This week has been really hectic and it feels like we've moved on heaps from where we were a week ago. After more filming of Elen, my suspense film actress on Tuesday, spent Wednesday doing a bit of editing of the footage. Unfortunately some mystery problem meant that I couldn't upload most of my clips onto Adobe Premier video editing suite so didn't get a great deal done. Ho hum nothing's ever simple.
Thursday was the big theatre day, and, working as a group we were given a selection of short plays and more or less left to our own devices to choose which one we'd use, decide where the lighting cues should be, what those effects should be, plot them on a lighting plan, hang the lights, cut and insert colour gels where we needed them, adjust and focus the lights, plot them into the lighting desk and light the play... which we did.
The whole thing was a big learning curve, partly about team working and the need to allocate jobs. it took us a good chunk of time to even agree on which play to choose, and another whopping chunk to agree on the interpretation of the writing and therefore how to light it. I realise that I was probably guilty of making too much of this part of it... anyway, thank goodness for Aaron who has really got his head around lighting plans. He got it all down on a plan before going for a well needed lunch. It all felt a bit stressful at this point.
After lunch it all got better. Everyone was busy making it happen. I spent quite a long time being wheeled around on top of the tallescope adjusting lights. Felt a bit like Boadicea in a very tall chariot!
Finally we took it in turns to stand on the stage and see how the play would have looked. We didn't actually read through it - a blessed relief as it was a japanese opera!
