Going back over the reading with the prompt in mind (how I can incorporate these ideas into my classroom) made me realize how much media we use as theater practitioners to communicate our ideas to one another. Directors and designers need to put together presentations, story boards, or "mood boards" in order to let the rest of the production team know where they are going with their concept.
As a teacher of theater, I think teaching students how to analyze an image, a poem, an advertisement, a painting, a photograph, etc. can be so effective in theater practice because different things will connect with different people.
As a director, for example, I will need to communicate the concept of a show with my lighting designer. If I show my lighting designer a poem that I feel encompasses the feeling that I want, and he doesn't understand at all what I'm trying to get at, I should have another medium to communicate with. I should be able to find a photograph, painting, movie, short story, or something else that effectively communicates to my lighting designer what my concept is. If I am able to use the skills outlined in the reading (effectively analyzing any form of media), then I can communicate to anyone what I need in a show.
This idea of course goes beyond directing or even designing a show. The skills to analyze any form of media can also help in interpreting a show, script, costume choice, etc. This will empower my students to think more critically about the media they are engaging with-rather than being mindless consumers.
This is the biggest idea that stood out to me in the reading, as well! The first thing that came to mind was taking Shawnda’s TMA 336 Directing class this past Spring Term and how we had to choose a play, and then develop a concept and a metaphor/”viz” for the production. The “viz” was supposed to be an image that essentially depicts what your idea is for the production, encompassing all the areas of the production itself. I remember when I directed my little 10-minute play for TMA 101 a few years back and for my concept I just chose a scripture from the Book of Mormon and shared that with my cast, and we used that as our basis. It worked (especially because it was more of a religious play), but looking back I can see how using an image would have probably opened the doors to more creative thinking and exploration beyond just what words on a page can mean.
ReplyDeleteI don’t mean to undermine the written word, by any means, of course. But as it states so beautifully in the book, “Every image communicates something to the viewer. Our culture is driven by narrative, driven by a desire to draw connections and to create – or to imply – a story. So the easiest way to begin reading an image is to determine its story” (p. 736). This statement basically sums up exactly why visual media is so powerful, especially in our art form (theatre)! An image in and of itself can speak a thousand words where a few words on a page can only really speak for themselves.
The very first Core Principle of Media Literacy Education emphasizes this in an equally powerful way: “Media Literacy Education requires active inquiry and critical thinking about the messages we receive and create.” It requires that we think critically and ask questions to find out the core of what these images within the media (or in a “viz” or anywhere, really) truly mean. And that could mean not even what they mean in general or to the public eye, but what they mean to each of us: independently, personally.
I feel that within the realm of a theatre classroom, the use of media, especially in the form of images, is the perfect way to allow your students to explore what something means within a safe boundary. For example, if you want to present the your concept for an upcoming school-wide drama club production to your advanced acting troupe, you could show them your “viz” and they could use that as the basis for brainstorming ideas for costumes, make-up, lighting, set design, and so on and so forth. This could lead to long discussions and debates as to what the image means in regards to these different elements and really challenges the students to think for themselves, as well as jointly as a group. It invites them to ask questions, to discover hidden meanings and learn from one another. And heaven knows we can learn plenty from our students, as well. (:
Briana, the idea of using media to communicate effectively is what I'm drawn to as well. I definitely agree that our generation is trending towards the "mindless consumer" stereotype, especially in regards to media. I keep thinking about how addicted we all our to music, phones, and especially the internet. I am really drawn to the idea of broadening our perspective and helping our students realize what the various mediums of media were designed to do: they were designed to help people communicate better. They share messages and they tell narratives, and I think this is exactly the kind of thing we need to point out.
ReplyDeleteI think anyone who's ever taken a class with George knows how important it is to be able to have multiple ways of communicating your ideas, so that all the different types of thinkers, and learners are able to understand and catch the vision of your message. This is much more difficult than it sounds. For example right now I'm directing my mask club. As I work with my actors, I tell them something that to me means "do this" and then they come up with something completely different from the image I used to describe what I want them to do. It's so important to clarify exactly what your terminology means to you, and I think that's something we, as teachers, should remember as we go into our classrooms. The first day we walk in, we should set our terminology, and do our best to make sure we communicate it in a way our students understand. Even better, we should let our students come up with the terminology and then all agree on its meaning. I think we can use the various forms of media in a meaningful way in order to do this.
I agree that if we tap in to the multiplicity of resources we have through the media (sound clips, images, etc) then we will be more successful in communicating our ideas in our classroom together.