Production Journal by https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4 en-us 2022-05-09 09:25:19 UTC 2022-05-23 10:56:52 UTC hello@padlet.com hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2175486896 One of the very first tasks that we started way before the production was obtaining the cast list and measuring the cast, it's a good starting point that opens doors for the next jobs that need to be required. 

We asked for the cast list in the first meeting and the director Danielle had them already written up for us, we typed them up ourselves because it was neater and easier to read when we referred back to them. We used the cast list to create an understanding of the characters and who plays them and we also referenced the sheet to create our costume measurement sheets.

The measurement sheets had their names, character and B numbers on the top to start with and then we planned 3 days in which we could measure the big cast of 35 students, to make this easier I took the boys measurements and Alex took the girls it wasn't an even split but me and Alex communicated and we were both completely okay, we managed to get the cast measured within 3 days.

This job was successful as we were able to create measurement sheets from the cast list really early on into the production which allowed us to focus on other tasks sooner than we planned earlier on tasks like; researching costumes, begin getting some hire costumes on reservation and costumes from our storage sooner because of this we were able to have lot's of time to start preparation for the actors to come in for the techs, dress and production runs. 

Without doing this as soon as possible it could have made moving on to other tasks late which would have created a higher risk of some tasks being left too late or not being done at all, this would have hurt my artistic vision because it could of meant I wouldn't be able to provide costumes to a standard that I felt fit the production the most because it could of meant having to rely on last minute solutions which aren't always good and can be a lot worse.]]> 2022-05-09 10:56:23 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2175486896 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177270760 Along side and throughout the production we attended meetings with the directors, these meetings consisted of updates from us and from the director, briefs from the directors, progress and requests the director preposes to us for the production. We often took minutes of meetings (notes) that helped us create lists and reminders of tasks that we needed to complete, these notes were often requests that the director wanted. 

Usually, the year 2s were always available to attend but if not we had a year 1 planned to go instead in case of any sudden changes, this emergency backup is useful because it meant we didn't need to worry if someone was suddenly unavailable and we had no one to take minutes of meetings. 

The notes were often requests from the director with ideas of costumes that she wanted that we would go look into doing and then get back to her if we couldn't or was successful in her requests, these notes were also used as a reminder of aspects the director didn't like or wanted us to change as well as this sometimes we would take notes of other departments conversations such as the type and colour of lighting, the stage backdrop and themes, these notes help us shape and plan our costumes so that they best fit the production. 

These meetings were often successful and really insightful, they helped us create our plans, schedules and create/edit costumes, without these meetings and being able to show and speak with the director we could of had an end product with our costumes that the director hated and didn't fit the theme of the production, these meetings ensured that we were always on point and creating costumes that not only fit our artistic vision for the production but also the directors and other departments that we worked with. ]]> 2022-05-10 09:14:49 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177270760 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177294378 Once we got the ball rolling we began making spreadsheets that work as checklists and reminder books that we used to refer back to to keep on track with everything that we're producing, doing and using, we began creating the spreadsheets from the beginning and kept up with them throughout retaining the usefulness of them throughout. 

The spreadsheets consisted of important information or details that helped as reminders of where we were and what we still needed to do, the first spreadsheet was a checklist of the cast we had managed to measure because there we so many actors (35) it was hard to keep note of who we had measured and who we hadn't, we were using up our own time and the time of the actors, to be less of an inconvenience we created the spreadsheet to check off who we had done.

Amongst other things we created spreadsheets for budget, costumes we had collected for the actors and costumes that Danielle would bring in or what actors had to bring in for themselves, these  spreadsheets were useful for us to know what else we needed to do and to also know what others were going to bring in for themselves.

The spreadsheets were successful because it ensured that we stayed up to date with all of our tasks and information and it made it easier for us to track what still needed to be done, these checklist made sure we could refresh our memory and made it easier for us to do our job faster for example when we kept track of how many actors we had gone through measuring. If we didn't make these lists and spreadsheets i'm almost certain it would be 10x more stressful, chaotic and important information I needed to keep track of would of been forgotten, these spreadsheets were really useful to me and made me feel a lot more confident and professional. ]]> 2022-05-10 09:33:09 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177294378 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177385902 Moving forward in the production I began working on the research of The Great Gatsby, the time and fashion of that era and the costs of what buying the costumes online would be.

I researched The Great Gatsby first to see what other costume managers' creative vision was and also the themes and story of the Gatsby so I could produce my own ideas and visions for what I wanted. With this I began looking into the particular fashions of the 1920s I found that the 20s had a sudden boom in colour, styles and different colours for their mens suits and womens dresses, an interesting fact I found is that no matter what background you came from a man would always have a suit and would wear it frequently.

Afterwards, I looked into the costs of costume items that I could buy online. I did this mainly to have a file of items that I could refer back to if I needed to as I knew to buy everything online would be way too expensive.

This worked out really well because when I presented my budget to Paul he gave me an idea from a suggestion that I should look into hiring costumes specifically from Leeds Playhouse, with this in mind I moved straight onto calling and emailing the Playhouse.

The research was successful, I found some really helpful information on the era and the show Gatsby as well as this even though my online budget wasn't approved I was still able to use the information I did get as knowledge in case I needed to buy online and I got some really good suggestions that helped me in the production later on.

If I didn't do this research I wouldn't know where to begin with everything else like my designs or what types of suits and dresses I would be looking for. It would be really hard for me to pursue my artistic vision and would slow me down in my design process, as well as this from my budget I would have never got the suggestion to look at costume hire and I probably would of been stuck on what to do. 

]]> 2022-05-10 10:55:21 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177385902 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177406611 My research allowed me to move onto creating some designs for the Gatsby cast, after the director requested that she wanted to see some I promptly moved onto creating some.

I had to designs 9 suits for the cast, this felt like a big task and I wanted to find a way where I could make this easier on myself. Armed with my Apple pencil and Ipad with Procreate I created my own male templates dressed in a classic 3 piece suit, I copy and pasted this base 4 times this meant I didn't need to spend time on redrawing the anatomy and suit base 9 different times as well as this I only created designs for the main cast; Gatsby, Tom B, Wolfshiem and Mr Mckree. 

I presented these design to the director and she loved my themes and concept and approved my designs, I went for the same colour schemes, themes and designs for the rest of the male cast to create my artistic vision. Having my designs approved felt reliving and it meant I knew exactly what to do with the cast and I could move on.

My designs were successful, they communicated my artistic vision well to the directors and it allowed me to speak about my intentions on the colours, themes and style of the suits which I believed translated well to the director because she approved them straight away, I think explaining my ideas behind the costumes also helped, for example I spoke on why I wanted Gatsby in a white suit because I felt it made him look important and higher than the rest of the men.

Without creating my designs and being able to speak and have a conversion to explain and translate my ideas to the directors they might of not been approved and if I didn't create my designs at all I wouldn't know what I wanted with my creative vision which could of hindered my ability to make good decisions on what suits to hire and the directors (never seeing any designs) could of hated the suits I picked out. ]]> 2022-05-10 11:15:24 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177406611 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177417482 Budget is a massive part of the beginning of the production, the budget allows me to begin buying, hiring or sourcing costumes. I have to create a budget proposal to my tutors that they have to approve before I could begin to buy anything at all.

My first online budget was a flop, it was way too expensive and wasn't what I wanted to go with at all, my second budget proposal was still out of budget but it was approved, it was out of budget because originally the director wanted the ensemble to wear trench coats which took a huge chunk out of the budget where we were already choking due to the sum that the hired costumes was going to take, luckily the director scratched this plan and the playhouse also let us know that the original price for the costumes would be in fact cheaper, this left us with a way bigger budget left over that I kept as a contingency plan. 

I created these budget sheets on google spreadsheets as it has a really neat and professional layout to create a budget plan, It worked well with being able to present this budget to my tutors and I could refer back to it when asked about the budget or whenever I need to refresh my mind on the budget we have and what we're spending our budget on.

My budget sheets were all really successful, they did their job which was to communicate what the budget will be spent on and how much I need for the production they also worked really well as drafts, because each budget got lesser and lesser I made multiple budget plans, each one taught me a valuable lesson on what I could improve next time if I created another budget plan.

Without creating a budget plan I wouldn't be allowed to move on at all, it needed to be looked at and approved by a tutor to ensure that I knew exactly what I was buying and that it was all okay to get. If I didn't create a plan I wouldn't know if I would have any contingency or even how much everything would cost which would create a serious problem as I need to convince my tutors that my budget is reliable. This would all hinder my creative vision as I wouldn't be able to buy anything without proving my budget which would either make getting costumes slower or not having costumes at all.]]> 2022-05-10 11:25:45 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2177417482 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2178070283 Pretty much the first physical task we set out to do as a team was to take our measurement sheets that we had already printed out and put the actors information down on and go down to measure the cast, because the cast was so big we knew it would take at least a couple of days as we only had the afternoons to be able to do this.

We took tape measures and a piece of ribbon each (the ribbon was used around the waist to make it easier to find) and with that we took actors out, one at a time and wrote down their measurements, we did pretty much all the measurements on the sheet except a couple as they just weren't needed as well as this we took their high street sizes, shoe sizes, tattoos and special requirements which are things like allergies or whether they're vegan and wouldn't wear real animal products.

The actors were chatty and I did most of the measuring because I was the most comfortable being in close proximity with the actors, because the actors were so chatty sometimes it became hard to measure them as they were very distracting or would move around I learn't to be more assertive to get the job done as we began to become lacking and fall behind on our time schedule.

Our measurement sheets and measuring was successful we managed to get all the cast measured within 3 days, only having the afternoon to be able to collect this information, with this information we were able to move onto going to the Playhouse, going into the store room and sourcing the costumes.

If we didn't get these measurements done straight away it would slow our production down as we wouldn't be able to just guess actors sizes we needed to get this done before being able to move on, it would hurt our artistic vision if we left it too late and had to get costumes that didn't represent what we wanted.  ]]> 2022-05-10 17:58:53 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2178070283 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2178108176 After discovering the Playhouse Costume hire I felt confident that I wanted to go down this avenue, I had never hired costumes before and wanted the experience, the Playhouse was also extremely close to our college which meant getting the costumes over to our college would be really easy and simple to do and we wouldn't need to worry about travel or the costs of travel. 

The first step I needed to take was to research how to get into contact with the Playhouse, I looked up their website and discovered their number which I approved with the tutors before ringing them up. When they picked up they informed me that I needed to email them to book an appointment with a time and day that I wanted to come over and take a look.

Once I was able to that same day I wrote a small email explaining why I was writing, that I was a student needing costumes for a production called Great Gatsby and that I'd like to make an appointment for the following week. They followed me back up within 2 days and said that the date I had given wasn't good for them because they weren't open on a Monday, I learn't their time table and requested for the Tuesday instead which they agreed too.

After this correspondence I was able to keep in contact by email, saving their email just in case I needed them again which I did, I emailed them again for a different time as Alex couldn't work with the one I had originally planned which was completely okay.

This was successful as I was able to create an appointment and keep their email in my contacts as well as this I learn't about the time table and also now had knowledge about them and what they could provide. If I didn't find out how to contact them and that I needed to get an appointment by email I could of shown up unannounced and been turned away, this would of really slowed me down and could potentially wasted precious time and days. ]]> 2022-05-10 18:22:53 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2178108176 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2178132903 After my research, designs and getting the cast measured we were finally able to go to the Playhouse and look at their costumes for hire, I specifically was looking for suits and an 1920s army suit.

The playhouse had a lot of costumes, especially suits, I was looking for suits that would fit my actors as well as be as close to my designs as possible because we were hiring the costumes it was going to be difficult to get costumes that directly matched my designs but I knew I could get close enough.

I asked for a reservation rail where I could place our costumes on and also take pictures of the costumes I was choosing, I could use these photos to show the director and also remember exactly what items belonged to the Playhouse. The suits that I found were remarkably close to my own designs which was really good and wasn't what I expected at all.

After this the team added up the costumes me and Alex both picked out and gave us our first official sum which also had a 30% student discount, this sum did change later on when Joe got the invoice from the playhouse as we picked up the costumes, turns out it was around £100 and a bit more cheaper than initially told to us which was amazing news as we were over budget and now we weren't and could afford a contingency plan. 

This was successful as we were able to view and create a reservation rail for majority of the cast, we had all the costumes checked and took photos. It was a nice surprise for me to find out a lot of their suits fit my designs which fit my artistic vision for the production, it took a lot of pressure of my shoulders and felt nice to have costumes that I love and was excited to use.

If we couldn't use the Playhouse I don't know where else I would of got the suits from as suits are really expensive usually, I was aware at the time that Katie had a connection with a guy who had a retiring hiring business and wanted to drop suits off, these didn't show up until production week and were very modern and wouldn't of fit the theme at all. Without the Playhouse I wouldn't have suits and the production wouldn't have good costumes. ]]> 2022-05-10 18:38:53 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2178132903 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2178174483 There was a few jobs that I needed to do in preparation of the production, the fitting room needed to have a few things done in it to make it suitable for actors to be inside comfortably and safely for ourselves. 

In preparation I created some signs that had basic rules on them, for example "no food or drink inside the room" these signs are there for our protection and for their own protection and the protection of the costumes that were inside the room. We also put the actors names on the chairs as labels so they knew were they could sit and prepared the changing area for the actors to use I also placed a "enter" and "do not enter" sign that could be flipped so actors felt more comfortable getting changed.

After placing the signs, chair labels and changing area I created 6 emergency sewing kits that had snips, black and white thread, plasters, two needles, wipes, bobble and hair clips inside them, these were to be dotted around so we could fix any costume breaks where ever they happened for example we had one in the fitting room and one back stage. We also created labels tags that had the actors name and character on them and had their costumes neatly placed on the rail next to the labels. 

The preparations were successful, the fitting room were ready for the actors to be in comfortably and change comfortably in, we had clear signs up with rules and had our sewing kits prepared for any bad outcomes.

Without preparing the room the actors wouldn't have anywhere to change or sit, there wouldn't be rules set out for them to know what they can and cant do as well as this the emergency sewing kits are really important and a must need without them we can fix or tack anyone into costumes, if we didn't have these set it place the production would be really messy behind the scenes which could reflect into the actual production itself. ]]> 2022-05-10 19:06:45 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2178174483 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179096311 A really important job that needs to be produced before the production even starts is a risk assessment that includes the most likely risks in that particular production.

In my risk assessment I wrote about 4 likely hazards in the Gatsby production, since the production doesn't have any amazing stunts or special scenes I wrote about the basic likely hazards. 

Firstly, I wrote about covid, although covid has calmed down compared to the previous years it's still a hazard that I need to write about preventions and precautions for, the guidelines have changed but it's still a huge risk that is likely to happen. 

Secondly, I wrote about fire hazards, fire is a common sense and basic risk assessment that I would argue needs to be in any assessment, we're using electric, equipment like irons, flammable clothing and much more than can cause a fire writing about the ways we can prevent, escape and have precautions in place for a fire scenario. 

Thirdly, I wrote about sewing equipment, we use a lot of machines and equipment that are sharp and dangerous, I learn't the dangers last year when my finger went under the needle whilst using the sewing machine, it's an incredibly likely hazard and because we are constantly using needles, machinery, irons, shears and lot's more sharp and heavy equipment that can cause injuries I need to have it in my assessment.

Last but not least are tripping hazards, Gatsby's sets include stairs, dancing and actors lifting other actors as well as this our own costume room and actors fitting room can also have lot's of wires and equipment this can pose serious tripping hazards that are very likely especially when cast are wearing dresses, heels and smart shoes that actors might not be used to wearing I need to keep this into account in my assessment and when I put costumes together.

I believe my assessment was successful, I wrote about 4 basic hazards that pose a threat to the Gatsby production in detail, I know exactly what to look for to prevent these hazards and I feel confident and comfortable going into this production. 

If I didn't do this risk assessment before going into the production this would be really bad and could get me and others in serious trouble because if anyone got hurt by a hazard and I don't have proof that I made the assessment I would be held liable for the injuries caused to that person as well as this it would mean that I'm not prepared to catch and stop hazards that are beginning to start because I wouldn't know what to look for, I wouldn't have a plan of action. This could literally stop the whole production which would be really upsetting and hinder my artistic vision and hard work that went into the production. ]]> 2022-05-11 09:07:44 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179096311 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179116690 The costume parade is a big deal, Danielle (the director) assessed the the costumes and communicated with us what she didn't like, what needed to change, what she liked and what she though would be okay with a few alterations. We sat there with her and wrote down all the notes that she was stating and then I compiled them into a checklist for both me and Alex and Danielle this is because Danielle offered to go to her Hire place to get costumes as we were out of budget and didn't have a college card to go out and buy anything.

This checklist was useful because it allowed me to know exactly what I needed to do the next day in preparation with the production, I did this list in my notes because it was simple, on hand and the notes page provides a suitable checklist feature. This checklist was compiled with all the jobs we needed to do and we also wrote the most urgent jobs on the big whiteboard. 

The list had 14 jobs altogether, some were small and would take 5 minutes and others were bigger and would take much longer to do. These jobs consisted of getting items from the storage, altering costumes, dirtying and removing stains from costumes and other preparation jobs like making the rail neat and tidy again. 

Although the costume parade felt very defeating because some costumes didn't work the way we expected and it felt like we had failed as the lead costume managers we still tried to contain some optimism. The parade was a overall success in the fact we knew what worked and what didn't and we knew what we could fix and what we couldn't and it was also really nice to know that Danielle could provide some costumes as we were struggling, we even had a meeting with Danielle and got everything organised so she knew exactly what she could provide to help us.

If we didn't do the costume parade we wouldn't be able to test the costumes which is never a good idea as we learn't not all the costumes were suitable and if we had got to the day of the production and found that out it would be way to late and people would be missing costumes, this would greatly hurt my artistic vision because some actors would of gone on stage without costume which not only reflects and look unprofessional on me but also the rest of the team who worked so hard on the production. ]]> 2022-05-11 09:25:17 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179116690 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179142358 From the costume parade I was able to go down the checklist and begin doing some of the tasks on there, the biggest tasks for me was dirtying George Ws vest and overalls and also hand washing Gatsby's white trousers. 

I started with Georges vest and overalls, in the parade the overalls I picked out fit too well to the actors and Danielle wanted them to look like they didn't fit for that rough and dirty persona, she also wanted his vest to look oily and dirty because George as a character works with cars in a dirty work shop. I picked out some newish overalls that weren't used in the production last year and mixed orange, brown and a touch of black paint to create a rusty or oily colour, I dried brushed the paint on the overalls in streaks that looked as though he had got splashed and rubbed his dirty hands on his overalls. With his vest I used a tea bags to achieve the same dirty and oily look on the vest that looked more natural on the white than the paint would of, I even dunked my hand in the tea and slapped it onto the vest to make it looked as though George Wilson had wiped his hand on himself. 

With Gatsby's trousers they were from the Playhouse hire which meant I needed to be really careful with them, Danielle suggested that she could take them to her mother who was good at cleaning stains but I really felt uncomfortable with this as then the costume wouldn't be in my control and it was my responsibility that those costumes were treat well and came back in one piece because of this I decided to hand wash them myself. I laid the trousers flat on a table and for 1 hour I used a new sponge with Dove soup and scrubbed the stains out of the trousers, I hung them up to dry outside and took them in at night because I was worried something might happen whilst I was asleep. 

I believe my alterations and hand washing was really successful, I was really happy with the outcome of George's dirtied costume and I felt so relieved and happy with myself being able to get those stains out by hand, I believe my artistic vision with George's suit and being able to get the stains out for a clean and neat costume was being achieved slowly costume by costume, I'm able to make every costume suit the character by small changes with paint and tea bags and it feels really good to achieve my artistic vision through this method. 

If I didn't take the time to complete these small alterations then the nature of the character wouldn't be conveyed properly which would really hurt my artistic vision because I wouldn't be putting my full effort into representing the character to the best of my abilities. ]]> 2022-05-11 09:47:04 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179142358 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179179323 I had a few costumes that I needed to edit carefully to fit the actors before the production, they needed to be done by hand mostly because they were the costumes from the Playhouse hire and I couldn't risk any damages that the sewing machine could cause, doing it by hand made sure I was more in control and able to have less risk as well as this I sewed a few actors into their dresses as they didn't stay up properly, I had to be careful so I didn't accidentally hurt them with the needle. 

When altering the costumes it was mostly the the trousers as they were oddly too big even though the rest of the suit fit perfectly fine, I did this by measuring how much I needed to take the waist in and hand sewed downwards and then tacked the trouser to the waist band to keep in it place and make it more comfortable for the actor. After this some of the trousers were too long so I also tacked the trousers upwards by hand. I made sure to write on the big whiteboard what trousers I had altered so I could remind myself what to unpick later on. 

Some of the dresses would slip and fall off the shoulders on the actors and because the actors move and dance it became a big inconvenience for them and looked messy on stage when they constantly keep pulling it back up and as well as this they need to focus on their lines and queues and not if they're about to reveal themselves. I had a quick and simple solution to this, I took the emergency sewing kit, got the black thread and tacked them into their dress by sewing the dress to their bra, it worked and the dresses stopped falling down. After every production I simply got the snips from the emergency sewing kits and cut the thread and they could get out of their dress, I did this for every production. 

The alters were successful and the quick tacking of dresses worked perfectly fine, the alters were reversible and lasted throughout the productions and the tacking also withstood the productions and overall they made sure that the suits could work and didn't need to scrap them all completely this meant my artistic vision still worked out and we didn't lose any budget, being able to come up with these quick solutions really make or break a production and because of my quick problem solving skills the costumes could still work and go on stage.

If we didn't make these quick decisions then the costumes wouldn't work or they would be annoying and distracting which would hinder and jeopardise the production, without suitable and working costumes it would effect everyone else and the production wouldn't look professional or as good anymore. ]]> 2022-05-11 10:22:26 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179179323 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179194676 Although it wasn't in my job description towards the end I had completed all the tasks and preparations for the production because of this I didn't have much to do, I was so on the ball that I was ahead, when speaking with my fellow team member Grace she said she needed 8 ribbons made for her white curtains as well as the curtains also needing to be shortened as they wanted them to hover above the floor, I also helped put up the grass background under the set and tape up the poles there too.

With the curtains Alex brought the overlocker into the theatre and whilst she overlocked the ends to neaten them up I would use the shears to trim down the curtains, after this I created 2 big ribbons and 6 smaller ones for the curtains, the bigger ones were for the two front poles and smaller ones for the curtains surrounding, I simply sewed two pieces of gold fabric (the same used for the pillows that Harry and Ameila made by themselves) and flipped the tubes the right way round and sewed the end closed, I actually watched a video on how to tie a proper ribbon knot, it only took a minute to learn but it really put the finishing touches on the curtains which I think made them look 10x better than they would of using a normal shoe lace tie. 

I was also able to help put the green grass back drop up for the set and also the tape on the poles ready for others to paint the poles gold, these are small simple jobs but i'm glad I was able to help and complete jobs to make sure that everything was ready for production week.  

I think in the small ways I was able to help and put my artistic choices on the curtains with the ribbons and learning how to tie a ribbon knot helped me provide my artistic vision even further than just with costume which I believe is a big success and the final touches really helped create the biggest picture of the set. 

Without these small finishing touches the set and other things that are effected by the set like our costumes could look underwhelming or missing details that could translate to the audience, these touches are really what make a team production work. ]]> 2022-05-11 10:37:30 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179194676 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179231478 Being backstage felt really real, I didn't have any quick changes to do as the actors had a lot of time between any changes that need to  be done, but I did have a couple of jobs that I still needed to do. 

During the 4 shows I was often left alone by my other manage Alex, she was only present backstage for 2 shows and was never in the fitting room with the actors, Luckily I still managed. The first job of every show that I did was quickly change an actors normal shoes with her tap shoes, this was the most stressful part of the production because I had 20 seconds to do this and it was mostly in the dark despite this I was always on time and she never missed her queues. 

After this I would run straight to the right wing to prepare the robes to be put on by the two actors that played young daisy on her wedding day, this was also stressful because this scene had even less time but I was always well prepared and ready to go, whilst waiting I would hold people's accessories for them when they didn't need them and give them back when they did, I was kind of like a coat hanger which was pretty funny. 

I would often check the script and check everyone was ready to go like checking bow ties and tucking mike pack wires back into costumes (I did that often), after every production I was often left with Ella in the fitting room making sure that all their small accessories went into a particular green bag (after the first show and lot's of people lost small costume items) and that costumes were put back neatly with their shoes, I would often do a fizzy pop and food run where I would check no one was having banned items like these that could potentially ruin costumes. The items would be brought into the work shop for the actors to collect at the end of the day.

Sometimes because of Gatsby's white costume, makeup would get onto the shoulders from the hugging scenes and sometimes dresses would get makeup on them too, I found a really good cleaning solution as water wasn't strong enough. Eyeshadow remover would instantly remove any foundation or makeup off garments so I would often have that on hand once I knew the usefulness of it. 

There was a scene called the flower power scene where the actors were late to, when I saw Danielle running down the hall with some actors I caught on and held the doors open for the late actors.

I believe being backstage for me was really successful, I managed all the changes and was able to hold items for people and be useful that way, when we were back in the fitting room I was able to make sure the actors were tidy and put their costumes back in specific places as well as do any removing of quick tacking of dresses and fix anything that broke (nothing ever really broke I had to tack some trousers twice). I also removed any makeup on costumes. 

If I wasn't back stage then small quick changes wouldn't be done and the risk of actors not going on in time would be much higher, the actors could of thrown their accessories around which could make them go missing or cause a tripping hazard as well as this if I wasn't in the fitting room then we wouldn't be able to police it, actors would bend the rules because they did once when I was back stage helping as the production was on (the actors began vaping when they thought no one was around and got caught for it), items of clothing would definitely go missing or misplaced, I wouldn't be able to police the costume rail to keep it neat and the room would most likely be left a mess. It's important that I was there with my team to ensure none of this would happen which it didn't. ]]> 2022-05-11 11:13:23 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179231478 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179250374 During and after the production we did a lot of ironing and washing of shirts and trousers to keep them fresh and clean for the actors to wear and be put back when they were finished.

The shirts had often got makeup on the collar and down the front which meant they needed to be washed, we quickly put them in the wash (Alex worked the machines as I didn't know how to) and then dried them the previous day in the dryer, once they were dried I then ironed all the shirts and brought them back to the actors and handed them out one by one, we often ironed the shirts anyway because the actors would screw them up or not put them back properly which often left creases. 

The trousers were always put back wrong, even after I check them and put them back myself they somehow were always moved and creased, I often ironed the trouser as well, I put a sheet of fabric over the hired trouser as a bit of protection as I was worried the trousers could get damaged over the iron and didn't want to risk the damages. 

I believe that the washing and ironing was successful, costumes were always kept cleaned and freshly ironed, the costumes were never given back late and the actors always got them back in time. 

If we didn't do this the costumes would feel dirty and be uncomfortable for the actors, the foundation would build up and be more visible to the audience looking really unprofessional as well as the creases in the shirts and trousers. That would hurt my creative vision as it would look like I didn't care and wouldn't look proper or professional. ]]> 2022-05-11 11:30:47 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2179250374 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184717955 2022-05-15 19:46:20 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184717955 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184724602 2022-05-15 19:56:39 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184724602 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184724796 2022-05-15 19:56:58 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184724796 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184724910 2022-05-15 19:57:08 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184724910 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184725010 2022-05-15 19:57:18 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184725010 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184725819 2022-05-15 19:57:58 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184725819 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184726003 2022-05-15 19:58:15 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184726003 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184726302 2022-05-15 19:58:46 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184726302 hollie900naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184726370 2022-05-15 19:58:54 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184726370 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184728707 https://padlet.com/hollie90naylor/g6opkzqpyaql4yn9]]> 2022-05-15 20:02:40 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184728707 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184730243 https://padlet.com/hollie90naylor/4bfgq99t0uvsxxy2]]> 2022-05-15 20:04:41 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184730243 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184730964 2022-05-15 20:05:51 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184730964 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184731124 2022-05-15 20:06:06 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184731124 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184731268 2022-05-15 20:06:21 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184731268 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184731397 2022-05-15 20:06:34 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184731397 Second draft hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184732971 2022-05-15 20:09:03 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184732971 First draft hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184733366 2022-05-15 20:09:41 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184733366 Third draft hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184734434 2022-05-15 20:11:31 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184734434 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184736387 2022-05-15 20:14:33 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184736387 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184737165 This is an example of lovely Ella being an amazing assistant and holding up the costumes at the Playhouse so I could take a picture to show the directors. ]]> 2022-05-15 20:15:45 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184737165 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184737602 2022-05-15 20:16:30 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184737602 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184737931 2022-05-15 20:17:07 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184737931 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738059 2022-05-15 20:17:21 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738059 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738239 2022-05-15 20:17:39 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738239 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738401 2022-05-15 20:17:52 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738401 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738536 2022-05-15 20:18:09 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738536 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738710 2022-05-15 20:18:29 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738710 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738832 2022-05-15 20:18:43 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184738832 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739196 2022-05-15 20:19:12 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739196 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739381 2022-05-15 20:19:30 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739381 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739530 2022-05-15 20:19:44 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739530 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739680 2022-05-15 20:19:58 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739680 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739985 list of the 14 jobs that I did afterwards. ]]> 2022-05-15 20:20:30 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184739985 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740178 2022-05-15 20:20:48 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740178 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740330 2022-05-15 20:21:05 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740330 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740449 2022-05-15 20:21:17 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740449 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740659 2022-05-15 20:21:36 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740659 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740816 2022-05-15 20:21:54 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184740816 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184741826 2022-05-15 20:23:39 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184741826 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184742074 2022-05-15 20:23:56 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184742074 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184742231 2022-05-15 20:24:10 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184742231 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184742700 waiting for the shoe quick change.]]> 2022-05-15 20:24:55 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184742700 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184743013 helping the actors quickly put on accessories.]]> 2022-05-15 20:25:31 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184743013 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184743709 preparing the robe changes.]]> 2022-05-15 20:26:41 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184743709 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184744216 checking ques for when actors need to go on and I need to be available the most]]> 2022-05-15 20:27:30 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184744216 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184744567 quickly taking a picture of myself holding the doors for the actors who almost missed their que!]]> 2022-05-15 20:28:11 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184744567 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184744963 the eye remover I discovered was okay on fabric and removed makeup really easily and quickly.]]> 2022-05-15 20:28:59 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184744963 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184745636 2022-05-15 20:30:04 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184745636 hollie90naylor https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184745881 2022-05-15 20:30:34 UTC https://padlet.com/hollie900naylor/pcv35m2zvv7qqjd4/wish/2184745881