When I looked at the call sheets, they contained sketchy dates, times and venues but the second set was clearer.

A drama can consist of a one-off episode or series, each episode usually lasts about an hour. “The term “television drama” as used in these rules refers to television programs that have story plots and are produced by means of electronic re- cording.” (‘Rules for the Administration of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Production of Television Dramas (Video Recordings2004).

Some of the drama series on tv are very successful and this is normally reliable on the context of the scripts. In fact, some actors spend their careers portraying one character. When the tv drama is over several nights it can leave the actor becoming part of the character like Ken Barlow in Coronation Street.  “You will become personally involved and start to feel that you are in the same situation as the character in the play.” (Stanislavski 2008)

Whereas stage shows last from a few days to years depending on how successful a show is (The Mouse Trap) a further difference can be a stage show which can include singing whereas a tv drama does not often have singing or dancing in them. 

When acting on stage the show is normally a couple of hours long and can be repeated, rehearsals will have taken place in previous weeks. A film can take hours as you could be asked to record the same lines from a different angle and if you do not get your lines right on screen you can re-do them which you cannot do on stage. If you are an incompetent actor on stage, there are benefits to film acting, as it can make you look really good, because it is acted more realistic compared to stage, where every move is exaggerated. Live theatre and film are similar in some respects, but they are very different art forms (Witka 2016).  During my experience on both productions, when acting for the camera it is important not to make sudden moves as this would mean they would not get a clear shot of the scene.(Drake Brody 2017). Reports that Leslie Dektor, recognised this, as he felt that an actor should imagine the camera. but that sudden unplanned movement would whip the camera around like a ball on the end of a string, or like the “whip” ride at a carnival.

 

During this time, we met the directors and did a reading, but a few people were missing therefore those of us who did attend read other parts. I read my part for Catherine which went well, and we had a talk about costumes and the extra parts for filming. We read through all four scripts during this session, everyone reading their individual parts. I read my part of disinterested woman in Loss, then Catherine in Smile.  In March we did another table read, we read through all the scripts, Smile is the one I have the most lines in and the part which I auditioned for and I got, I also got the part of Tara in Dangerous Affections.

 

When we filmed Dangerous Affections, I had learnt all of my lines and found this script easier to perform, as the words seemed to flow better than the other scripts. The film crew had put a sofa in the green screen room, later a table and stools set the pub scene, which made it easier to imagine whilst we were recording, the film crew seemed to be more in control, as only people filming was allowed in, they had provided some props which made it more effective. However, when working on stage the director of a musical will tell you what they are expecting and how they would like to set it and listen to other people’s ideas and opinions on what the director is looking for and where the props and staging is set. 

 

During Smile and Dangerous Affections costumes were left up to the individuals, because of expense but more thought and guidance would have created a more professional image. Auditions were organised, having familiarised myself with the character in the script, I obtained the part and then learnt the script and attended rehearsals to create a professional performance although not all the team were so committed.

The scripts for TV are laid out differently to theatre scripts, they are harder to understand, as the directions are written in the text and sketchy whereas in theatre scripts directions are written in brackets and are bit more detailed with stage positions.

This script is about a girl (Chris) who is raped, I am playing Tara her friend. They go on a night out, but they get separated.I have based this character on how I am with friends and what you see on the soaps. And this script highlights a social issue that is not normally discussed.

This script is about three friends, one who has dropped out of college as she does not have a good home life, while her two friends stay at college. Catherine meets up with her friends and remembers that it is Rosemary ‘s birthday, so Catherine offers to arrange a party. She books a clown to do some tricks, but it ends up being a Killer Clown which made the script more threatening. 

During February I auditioned for the part of Catharine in Smile.  I felt apprehensive about the process, as it was a new experience for me. Although my training and experience helped me to get through this process. “Theatre and film are both visual art forms containing actors portraying characters, have scripts, and are widely appreciated, but they are not meant for the same place or people.” (Witka 2016)

In March I was selected for the part of Catherine in Smile, as well as Tara in Dangerous Affections. I was pleased with this, as it gave me a challenge, although the scripts were challenging I was inspired.

During this exercise we have worked in collaboration with the tv students and the creative writing students to talk about the scripts and our thoughts. The scripts were written and distributed so we could explore them.The communication of the directors - students from the tv and media course during March was worrying as not much contact had been made and since then has been limited which is unprofessional and created issues.  Initially they noted down our email addresses to contact us however contact was intermittent. Eventually they set up a Facebook chat however again this was not utilised. This was due to a number of problems with communication and as actors we felt let down preventing collaboration which had an effect on the production. 

 

During this week the film students sent out an email asking for contact numbers and emergency contact numbers and special requirements and a new filming schedule which was more professional with times and dates.
 

Icontacted the film crew and directors to find out who they needed. I was told I might be needed late afternoon, so at 1 pm I messaged to see if they were going to give us 30 mins notice to get to the location of the filming as I had finished university I was advised I would needed. However, at 2:15pm they said we were not needed, they also advised that the filming team could not do the Thursday, even though it was on the call sheet.  The filming team advised that Friday would be available even though people had advised them they were not available on Friday. In the end it was agreed the following Wednesday would be suitable.  This delay meant that the recording of Smile was late by a week.  Unfortunately, at this time I was on holiday, this made things very confusing but eventually a date was agreed. 

The story line for Smile attracted me to this script, as it was about a Killer Clown. What attracted me to the role of Catherine was the story line and the chance to demonstrate my acting skills, as Catherine was a very complex character.

On the day of the filming of Smile, as a practitioner I found the process difficult, as we had no props, to make it more realistic, also we filmed in a green screen room instead of on location. We were restricted on moving around, moving forward to pretend to open the door, but no actual door. We were pretending to be at a party, but this was difficult to portray with no cups for drinks and no music playing. 

 

The process of making a film is a new experience which I found challenging, on stage you can move around, interact with scenery and actors and dancers and use appropriate props to make it feel more realistic.

 

Hishon K (2016)Stage vs. Screen: A Comparison of Acting Techniques.[Online]Available from: https://www.theatrefolk.com/blog/stage-vs-screen-a-comparison-of-acting-techniques/[accessed ,1/2/18]

 

[Online] Available from: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/differences-live-theatre-film?sec=pop6&utm_expid=.53hHQ_sIS_GVYl9TPM4psw.3&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.co.uk%2F[Accessed 27/4/18]

 

BOOK

 

Stanislavski, K.  (2008) An Actor’s work :A Students dairy. group London and New York : Routledge taylor&francis

Caplan, P (2013) 'An anthropologist among the filmmakers - A cautionary tale: Part 1. The politics of production(Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)', Anthropology Today, [online] Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost, 29, 6, pp. 23-26 available from: https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=8&sid=632d2a96-0019-4de2-ac0c-52b7fc95dacc%40sessionmgr4007 [accessed 6/5/2018.]

 

Hongwei, C (2010) 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead:from Stage Script to Screen Presentation', Journal Of Language Teaching & Research, [Online] Complementary Index, EBSCOhost, 1, 4, p. 370, Available from: https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=13&sid=632d2a96-0019-4de2-ac0c-52b7fc95dacc%40sessionmgr4007 [accessed 29/4/2018.]

(2004)'Rules for the Administration of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Production of Television Dramas (Video Recordings)', Chinese Law & Government,[online] Academic Search Elite, EBSCOhost37, 4, pp. 69-73, available from: https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=18&sid=632d2a96-0019-4de2-ac0c-52b7fc95dacc%40sessionmgr4007[accessed  6/5/2018.]