easier. Surely this must be beneficial to businesses and is allowing them to create advertising for the right audience rather then a general audience saving them time and money therefore seeing the financial gain of web 2.0.
As Reich states there has been a dramatic decrease in costs due to the creation of the modern day communication technologies that are growing each day, not just for businesses but also for us as the user. A person no longer has to have their own website and pay for a web domain and web server to store data to get their pictures, videos and thoughts out their. We simply create a blog or Facebook page and with in the space of one click it is up online ready for the world to see.
Another website that has been created using web 2.0 is the widely used internet sensation 'YouTube'. As O'reilly talks about the development from web 1.0 to web 2.0 it's amazing to think that 'YouTube' was only created in 2005 and has since taken off and has become a platform for people to share videos and their comments with the world. The rapid growth of such technology is incredible not even one year old (October 2008) 'YouTube's users were uploading 15 hours of video every minute. The last record shows that in May 2010 'YouTube' exceeds 2 billion views a day.
http://www.youtube.com/t/press_timeline
With sites such as these it allows us to express ourselves and share information that with out wouldn't be able to happen. We as people are the fuel to keep web 2.0 going. As Lorenzo states the web is 'not just created by experts- it is created and co-created by amateurs'.
Without even realising it web 2.0 can play a massive part in the performing arts industry. It has allowed me to upload my C.V to a website called Spotlight, where I am more accessible to casting directors. I have been able to upload clips of my work as a director onto 'YouTube' allowing people to comment helping my work to grow and develop. Also it allows us as performers to communicate more easily and spread the word of projects and shows that are on going.
As a whole I personally think web 2.0 is an amazing creation that has enhanced and developed my day to day life without me even knowing it. Personally I am excited to watch it grow even further and can't wait to see what the future holds.
Well I'm glad I have finally got that out the way! Now onto the next task! :-D
Friday 19 October 2012
Thursday 18 October 2012
Starting out on the BAPP...
Hey guys!
So finally I have got my act into gear and done my BAPP video!
I have gone with something a little different... I have tried to link the first couple of tasks in with my video. It explains a bit about myself and why I am wanting to do the course and my first thoughts using the media forms of photos and videos. My personality is a big part of who I am, so hopefully watching this video you will start to get an idea of me as a person and therefore understand my sense of humour, making my blogs easier to understand!
I Hope you will enjoy...
So finally I have got my act into gear and done my BAPP video!
I have gone with something a little different... I have tried to link the first couple of tasks in with my video. It explains a bit about myself and why I am wanting to do the course and my first thoughts using the media forms of photos and videos. My personality is a big part of who I am, so hopefully watching this video you will start to get an idea of me as a person and therefore understand my sense of humour, making my blogs easier to understand!
I Hope you will enjoy...
Wednesday 10 October 2012
Metamorphosis
So as I mentioned in my about me section I directed a production of Metamorphosis by Steven Berkoff while I was at The Hammond. I have recently started editing the video footage that I managed to gather of the show together. During the course I will also put together a combination video of the workshop leading up to the performance where we tried different approaches mixed in with the final cut.
Please find the link for Part 1 of my take on Metamorphosis.
Comment away!
HELP!
Hey guys!
Just a quick question I'm having a really dumb moment and can't seem to get the friends box on my profile... any help?!?!
Just a quick question I'm having a really dumb moment and can't seem to get the friends box on my profile... any help?!?!
Updated 'About Me'
Hey guys!
So after my little bit of research and window shopping so to speak, I have finally updated my about me section. Hopefully there is enough information mixed in with a little comedy to show my personality and to keep it light! Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment!
Currently living in London, one in a million trying to live the dream! I am a musical theatre actor about to start on the road to becoming a High School Drama teacher. I trained at The Hammond School on a three year musical theatre programme. Love a cheeky sing song! While training I developed a passion for directing. Over the last couple of years I have directed productions for local Amateur Dramatic Societies and also directed a production of Metamorphosis by Steven Berkoff and my own work at The Hammond. I want to go on to learn the skills to be able to pass on my passion and knowledge to young people, while also expanding my knowledge and gaining skills from my fellow students. So I'm all set and ready to blog, lets see what the future holds!!!
So after my little bit of research and window shopping so to speak, I have finally updated my about me section. Hopefully there is enough information mixed in with a little comedy to show my personality and to keep it light! Hope you enjoy and feel free to comment!
Currently living in London, one in a million trying to live the dream! I am a musical theatre actor about to start on the road to becoming a High School Drama teacher. I trained at The Hammond School on a three year musical theatre programme. Love a cheeky sing song! While training I developed a passion for directing. Over the last couple of years I have directed productions for local Amateur Dramatic Societies and also directed a production of Metamorphosis by Steven Berkoff and my own work at The Hammond. I want to go on to learn the skills to be able to pass on my passion and knowledge to young people, while also expanding my knowledge and gaining skills from my fellow students. So I'm all set and ready to blog, lets see what the future holds!!!
Wednesday 26 September 2012
Looking around...
Hey hey hey...
So I have just been sat here with my iphone in hand, open on the notes, and flicking through just a few of the blogs on the lib guide page (there are so many!!!) making very short handed notes on a few of the blogs that I have read... I will hopefully use these notes to help inspire me to develop my own 'About Me' section...
Hayley Bence - general over view of where she is at the moment (in her career), has a personal fun touch about it.
Laura Ann Wright - more detailed view of how she started, her training, details about past jobs.
Jess Hunt - a little section about her career in teaching, where she is at the moment, combined with a slight personal touch about her as a person and her view on the course and what she is looking to gain.
Ahmet Ahmet - like a bio you would find in a programme at the theatre - little overview of his professional experience, what he has moved onto - kept it light with a bit of comedy.
John - Paul Briss - again slight overview of what he has done, where he is at the moment and what he wants to gain from the course.
Michelle Yarwood - very light, full of personality, info about what she has done in the past and what she is doing now - what she wants to gain from the course.
Luke Bohanna - to the point, says what he has done in the past and what he is doing now - his aim for the future.
Hope you don't mind guys! Alot of them have given a slight over view of what they have done in the past and where they are at the moment in their career. Also a few of them have gone down a slight more personal touch and adding bits of comedy. Using this I will develop my own 'About Me' section so watch this space!
But for now I have done enough stairing at the screen for one day, (unfortunatly I do it as part of my current job, 8 hours at a desk and a screen but hey ho it pays the way) so its time to give my eyes a rest and let them glaze over while watchihng the T.V think I might catch up on last nights 'Styled to Rock'...
So I have just been sat here with my iphone in hand, open on the notes, and flicking through just a few of the blogs on the lib guide page (there are so many!!!) making very short handed notes on a few of the blogs that I have read... I will hopefully use these notes to help inspire me to develop my own 'About Me' section...
Hayley Bence - general over view of where she is at the moment (in her career), has a personal fun touch about it.
Laura Ann Wright - more detailed view of how she started, her training, details about past jobs.
Jess Hunt - a little section about her career in teaching, where she is at the moment, combined with a slight personal touch about her as a person and her view on the course and what she is looking to gain.
Ahmet Ahmet - like a bio you would find in a programme at the theatre - little overview of his professional experience, what he has moved onto - kept it light with a bit of comedy.
John - Paul Briss - again slight overview of what he has done, where he is at the moment and what he wants to gain from the course.
Michelle Yarwood - very light, full of personality, info about what she has done in the past and what she is doing now - what she wants to gain from the course.
Luke Bohanna - to the point, says what he has done in the past and what he is doing now - his aim for the future.
Hope you don't mind guys! Alot of them have given a slight over view of what they have done in the past and where they are at the moment in their career. Also a few of them have gone down a slight more personal touch and adding bits of comedy. Using this I will develop my own 'About Me' section so watch this space!
But for now I have done enough stairing at the screen for one day, (unfortunatly I do it as part of my current job, 8 hours at a desk and a screen but hey ho it pays the way) so its time to give my eyes a rest and let them glaze over while watchihng the T.V think I might catch up on last nights 'Styled to Rock'...
About Me
Hey guys!
So below is my first draft of my 'About Me' I wrote this as a general overview about where I am at the moment before I started the course. After reading the breakdown of Task 1a I have decided that maybe its not as detailed as one might like it to be so one thinks a little work might need to be done!
But all the same enjoy my rather short but sweet 'About Me'...
Currently living in London. I am a musical theatre actor about to start on the road to becoming a High School Drama teacher. I trained at The Hammond School on a three year musical theatre programme and want to learn the skills to pass on my passion and knowledge to young people while also expanding my knowledge and gaining skills from my fellow students.
So below is my first draft of my 'About Me' I wrote this as a general overview about where I am at the moment before I started the course. After reading the breakdown of Task 1a I have decided that maybe its not as detailed as one might like it to be so one thinks a little work might need to be done!
But all the same enjoy my rather short but sweet 'About Me'...
Currently living in London. I am a musical theatre actor about to start on the road to becoming a High School Drama teacher. I trained at The Hammond School on a three year musical theatre programme and want to learn the skills to pass on my passion and knowledge to young people while also expanding my knowledge and gaining skills from my fellow students.
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