drama 🎬

• semiotics 


  symbolism or anything which communicates meaning
• upstage


  the back
• downstage 


  closest to the audience
• soft intensity

  reduces shadow
• hard intensity

  bright, dramatic. intense as it increases shadows
• colour


  shows time of day, location and mood & emotions
• lighting


  highlights certain parts of stage & creates shadows
• gobos 


  thin disks that slot over a lamp to project images, shapes or patterns
• naturalistic


  type of lighting that has a realistic appearance
• diction 


  pronouncing your speech clearly
• projection


  making sure your voice can be heard
• physicality includes


  voice, gesture, body language, expression, movement and use of space
• spotlight


  focuses audiences attention on a specific area. can be wide or narrow
• gel


  filters on lanterns which create different colors of lighting
• downlighting 


  casts big shadows
• uplighting


  casts shadows over faces. eyes appear sunken, good for tense & unsettling scenes
• backlighting


  creates silhouette, can have an effect of distortion. unsettling
• traverse staging

  + intimate atmosphere

  + engages audience

  + audience can see well

  — constant backs to audience

  — cannot use backdrop

  — audience seeing eachother might be distracting
• proscenium arch

  + backstage storage

  + maintains full attention

  + easy to light

  + backdrop

  — difficult to see/hear of further back

  — audience might feel separate from action
• inflection


  ensures your voice isn’t monotone

  emphasis: puts stress on some words
• tone


  suggests your mood
• pauses


  dramatic, effective when used in crucial moments
• thought tracking 


  character steps out of scene to address audience how they’re feeling. provides deeper insight. in rehearsal it’s an effective way of exploring character/scenes in greater depth
• background / atmospheric noise


  suggests location. essential as they appeal to the audience on a subconscious level. scene will feel unnatural without. traffic noise, animal sounds, air conditioning, rain
• given circumstances 


  helps actors understand the backstory of their character, relationships, environment, personal life
• hot seating


  this exercise deepens their understanding and become more familiar w/ a character , challenges you to think on the spot while in role