Group 6: The Arts

Dance

Watch as much dance as you can, live and on video. While watching observe the following:

● movements used

● use of space

● use of speed/energy

● use of dancers (number, gender, how they work together)

● use of music

● use of costume or props

● reflective comments on how each dance compares to dances or dance styles you are already familiar with.

Film

Increase the range and style of films you watch. Experiment with different genres and films from different eras. Start to read film theory (not just reviews) linked with the films you watch and keep a journal with your titles, dates, thoughts and impressions. A ‘Film Diary’ will become a great resource for you.

Here are some sites that might help discovering new films, especially world cinema.

● Mr Scott’s list of suggested films

● http://www.bfi.org.uk/news/50-greatest-films-all-time

● https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-movies/

● https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/ Also, begin to consider the process of filmmaking and how we read and produce film. There are several well-made practical film production ‘schools’ online. Here are a couple:

● RocketJump Film School

● Every Frame a Painting

You will be making films early, so any hands-on time with a camera/phone capturing characters or interesting compositions will be beneficial. Holidays are perfect for this type of thing.

Music

Practise your voice/instrument as much as you are able. Listen widely. Seek out live music. Actively discover some unfamiliar music. Record your impressions in a notebook.

Watch the excellent video content on these YouTube channels: Nahre Sol, David Bennett Piano and Adam Neely

Theatre

See as much theatre as you can wherever you are in the world. Keep the online programme so that you will be able to make connections next year. If you have no access to live theatre, you can access productions and information about productions digitally through sites such as:

Digital Theatre Plus edu.digitaltheatreplus.com

Username: uwcseadrama

Password: building@8896

Dramaonline dramaonlinelibrary.com

Username: uwcsea

Password: research

Keep a record of your impressions of both the acting and direction as well as design choices you can see. You can make a short audio or video record of your thoughts or write/type them.

Visual Arts

Visit local galleries or museums and record basic impressions and collect pamphlets, etc. from those places. Put these impressions, recollections and brochures in a notebook to be sourced at the beginning of the year. Part of your study is concerned with how you present and exhibit your works. Noting how professional institutions do this can give you great ideas and provide a justification for anything you may want to do that is a bit out of the ordinary. How you want people to experience your work also affects how you do your artwork. Understanding and sourcing cultural visual metaphors, using traditional techniques are established ways to approach this course. Looking around you and recording ideas and exciting observations for possible use in your work later can guide your thoughts and prevent you from experiencing creative block.

Drawing and sketching using colour via watercolours or merely recording in pencil and ink is a core practice for all artists. This can include recording parts of designs and patterns, sampling textures and details. Drawing trains the mind and for an artist or designer enables the brain to understand complex relationships.

“An individual’s ability to draw is the ability to shift to a different-from-ordinary way of processing visual information—to shift from verbal, analytic processing to spatial, global processing.” –

Betty Edwards

Engage in art, look at the world and record your thoughts, ideas and feelings in a travel sketchbook. Do this on a plane, sitting in a car, on a bus, sitting in a cafe, walking the streets – make it natural and vital to your life each day.