The notion of Synthesis

On Monday the 19th I had a Skype discussion with two of my supervisors and a few peers on my course. The subject matter was The Notion of Synthesis and how we use that in our reflection of our practice.

I learnt that synthesis meant a combination of elements to create one whole thing.

As we are looking at our practices and in my case my practice is Musical Theatre, we were discussing the use of social media and networking within the industry. Within speaking to different peers, the majority of us have our jobs through networking and using websites such as Facebook and Twitter. The discussion then led onto, what would happen if we didn't have social media or emails anymore? The idea of getting a job the old fashioned way. Also the idea of web 2.0  enhances our chances of getting a job. Weather that is through knowing someone who shared a post on Facebook and your friend tagging you in it so you can see the job. Or even with auditions and self tapping. This has become a very popular way of auditioning someone for a role, either in a show or a film/TV.

The question is, is this a positive or a negative?
I believe its both! Its positive because this means you don't just have to go on a website or read a news paper to find a job in your field. You can simply log in on your phone and actively find and job whilst stalking other peoples profiles. I know for me i wouldn't have one of my teaching jobs without Facebook. The negative to this all, is that it sort of cuts off your social skills.The fact you can hide behind a screen and not even hear someones voice and still be employed, its kind of scary to think about isn't it?

The positives with self tapping is....
1. If you have a full time job and don't have the time or money to miss a day of work, you can simply record yourself before or after you have finished your shift.
2. If you're not impressed with the first, second or third take you can simply retake the audition as many time as you'd like. Until you are happy with it (if you ever are!).
3. It doesn't cost that much, if anything. If you have a smart phone you can simply record the audition on your phone and the quality is normally good enough.

As you can see there are many positives with doing a self tape, However! The negatives with this are as follows:
1. the fact that you can edit or retake the audition as many times as you like, means its never raw and mostly i find with auditions the rawer it is the better. The fact you only have one shot to do your best is what i like about auditions the most! The now or never feeling. That is what you train all these years at college to perfect, is how to smash an audition.
2. You don't meet the creative team who are auditioning you. they are simply alien.
3. You cant really show them the person you are. They just see Chloe the performer who is doing material, they don't really see me.

Overall in my eyes there is positives and negatives with self tapping. Personally i prefer a good old fashioned audition, where you have to wait in the waiting room, feeling nervous about the unknown and doing what i do best in person in front of the creatives.

Anyways back to the main subject matter Synthesis! 

What i learnt is there are many different factors within my practice and there is not just one element that makes up musical theatre. What i need to do now, is break down these different elements, define them and then reflect on them on how they all work together and the evidence for this.

Until next time kids..

CG xoxo

Comments

  1. Thank You for this blog. I wasn't on the call and its good to see what was discussed. I hope all is going well with your work. x

    ReplyDelete
  2. A really interesting blog. I am currently on Mod 1 and researching past blogs. I recognize your thoughts on networking through web 2.0 to enhance job possibility, it has lead me to question whether we use our personal and professional personas combined or separated when presenting ourselves virtually? Perhaps we don't view ourselves as having more than one persona? I will be blogging about presentations of self through Web 2.0 in the coming week, do take a look :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I also blogged about the positive and negatives of web. 2.0 and your practice becoming all encompassing, take a look here swattsonstage.blogspot.com at the blog who am i? I'd be very interested to know how you break down your practice and define it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts