Blog #26

Title: Senior Project Reflection

Label: Presentation

Directions: Please answer the following questions and turn it in to the blog.

Due Date: The day after your two-hour presentation by 8:00 A.M.

(1) Positive Statement: What are you most proud of in your 2-Hour Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

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The activity for the 2-hour really brought light to the subject. I thought every student would hate performing in front of the class, but recieving the accomedations after the presentation proved my insight to be wrong. This was my proudest moment of my Senior Year.

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(2) Questions to Consider:What assessment would you give yourself on your 2-Hour Presentation (self-assessment)? What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?
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(AE)       P          AP       CR       NC

I really believed I did a great job presenting the material clearly. To be honest, I think I shined above what was created. I created a well balanced atmosphere in the room, and I made sure that every little detail of the presentation was precise, researched, and clear to understand. I worked very hard for this to happen, and I believe I have done a great job in making the 2-hour work.

(AE)       P          AP       CR       NC

I don't mean to be overly confident but I believe that a lot for Senior Project. I managed to recover and even save the presentation for how terrible it began Senior Year. I manage to complete to very diverse and very difficult independent components. Not only that I was also able to get a very good mentor for my mentor ship this year worth sixty hours. I think I really brought very good insight to this project and I think I did a very good job in the presentation. I really believe that for what it was worth I was went above and beyond with everything in the very end.

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(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

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I believe that my independant components really helped out the most. What worked very well for me was community-based learning I used in both. They showed me through learning how to act, and it brought to my attention that drawing from fellow actors is using your community well. Having acting buddies will stimulate an actors energy level, whether good or bad. The Independant Component 1 taught me that people use the community of actors they are involved with to make their performance fit in with everyone else's performance, while my Independant Component 2 taught me that actors allow themselves to experience the aid of many other actors while they can steadily maintain a solo monologue. The Independant Components were the biggest help.

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(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

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I would make it so I worked more ahead of time. I don't feel like I procrastinated this year at all, but getting a head start would've been nice. I also would've taken more classes to pick up the slack for my failing grades that are in this year.

 

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(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples. 
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It has helped my to learn more about acting and I now have friends in the field in which I can now rely on for future jobs (ie, Gregory Cohen from Mentorship). I would also have to say that it gave me my crowning achievement of discovering my product - If there's one thing in my life that I can say with passion that I have taken away from this Senior Year at IPoly, was the concept of making mistakes. The presentations before this one, mistakes I had with mentorship, as well as Independant Components. It was because of these mistakes, that I was able to create a Senior Presentation worth two hours. I find this also applicable to my own life because you have to make the small mistakes now so you can be sure not to make the big mistakes later. The Product is VERY important to me. It has already helped my to live a better life by not procrastinating and taking the time to learn about things beforehand.
 

Blog #25

Literal

	Day #1	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(3.30 hours)
	Day #2	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(7 hours)
	Day #3	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(10.30 hours)
03/23/13	Day #4	11:00AM – 2:00PM		3 hours	(13.30 hours)
03/26/13	Day #5	6:30PM – 9:30PM		3 hours	(16.30 hours)
03/27/13	Day #6	6:30PM – 9:30PM		3 hours	(19.30 hours)
03/28/13	Day #7	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(23 hours)
04/02/13	Day #8	6:30PM – 9:30PM		3 hours	(26 hours)
04/04/13	Day #9	6:30PM – 10:15PM		3.15 hours	(29.15 hours)
04/09/13	Day #10	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(32.45 hours)
04/30/13	Day #11	6:30PM – 10:30PM		4 hours	(36.45 hours)
05/01/13	Day #12	6:30PM – 10:30PM		4 hours	(40.45 hours)
05/02/13	Day #13	7:00PM – 10:30 PM		3.30 hours	(44.15 hours)
05/10/13	Day #14	7:30PM – 10:30 PM		4 hours	(48.15 hours)
05/11/13	Day #15	7:30PM – 10:30 PM		4 hours	(52.15 hours)
05/12/13	Day #16	12:00PM – 3:00 PM		4 hours	(56.15 hours)
05/17/13	Day #17	7:30PM – 10:30 PM		4 hours	(60.15 hours)
05/19/13	Day #18	12:00PM – 3:00 PM		4 hours	(64.15 hours)

 

Day 1 - Helped in auditioning for the actors

Day 2 - Helped in auditioning for the actors

Day 3 - Assisted in group reading rehearsal

Day 4 - Assisted in group reading rehearsal

Day 5 - Recorded rehearsal through camera

Day 6 - Recorded rehearsal through camera

Day 7 - Recorded rehearsal through camera

Day 8 - Filled in for music number

Day 9 - Took notes on how actors should perform

Day 10 - Took notes on how actors should perform

Day 11 - Took notes on how actors should perform

Day 12 - Learned technical purposes through rehearsal

Day 13 - Operated spotlight during show

Day 14 - Operated spotlight during show

Day 15 - Operated spotlight during show

Day 16 - Operated spotlight during show

Day 17 - Operated spotlight during show

Day 18 - Operated spotlight during show

 

Gregory Cohen, 714-272-1890

Interpretive

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As I mentioned in my final product for IPoly Exit Interview, I discovered that making mistakes early on helps you not make even bigger mistakes later (like trial and error almost). I figured out that concept can be applied to anything in my life – including my mentorship. My mentorship also allowed me to find more answers to my essential questions, and now I feel like I can present my 2-hour presentation with ease. Basically, the most important thing I have learned from my mentorship is the necessities of acting.

Applied

–

It has helped me to answer my essential question through having the experience that I needed to complete my 2-Hour Presentation. The most important thing I have gained from this experience is that I have learned what's it like to see what the audience is like and how the managing staff is like. Not only was I able to assess all the actors from a different point-of-view for once, but I was able to spot mistakes easier.

	Day #1	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(3.30 hours)
	Day #2	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(7 hours)
	Day #3	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(10.30 hours)
03/23/13	Day #4	11:00AM – 2:00PM		3 hours	(13.30 hours)
03/26/13	Day #5	6:30PM – 9:30PM		3 hours	(16.30 hours)
03/27/13	Day #6	6:30PM – 9:30PM		3 hours	(19.30 hours)
03/28/13	Day #7	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(23 hours)
04/02/13	Day #8	6:30PM – 9:30PM		3 hours	(26 hours)
04/04/13	Day #9	6:30PM – 10:15PM		3.15 hours	(29.15 hours)
04/09/13	Day #10	6:30PM – 10:00PM		3.30 hours	(32.45 hours)
04/30/13	Day #11	6:30PM – 10:30PM		4 hours	(36.45 hours)
05/01/13	Day #12	6:30PM – 10:30PM		4 hours	(40.45 hours)
05/02/13	Day #13	7:00PM – 10:30 PM		3.30 hours	(44.15 hours)
05/10/13	Day #14	7:30PM – 10:30 PM		4 hours	(48.15 hours)
05/11/13	Day #15	7:30PM – 10:30 PM		4 hours	(52.15 hours)
05/12/13	Day #16	12:00PM – 3:00 PM		4 hours	(56.15 hours)
05/17/13	Day #17	7:30PM – 10:30 PM		4 hours	(60.15 hours)
05/19/13	Day #18	12:00PM – 3:00 PM		4 hours	(64.15 hours)

Blog #24

1) What is your essential question? What is the best answer to your question and why?

My essential question is “How Does An Actor Best Prepare For A Role?”. I found that out of all my answers to the essential question, my best answer was “Using A Community Of Actors To Have A Wide Variety Of Inspiration”.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

I came to this answer by studying all of the elements in my presentation projects. I know that many actors have inspirations, (I do as well) but I really believed it after completing my First and Second Independant Components. In my First Independant Component, I saw all of my fellow actors preparing for their roles in any way they could. The constant barrage of rehearsing and using their character's personality in real life also applied to my Second Independant Component as well. In both “Lady Of The House” and the “Fullerton Theatre Festival”, I was given aid by my fellow actors. They counseled my judgement that the character should go. Using the community of actors and having inspiration from their own preparations, I was able to create my character in the best possible way.

(3) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?

I'll start from the beginning. The biggest problem I faced was securing a mentor for my project. I attempted to find actors I know, or knew, that could be qualified to be my mentor. It didn't go well as people I contacted never replied. There was even a point that I asked a former mentor face-to-face to help me, in which I never saw her again. I resolved this problem by asking the IPoly Drama teacher, Mr. Hogan, if he could help me in my quest to find a mentor. He helped me find a good mentor, Gregory Cohen, who gave me the best mentorship I could ever ask for. He allowed me to look into his new play, “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum”, and help in it. I read parts for him, filled in for absent actors, and more. All while seeing real proffessional actors up close for myself.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

The two most significant sources I used to answer my essential question were my mentorship and independent components. They helped me come up with my last two answers. Other then “Method Acting”, I had no other real answers to go on and research wouldn't change that. Only through experience could I learn this answers myself. Mentorship and the Independant Components gave me this chance. I felt like I was really working towards my project when I was completing all of these assignments. I can now say I really know what my presentation is all about – compared to how the presentation was suffering for most of the first semester.

(5) What is your product and why?

I will never forget my product. In all of my life, I was never able to see such a grand correlation of actors that I discovered in my research. I learned things I never learned before in seeing these amazing people work. Seeing others helped me prepare for my own performance, and in a way, for my life. Life needs inspiration to work in a grand way. My life is my peformance. I have prepared for my performances with research and community, and I have also prepared for my own life with the same attributes. The research that I was able to discover at IPoly High School that will prepare me for my life, and the friends I have made to help me start off correctly.

Extra Posts #10

Ten Extra Posts #10

I've been thinking about something else rather then spend my time writing these blog posts all day long. I've been thinking of what my life is. I think I'll survive as an adult really well, but it's strange. For 18 years, I've been taken care of. Having to almost do nothing to survive. After high school, there is no school. I'm done. I know that's there college, but I am done. Anywhere I spend half of my life now – I'll get paid for it. Not to mention I know what to expect from a job. Who knows with school. But what will happen to my friends? Will we stay in touch? I want to stay in touch and I see no reason why not. But I've never experienced the rest of my life before. Will it be cool? Will it suck like everyone says it does? Time to experience it myself. This will be the only blog post about this. I want to focus on where I am and what I am doing. That's the most important thing. Time to jump blindly to the final battle. The final conclusion to the epic adventure of Dean Nolan. Dean Nolan - the Dancing Machine, “Double D Lion” or the man with the lion's mane, the awesome dark ninja, king of my domain, and most recently – the second half of the Shamrock Jerries. All of these titles I have been awarded when I have been in school. This is what I am. School has taught me so much about who I am (probably more then subjects) ironically. School is good for something. It really is.

Time to end it. Time to end this Senior Project and graduate from my old life.

Extra Posts #9

Ten Extra Posts #9

The time grows near. I've been talking and talking about it, but it's really here. 2-Hour Presentations are right around the corner. It's waiting for my orders to command it. It's time to grab my destiny by the head and tell it that I rule my own world. This is my game, and this is how you going to play it. You know, I am saying this because THANK GOD that I am going the first day, first block, first performance. Some people have to go at the very end. I would die of anxiety if that happened to me. Especially while I am sitting through all the presentations. They say “the calm before battle is terrifying – such a quiet dread” and that has been true in all of my cases.

Extra Posts #8

Ten Extra Posts #8

With this project, I am having trouble deciding what can get me marked down or not. I want to have fun and I want this project to be the epidomy of my struggles – the height of Senior Year. It makes it hard when they say that they will stop the clock when you start “speaking in circles”. If there's anything I can better, it's making a sentence into a paragraph. I know how to drag things out until you ears bleed. I'm not saying I plan to cheat like that, but it's just a little unsettling when you think about it. I must create, what the teachers will deem at their descretion, “new content” with every sentence. If I think I am being timed for my 30 minutes of speech, I might not be. The biggest scary thing I can think of – is 2-Hour Presentation makeups. I barely survived the other two. I hope to God this one will go perfectly.

Extra Posts #7

Ten Extra Posts #7

I may be an idiot for thinking this but I think the Senior Project's 2-Hour Presentations may be a little fun. I mean, they are ours. No one elses. Ours. We can say what we want, when we want, how we want. It makes it a little easier that you don't have to ask your group what you can and cannot do. Add a little fun to your discretion. Make the choices you want to make. That said, all the pressure is on you. As much as I am excited, when I see the clock ticking ever closer to the Senior Projects (2 WEEKS), a shiver goes down my spine. I've always been below average on the student part. If everyone else can, who knows if I can. But I am trusting God and moving forward.