Witchcraft - The Response Phase.

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Portfolio: Witchcraft

  1. The Response Phase

Our first task to start of our project was to watch the video ‘The Blair Witch Project.’ We had to make notes on these 2 things:

  • How they created atmosphere through use of light, sound and images.
  • How the character of Heather was created.

We had to really observe Heathers character. I think this was the best character to make notes on as she was the only girl and her personality was always changing eg. My first impressions of Heather were that she was friendly and that she got on really well with Josh and Mark, after a while I noticed that she would get stressed and grumpy very quickly. I could tell that she was under a lot of pressure because she was the leader, this was shown through how she was a always determined that she was right. Like when they used to get lost in the forest she was always determined that the way she was going was the right way.

     From watching the video learnt how to build up atmosphere using lighting and sound. I learnt that if you use dimmer light it gives it a spooky, gloomy and mysterious atmosphere whereas the bright light gives it a more relaxed atmosphere. With the sound if you were quiet then you could tell you were scared or worried but if you are loud then you can tell that you are relaxed and calm. We then went on learning about witches from the Medieval ages and read a play called ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller. This play had 5 characters in it and was all about how witches used to perform magic in the past, using this we had to create a still image in groups of 3. Me Sapna and Sarah worked in a group of 3 and using a picture stimulus we had to make a still image and used thought tracking to let the audience know what we were thinking. This helped me because using thought tracking in a play  for build up of atmosphere because although a character seems brave on the outside they may really be scared on the inside. This helps the audience understand what is going on. The effect it has on the atmosphere because I think it brings the play to life. It also has the effect of showing what the character is going through and changes the whole mood of the play. With this piece of work we weren’t allowed to move or say much but it taught me how to use my time and how effective short and efficient plays can be.

    From our picture stimulus I learnt that witches did their magic in the forest and were naked while performing their witchcraft. Using the script we had to perform what the 5 characters did the night before (The Missing Scene). Me, Sapna, Waleed, Hasan, James and Daniel were in this group. The explorative strategies we used in this play were:

  • Role Play: We had to be in character all the time. We all had to play witches from the Middle Ages, and do chants, dance and we also had to act very odd and different so the audience could tell that we weren’t normal people.
  • The Use of Lighting: We used dim lighting to show we were in forest and our only source of light was the moon. I think this built up the atmosphere of the quietness and darkness in the forest.
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The other group we watched consisted of Mariam, Louise, Richard, Usman, Devdeep and Ryan. This group built up the atmosphere really well because their use of lighting was really good. Richard used his voice well with the speed and tone of it. The lighting was used in such a way that it actually created shadows on the floor in the same way as the moon. This created a mysterious atmosphere. This is because it showed the darkness in the forest and the moonlight in the forest. Richard played music while the rest of the group danced around him, this ...

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