# data[].attributes.body
In this first week I have started to look over the script that has been written by our director. I have tried to figure out which role I would like to audition for.

I have also began breaking down the script and analysing each character and their interactions with each other in each scene to further understand how I could potentially play my preferred characters.

# data[].attributes.body
This week I have prepared my lines and rehearsed with friends and family for my audition. I have decided to put myself up for 2 different types of roles. Whilst preparing I have asked for advice and different suggestions so that I have multiple ways of playing the specific roles.

I have made sure that I can recall my lines however, I do not know them all perfectly as I have been preparing for two roles. During the audition I listened to what my director suggested and took down notes for each character and I am waiting for the cast list to be put online.

# data[].attributes.body
This week the cast list has been announced and I now have a part that I can fully prepare for. In order to do this, I have been looking into wider reading and researching different scenes from films and television that I think would be really helpful to study and analyse for my performance. I particularly focused on Meryl Streep's interview scene in 'The Devil Wears Prada'. (The Devil Wears Prada, 2006). I think her demeanour in this specific scene is really interesting and although my character is very different, I think that by studying different types of performances will give me multiple choices of how to play my role and also depth and layers to my character during filming. When taking other performances from renowned actors into consideration for my role, I have found that I actual understand my character more and how my character would react. This is because I can look at a performance and gage whether my character would behave in that way or whether they would react differently, which has been a really useful way of finding the truth within my scene and character. ‘Acting is not about having ‘a bag of tricks’ but about learning to remove the protective blocks that inhibit our natural responses.’ (Churcher, 2003).

This quote from my reading echoed when watching different scenes and discovering more about my own character.

# data[].attributes.body
This week I focused on the background of my character and what kind of life they had which would lead them to this very moment when they are interviewing Sally. Although my character in the script was not given a name I decided to name her myself, which was the very genesis of my character development. My character is called Tara Miller, and I decided that she would com from a very nice, middle class family. Her childhood was normal and she had always been protected by her parents, perhaps a bit too much. Growing up if Tara asked for anything she would get it, money was no object for her parents and so she had always been spoiled. However, despite growing up in an affluent family she was never rude or judgemental towards any of her friends or peers at school. She just never realised that unfortunately that is not everyone's reality at home. In many ways I wanted Tara to be naïve to what most people have had to experience, as she has never really had anything significantly bad happen to her. She was fairly average at school and did okay in her exams through high school and college, but she was more interested in what new fashion trends were on the rise and the latest boy to text her on her phone. Tara dated a few boys during high school, but decided to stay single throughout college and focus on her friendships instead. After leaving college most of her friends went to university but Tara did not know what to study if she went, therefore she decided not to follow in her friends footsteps, which left he feeling slightly left behind and inadequate compared to them and their new life. However, she filled her time with holidays and travelling around Australia, Thailand and New Zealand, which was funded entirely by her parents. It was at this point in her life that she found something that she could stick with, she enjoyed travelling and seeing the world and decided she would join an airline company.

# data[].attributes.body
After applying for an airline company she managed to get the job and worked as a secretary for a few years until a new boss at her company came in to take over. It was at this point that they started a fairly casual relationship, which grew into something more serious. At the time of meeting her boss Tara was 22 and Dan (her now husband) was 26. Quickly after their relationship became official Tara found herself moving up in her line of work, working for recruitment and receiving multiple pay rises and promotions. In many ways her relationship with Dan parallels her relationship with her parents, Tara received rewards without having to work, which other people in the company frowned upon, however, Tara didn't notice that it was considered unfair treatment. When Dan finally proposed after 3 years they arranged the white wedding for a year later and tied the knot. She is yet to have children but definitely wants them in the future. She is definitely hoping to be a mother to girls.

Although she could be considered as spoiled, Tara is not a bad person, she has never looked down on others and as she has gotten older she realised that she did have a very privileged upbringing, which she has always been grateful for.

# data[].attributes.body
This week after compiling a background on my character I wanted to ensure that I could fully flesh out my performance. Therefore, I continued my research and read more of the readings suggested to me. 'The camera will pick up the slightest hint of showing the audience what you are thinking. It really is like being under a microscope. This shouldn't frighten you - as long as you really know what you want and what you need, you will appear real'. (Churhcer, 2003). This really helped me to forget about all the thoughts when rehearsing and allow me to focus on what my goal was as my character and what I wanted to gain at the end of the scene. It helped me to get into character every time I rehearsed with someone or every time I went over my lines to prepare, I would come back to this quote and it would help to bring my focus back. This week I have also made sure to keep in contact with the hair and makeup department as well as the costume department to make sure that I had the correct costume they had requested and discuss more of what makeup they wanted to create for my character. I detailed my background for them so that it could help ton conjure up an image of who my character was and they could get a better understanding of what style my character would have.

# data[].attributes.body
This week I was on set as my part was fairly small and I am only present as a performer for one scene. As we were filming the scene that I would be performing in first, I made sure that my lines were second nature to me and I could recall them instantly, ready for action when my director needed. I took notes that my director gave me for each shot and ensured that I was up to date with which line we were shooting from and what was required of me every time we were shooting. It was 2 full days of shooting and we managed to get what we needed. During takes I would look over the background of my character just to refresh it in my mind and then bring that backstory into the scene as best as I could. I often ask hair and makeup if they wanted to retouch anything throughout the day and communicated with the costume department to make sure that my outfit was okay and translated well onscreen. I really trusted my director and learnt a lot this week about the best ways to film with time restrictions and I learnt a lot in terms of m acting, about how to switch off and on between takes and making sure that I was prepared when action was called. ‘The director is the viewer and the actor is the viewed. The actor is exposed, vulnerable. The success of his contribution hinges on his ability and willingness to allow himself to be viewed without being able to view himself.’ (Weston, 1996).

# data[].attributes.body
These weeks I was not needed as a performer but I ensured that I was on standby for any pick-ups that we could potentially have to reshoot.

# data[].attributes.body
Churcher, M. (2003). Acting for Film: Truth 24 Times a Second. Virgin.

Churcher, M. (2003). Acting for Film: Truth 24 Times a Second. Virgin.

Movieclips. (2015, 19 June). The Devil Wears Prada (2/5) Movie CLIP – Andy’s Interview (2006) HD. [Video]. Youtube. The Devil Wears Prada (2/5) Movie CLIP - Andy's Interview (2006) HD (youtube.com)

Weston, J. (1996). Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television. M. Wiese Productions.