Media Term Thursday #25

Explicit Meaning

The main idea and overall theme of the film – the obvious message being put across irrespective of any minor issues that might be implicit.

For example, the main idea is clearly stated in the first scene of The Notebook (2004) when the main character Noah, an old man, says in voice-over, “I am no one special…but I have succeeded…I have loved another with all my heart and soul and for me that has always been enough.”

Or at the end of Wizard of Oz (1939) when Dorothy returns to Kansas she says to her dog Toto, “There’s no place like home.”

Excerpt from Media Key Terms and Concepts.

Drama Term Tuesday #25

Irish Drama

Early Irish-Gaelic culture had no known distinctive drama forms but relied on epic, saga and lyric. It was not until the colonisation of Ireland by English culture and the subsequent struggle for an Irish identity that drama emerged as a driving force.

The establishment of the Irish Literary Theatre movement in 1897 and the translation of Irish heroic legend and peasant tales to the stage through writers such as Lady Gregory, Synge and Yeats proved to be a powerful catalyst to Irish drama and establishment of theatres such as The Abbey. Irish drama has been driven by a need to replace the caricature of the “stage Irish stock character” and a search to find poetic non-realistic theatre that restored primacy of feeling. It served political purposes and has often been the centre of controversy.

Irish drama is dominated by the “sovereignty of words”, the capacity to use language with lyrical and poetic intent to shape and construct meaning, “we can make this country whatever we want to be by saying so”.

In the 20th century, Irish drama could be characterised as realist drama in poetic transformation.

John Milington Synge (1871 - 1909) Playboy of the Western World, Riders to the Sea; Sean O’Casey (1880-1964) The Shadow of the Gunman, Juno and the Paycock, The Plough and the Stars.

Excerpt from Drama Key Terms and Concepts

Media Term Thursday #24

Blacklisting

Refers to the list of workers in the film, television, media and arts industries in the 1950s in the United States who were either formally or informally prevented from working due to their personal, political, religious or social beliefs. This was a result of the House Un-American Activities Committee set up by the anti-communist Senator Joseph McCarthy.

This committee was formed during the Cold War when the West (Democracy) was in a superpower struggle and stalemate with the Eastern Bloc and U.S.S.R (Communism). Because both blocs were nuclear powers and mutual destruction would have occurred had these two enemies gone to war, each side became paranoid that the other would use subversive means of conquest.

In the US, the government believed the entertainment industry had a large influence on the population and so movies and other media would be ideal for the enemy to infiltrate and present anti-American, communist ideas. Because of this belief the FBI were ordered to hunt down "spies, subversives and others working in Hollywood, television and other media and who might be a threat.

Consequently, many actors, directors, scriptwriters and others lost their jobs and were prevented from working in the industry for many years - they were put on the blacklist

Excerpt from Media Key Terms and Concepts.

Drama Term Tuesday #24

Post Modernism

Movement in the arts and drama - frequently avant-garde and experimental - that gives equal (or more) weighting of nonverbal codes, conventions and language with traditional verbal language approaches; post modernism is also built on a different dramatic action/audience relationship giving precedence to the interpretations and participation of audiences (as in reader response theories of literature) rather than the interpretation of playwrights, directors and actors.

Postmodernism challenges single interpretations - the concept of a Grand Narrative that provides one point of view or explanation. Meanings are individual and relative to the context of the person making the interpretation; there is no external set of values that determines meaning. As a consequence, Postmodernism is skeptical of institutions and established or hegemonic ways of thinking and acting; agency and personal identity is valued over conformity and power structures are challenged.

Excerpt from Drama Key Terms and Concepts

Music Musing Monday - Sound or Sense?

In the past week or so I have been pondering the curious phenomenon of student singers to ask after a performance, “How did it sound?” or “Was my voice okay?”

 Not “Was my interpretation clear?” or “Was I singing correct pitches and rhythms?” or “Could you understand the text?” or “Did you believe me?”

 The acting students I work with rarely ask, after performing a monologue or role, “How did it sound?” or “Was my voice okay?” But - the moment we work on songs, those same questions arise. 

When I draw the comparison with the speaking voice, the student actors are usually amused. Sure, they will ask whether they were successful in maintaining accent and dialect in a speech or role, or whether they could be heard clearly. But the sound of their spoken voice rarely concerns them. 

Successful singing and acting both rely on a secure vocal technique. And, of course, singing and speaking voices vary enormously in their inherent timbre and beauty. But where most of us will look forward to seeing a particular actor, more because of his / her ability to tell a story and transform into character than the essential sound of his / her voice; many more of us will go to hear a singer because of the voice itself.

I have always ranked the story-telling above the sound of the voice but over the years have come to realise that people are pretty evenly split on this.

Where do you fit? Is it the essential sound or the sense of what is being sung or spoken which hooks you?

Media Term Thursday #23

Horror film

Popular film genre designed to frighten the audience using explicit violence and supernatural creatures such as vampires, zombies, aliens or deranged people with chainsaws. Sometimes called ‘slasher’ films, as opposed to Thrillers which are more subtle and psychological, creating the horror in the viewer’s mind.

Excerpt from Media Key Terms and Concepts.

Drama Term Tuesday #23

Juxtaposition

When dramatic action holds up side by side different, generally contrasting, ideas or characters; the power of juxtaposition lies in its capacity to allow an audience to draw conclusions, to explore dramatic irony; juxtaposition is frequently more than the sum of the individual parts; juxtaposition uses contrast and dislocation to provoke fresh understanding and dramatic impact.

Excerpt from Drama Key Terms and Concepts

Music Musing Monday - Awareness of beat in music and its significance to children beginning to read language.

Back in June I wrote about the work of Dr Anita Collins, an Australian neuromusical educator from the ACT. Dr Anita Collins has been back in Perth this past week and was a presenter at the national ASME (Australian Society for Music Education) conference held at the University of Western Australia. Although I was unable to attend the conference, I met up for coffee on Saturday with a singing teacher friend and colleague from Sydney. Of course, the conversation turned to the conference themes and presenters and my friend spoke excitedly of the neuromusical research presented – in particular the early childhood musical opportunities which, if utilised, can make a significant difference to a child’s capacity for learning.

We spoke about Dr Collins’ findings that a child who cannot maintain a rhythmic beat is not yet ready to read language. This seems, on one hand a concept so simple, and yet so elusive in our current education systems.

Why do we not train all early childhood teachers in the most fundamental concepts of music – beat and rhythm?

It is important to recognise that this is quite a different need to the equally important one of providing specialist music (and all arts) teachers in primary schools to provide worthwhile teaching and learning experiences. The significance of the early childhood beat and rhythmic work is that, if missed, the neurological benefit cannot be made up for in later childhood. Your thoughts?

I will be asking my primary music and early childhood teacher friends for their most effective classroom beat activities. Watch out for further details in future posts.

In the meantime – keep an eye on Dr Collins’ work – check out ‘Bigger Better Brains’ on facebook.

Media Term Thursday #22

Motif

A recurring theme.

Any significant repeated element in a film is a motif. It could be an object, colour, place, sound etc. For example, the recurring image of the ring in the horror film The Ring (2002).

Our recognition of these motifs contributes to our enjoyment of the film.

A famous example is the word ‘Rosebud’’ in Citizen Kane (1941); a common Hollywood thematic motif is humankind vs nature in Armageddon (1998) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004) reminding us of our fragile existence as a species in the universe.

Excerpt from Media Key Terms and Concepts.

Drama Term Tuesday #22

Absurdism

Theatre of the absurd

Form or style of theatre that focuses on the irrational and illogical aspects of human life and interaction to highlight a sense of helplessness and the inadequacy of rationalistic approach. Theatre of the Absurd has been a powerful mid Twentieth Century influence. 

While often funny in a serious or unusual way, absurdist drama is not to be confused with other forms of comedy. Nor should the term be used indiscriminately for dramatic material that is confusing, contradictory, or obscure.