Luke+Lujan+Individual+Accomplishments


 * Individual Accomplishment Analysis (Pros/Cons) **

Throughout working with //Old Times// I was able to learn a lot about all the different element that go into the making of production. I never released the amount of smaller elements that go into a play which in turn call for more effort. The more you get involved in the planning the process the more smaller jobs you realize need to be done that as an audience member, I was never able to realize the processes behind them. The more you get invested into these types of jobs the more your creative ideas come to light and new jobs are created. It begins a cycle that is easy to get lost in if your time and efforts are not managed properly. I came into this project not fully aware of what I was getting into.

Coming into this project I had zero theatre background, other than what has been covered in class throughout the semester. I think this was both a pro and a con. The pros to this was that I came into the project with very grand ideas not releasing how difficult they would be to actually pull off. For example I wanted to change the type of theatre from a proscenium arch to an arena. This made for a very interesting set design, it also led to a few blocking and audience visual problems. This was also a pro, because it forced me to think creatively in order to solve these problems rather than to give up on my original idea and change to the original style of theatre. I think that my lack of overall theatre knowledge also allowed me to bring a fresh perspective to the scenery and in turn lighting design of //Old Times//. For example the idea of using lighting to create scenery. I wanted to project the visual outline of a window pane onto the arena stage floor. This would be used to create the effect of a window without actually having one on set. I was not entirely sure that this was possible or had ever been done before. After doing some research I found that there was actually a term for this type of visual effect. It is referred to as projection of stage elements. The use of lighting to project scenery or to act as scenery on stage and is done by using a gobo which is a dark plate or screen used to shield a lens from light, in turn creating a pattern. I think my lack of theatre background was also a con. Even after reaching and learning about lighting, I still am not completely sure of the proper theatre terms for some of the styles or methods of lighting and how to use them. I have accomplished a lot throughout the process of creating the lighting for //Old Times//, but I still have a lot to learn and do now have nearly the amount of background that most lighting designers need to have in order to create a successful professional theatre production. The sketched which I created were only the beginning to creating the lighting and scenery process.

After completing my sketches of the set, I realized both pros and cons in my work. A con was that I am not a very good artist. This made it very difficult to portray the visions that I had for the set. A pro was that my poor artist skills forced me to focus more and when I actually sketching out the set I saw more opportunities for prop placement. I also began to see how scenery could be used throughout the play. Another pro to my enhanced focus was that when completing my sketched of the set, I was able to better visualize the blocking of the actors and how they would interact with set pieces. Although a large amount of my work was individual most of my time was spend in a group setting with working along side my partner.

In working with Jonathan Hayne we were both able to accomplish a large amount of work having to take on more responsibilities than other groups due to the fact that we had one less person. During the process of completing the analysis of the play, I began to realize that having two people working on the paper was both a pro and a con. The con was that it would take more time. We found it also became confusing when we would take turns typing ideas on the same document, because we have two very different writing styles. A pro was that we gained a more in depth analysis by each of us each having a person to bounce ideas off of. Both a pro and a con was that this type of volley would sometimes lead to heated discussion and at times disagreements, but this type of passion led us to push past our preconceived understanding and deeper into our minds.

The more I worked with //Old Times// the more incite I gained into the play. I feel as if I have gained a larger understanding of the play as well as a more in depth analysis of the underlying themes and symbolism. After completion of this project I have gained a greater respect for theatre productions and all those who work towards putting them on.