LEVEL 1/2 Logbook TECHNICAL guidance AWARD PERFORMING … · 2020. 3. 9. · LEVEL 1/2 TECHNICAL AWARD PERFORMING ARTS (3745) Unit 2 Logbook guidance and examples Version 1.0 December

LEVEL 1/2 TECHNICAL AWARD PERFORMING ARTS(3745)

Unit 2Logbook guidance and examples

Version 1.0 December 2018

Logbook guidance and examples

http://www.aqa.org.uk/3745

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Contents

Contents Page

Teacher guidance 4

Extract 1 6

Extract 2 10

Extract 3 11

Extract 4 12


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Unit 2: Logbook Teacher guidance The logbook should be completed during the planning and rehearsal stages with the final evaluation to be written following the performance/production. Its purpose is to provide evidence for the skills development, planning and evaluation that take place during the work on the chosen brief. The briefs for unit 2 can be found on pages 39-41 of the specification. Teachers should refer to the logbook to inform/support their judgements about the extent to which each student has met the assessment criteria for their performance or production role. Judgements should begin with an assessment of the practical work and the logbook should then inform judgements about the thought processes and decision making that each student has made.

The extract examples show how students may respond to the questions, but other approaches are possible.

Key points • Teachers/students may wish to use an alternative format for recording skills development,

decision making and evaluation (with centre designed booklets or audio/visual recordings). Teachers should ensure that the same areas are covered.

• The logbook should be completed throughout the process – Section 1 Auditing your current skills and Section 2 The performance brief (pages 8-10 only) at the start of the unit and all other parts of section 1 and 2 at appropriate points throughout the development stage. Section 3 Performance review and evaluation should be completed after the performance.

• Students should aim to be succinct, it is not necessary to fill every box – they should focus on the key decisions and evaluative points.

• Although some reference will be made to group work, the focus should remain on the individual – what I have done/thought etc.

• It is not necessary to make re-drafts if ideas change during the process – students can simply explain in the next self-assessment what has changed and why.

• Students should use appropriate technical language wherever possible.

• Students should recognise that self-criticism is not an admission of failure but an opportunity to show their capacity for further improvement.

• If appropriate, it is permissible for students to sketch their ideas/use diagrams etc… Design/technical students may wish to add pages to the logbook showing designs/cue sheets etc.


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Extract examples Four extracts have been included from different sections of the logbook which cover a range of disciplines and chosen briefs. The style of writing/content for each student is highly suitable and offers very good evidence to support the practical work undertaken.

Extract 1 Section 1: Performance development preparation Ellie - chosen discipline is acting; brief four selected.

Extract 2 Self-assessment 1 Adam - chosen discipline is lighting; brief two selected.

Extract 3 Self-assessment 2 Lianna - chosen discipline is musical theatre; brief five is selected.

Extract 4 Section 2: The performance brief Jack - chosen discipline is film production; brief five selected.


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Extract 1 2018 logbook Level 1/2 Technical Award Performing Arts Unit 2 The production/performance (PER2) Please attach the logbook to your candidate’s work and keep it at the centre or send it to the moderator as required.

Centre number Centre name

Candidate number

Candidate’s full name

The logbook contains everything students need to submit in addition to the actual performance or production. It’s therefore important that students complete all sections as fully as they can. You don’t have to do this work in writing. You can complete your answers verbally and submit an audio file, or be filmed and provide an audio/visual file. For either of these alternative methods, your teacher will authenticate that the recording is your own work. The purpose of the logbook is to provide a record of how you contribute to the work developed for Unit 2. The self-assessment and progress reports should be completed at different stages of the process in order to show your progress and development. Useful information: • make sure you provide accurate details of how you prepare for the performance/presentation

as these will help you to get the best possible result • the performance review and evaluation should be completed after the

performance/presentation has taken place • try to answer any questions as clearly and honestly as you can, especially when you’re

evaluating your progress. It’s important that you’re able to demonstrate you can build your skills and your approach to the work

• always refer to the brief you’ve chosen and make sure that your work is relevant • always refer to the skills listed in the specification for your chosen discipline. These will help

you to focus on the specific things you’ll need to demonstrate in the final production/performance

• whilst you’ll need to assess the work of others you should think about how these contributed and impacted on your work where appropriate.

You shouldn’t need any additional space to write your answers. Any extra sheets you want to include as evidence towards this qualification should be attached to this logbook with your name, candidate number and centre number clearly marked on each sheet.


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Candidate number


#### Ellie

Section 1: Performance development preparation Auditing your current skills 1. Give a brief outline of your current level of ability either as a performer or in a production capacity. At this stage of the course, I believe that I have particularly developed my confidence in acting. This was my main area of focus in Unit 1 where I devised two short extracts for our pitch presentation - performing in each. I enjoyed the physical theatre workshops and adopted this approach to both extracts. I was influenced by the work of Frantic Assembly and feel that both my balance and coordination have really improved through connecting their style to my own performance work. I had very limited experience of non-naturalistic approaches before I started the course, but this is definitely my favourite style now as you have no boundaries to your imagination. Outside of the course, I have experienced two productions over this last year - the musical ‘Oliver’ was a challenge as I am still not a confident singer but the rehearsals certainly helped with my breathing and projection. I was fortunate to have a major role in the play ‘Girls Like That’ and the depth we went into in our characterisation was brilliant. I learnt about how you can use given circumstances and emotional memory to create a ‘truthful’ performance. As this was an ensemble production I also believe that my skills in responding and reacting with other performers have also improved.

2. Give two short term improvements and two long term goals you’d like to achieve. These

should be for your chosen performance/production discipline.

Short term improvements Long term goals 1. To involve myself more in the direction of scenes and episodes, to see things from the ‘whole stage’ perspective and not just to focus on my role.

1. To write a one act play - possibly for this unit - and lead the direction and staging.

2. To have more flexibility with my vocal work - to challenge myself with accents and to continue to develop the control of my breathing and pace.

2. To learn more about other drama practitioners, particularly Steven Berkoff who really interests me.

3. Explain two of your current performance or production strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths Weaknesses 1. Physicality - I can use my body imaginatively to represent emotions and abstract things, as well as to create a range of realistic characters that are very physically different.

1. I still feel that I am quite vocally weak and that my voice is a little ‘thin’. This needs work and development.

2. Writing for performance - I really enjoy creating my own material to perform and I believe that examples of this work are some of my best practice as I really connect with the ideas/atmosphere.

2. Improvisation - particularly spontaneous improvisation - I find it very difficult to think of ideas ‘on the spot’ and I need to relax and embrace this kind of work more fully.


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Candidate number Candidate’s full name

#### Ellie

4. What are you going to do to address the two weaknesses you identified in the previous question?

Weakness 1 Join the choir at school. I know that the discipline of singing formally every week will really help me to improve my projection and control. Keep looking for roles that are vocally demanding, don’t be afraid of attempting accents.

Weakness 2 Suggest that we improvise our ideas as a starting point for our work. In unit 1 I insisted on writing everything down in the form of a script before we rehearsed but through improvisation I know that we will get some more spontaneous and creative ideas that may seem more natural.

5. Complete the following table as fully as possible by ticking/selecting a mark based on

the discipline that you’ve selected. You must mark yourself between 4 and 1 (4 being the highest and 1 the lowest). Be as honest as you can because how you develop and progress in Unit 2 will be based on these scores.

Specific skill 4 (highest)

3

2

1 (lowest)

Understanding of chosen discipline ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐

Ability to focus in rehearsal/workshop ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐

Ability to take criticism or direction ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐

Ability to act upon advice ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐

Ability to compromise ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐

Ability to work with others ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐

Ability to work independently ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐

Ability to select suitable material ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐

Ability to communicate clearly in a range of ways ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐ Ability to understand how performance and production disciplines inform each other ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐

Ability to give constructive criticism and advice ☐ ☒ ☐ ☐

Ability to review work critically ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐

Ability to work with discipline ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐

Ability to work to a timetable ☒ ☐ ☐ ☐


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Candidate number


#### Ellie

6. Looking back at the marks you gave yourself in the previous table, what do you feel you need to develop the most and why?

Specific skill Ability to take criticism and advice

Why? I believe that I can be over-sensitive when I am offered advice for improvement and I can take it as if my whole performance is poor and that I won’t be able to succeed in the role. I need to be much more methodical about really listening to specific criticisms and working out the best approach to improve. I need not be afraid about showing my work ‘in process’ rather than working in private to try and make everything perfect before I show it to anyone! I know that it is really important for performers to be able to make mistakes and learn from them. I think I should ask my teachers for ideas for what specific action I could take and then get feedback in the next rehearsal. To be honest, I’m probably better at giving advice rather than taking it!


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Extract 2 Candidate number


#### Adam

Self-assessment 1 Date 1. My chosen performance/production discipline is: Lighting

2. My reason for choosing this is: The technical side of theatre has always been my favourite area - I have been involved in many productions running both the lighting and sound and I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of creating the environment for the performers - you can create a whole world through the colours and effects you choose. Throughout this Unit 2 brief, I really want to extend my skills as we will be performing in a different venue (primary school) so I will need to learn more about the use of touring equipment and how to manage get in/get out schedules.

3. Refer to the weaknesses you gave in section 1 of this logbook. How do you intend to improve these as you begin work on your chosen brief?

Working collaboratively with the performers - in the past I have worked too independently from the performers during preparation which has sometimes meant that my ideas for lighting don’t always compliment or connect closely enough with the atmosphere that the actors or dancers are wanting to achieve. We have already held two meetings with minutes to ensure that everyone understands the aims and objectives for every scene and I will attend most of the rehearsals and make notes.

4. Refer to the strengths you gave in section 1 of this logbook. Which one of your current strengths do you think is the most important as you prepare for your chosen brief? Why?

Strength Using lighting angles/direction imaginatively. Why? The group are creating a piece based on an adaptation on the Grimm’s fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. As we are touring we will not be able to take large amounts of scenery with us so we will be relying almost completely on lighting and sound to help the performers create the necessary atmospheres. I will only have a small number of lanterns so I intend to light the action from a range of angles, using back light to create silhouettes and side light to create drama and atmosphere.


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Extract 3 Candidate number Candidate’s full name #### Lianna Self-assessment 2 Date

You must use the same discipline you referred to in self-assessment 1 1. Give a brief description of your progress so far and the skills that you have used: Although we have made progress I feel a little bit frustrated that we don’t have any definite outcomes like scenes or episodes that feel complete. I have spent a great deal of time researching our subject (Evacuees) which has been really useful but I don’t feel that the research has led to any good pieces of script or songs. I have been working on ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ for the opening with Emma and Abbie and our harmonies have developed very well and this should contrast powerfully with the images of the London bombings (blitz) that are being projected at the start. I definitely feel that my characterisation has improved as I watched some documentary footage of children evacuated from the East End of London and this helped me to think about the hunched up and defensive posture that some of the children had - with the older children protecting the younger ones. This helped me to interpret the character and start to consider the circumstances. I also looked at the styles of the clothing and thought about how this might affect the character (girls always wearing skirts/dresses for example). 2. What progress have you made towards achieving the short term improvements you set yourself in section 1 of this logbook? Improvement 1 Singing in harmony - definite progress - I’ve been working each week with our music teacher and I feel that I am now much more confident at holding my own part and not following other singers. This is proving to be very effective on ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ as the harmony seems to add real depth and a sadder atmosphere to the moment. I now need to think more about the emotional content and expression. Improvement 2 Dance work - due to the frustrations that I have already mentioned, we have had very little time to work on any dance sections as yet so I don’t feel that I have made much progress on this area for improvement. Recently I have been investigating the work of the performance company DV8 and I really enjoy their floor work and how they connect movement with a monologue that tells a story. We have briefly been experimenting with this idea for the ‘homesick’ scene where the movement will show the emotion of a letter home. 3. Now that you have started work on the brief you chose, give a brief description of what have you done to date. Identify the key strengths you have used so far and give examples of how your skills have contributed to the planning/rehearsal process. I am writing this ten days after I completed part 1 of this section. We have had a very purposeful few days and now the separate elements are coming together. The opening song is complete and we decided to juxtapose it with Hannah packing a suitcase before she leaves London for the countryside. Although this is simpler, the effect is very powerful. I feel that I have been very involved in the direction and I have blocked out the ‘leaving scene’ with all characters using direct audience address so the audience feel that they are talking directly to them. At first I did this naturalistically (character to character) but it didn’t have the same level of emotion. I have also helped to shape the first half of the DV8 inspired dance episode and the main challenge has been to keep our movement in unison and to connect the most expressive moments with the key words of the monologue. We have held weekly meetings with agendas and minutes to ensure that everyone is moving in the same direction - I feel that the extra organisation has really helped.


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Extract 4 Candidate number


#### Jack ####

Section 2: The performance brief Progress report Date

Using the templates provided, submit a report of your sessions, describing what progress you made towards achieving your chosen performance brief. You should provide as much detail as possible as the entries in the logbook will form a very important part of the final assessment and support your marks in Unit 2. Performance brief: I have selected Brief 5: (inform, educate and entertain) as my starting point/commission. Living in Derbyshire, we have a great deal of social history, particularly from the Victorian age, that can be seen everywhere - and this still has an impact on people today. We want to tell the story of people who might not already be represented in history books. We have decided to make a film because we want to use some of our locality as the setting for our story. I also have skills in camera work and editing and I have made several short films.

Reasons for choosing the brief: History always seems to be about the lives of great people - usually men - like soldiers, politicians or inventors. In my area (Derbyshire) this is usually Victorian men who owned the mills and coal mines. We were interested in using the performing arts to tell the story of the ordinary people who worked in such places and to show what their lives were like. People still struggle against injustice today and I think our audience will be able to make links from the past to the present.


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Candidate number Candidate’s full name

#### Jack ####

Company members, roles and responsibilities: Please provide as much detail as possible.

Name: Role: Responsibilities

Nathan #### Writer To write the screenplay and make all necessary edits/additions

Abi #### Performer - acting To play Molly - the mill worker

Sunyar #### Performer - acting To play Annie - the mother of Molly/other roles

Iesha #### Performer - acting To play the storyteller/other roles

Harry #### Performer - acting To play Mr Needham - the mill owner/other roles

Jack #### (me) Film production To film all scenes/edit.

Getting Started Initial ideas linked to the brief: Litton Mill - in the early 19th century poor children were brought from London to work in terrible conditions. Our story is partly based on the diary of a child who worked there - Robert Blincoe. Children were sometimes separated from their families. I have already taken some footage of several mills including Arkwright’s mill and the mill houses in Cromford. I am currently experimenting with using black and white or sepia as the two tone effect makes the images look very stark and dated. We don’t want to tell a naturalistic story but to imagine that a ghost of a child who died is telling her story with some flashback scenes and narration over images of the inside/outside of the mills. Music will be important to help create the atmosphere and I am going to try and find some traditional Derbyshire folk music that will complement the action. I will be contacting Arkwright’s mill to see if we can film most of our footage there - it has many areas that still have all the machinery and haven’t been changed. Litton mill is now converted into flats and not suitable for filming. Our aim is to educate our audience about an aspect of local history they might not know about. The ‘ghost’ element will make it entertaining and keep the audience’s attention. We hope that the film will be shown in schools. Possible Source materials including original pieces, text, music etc. with justification for inclusion: Memoirs of Robert Blincoe - child who worked at Litton Mill - important to base our ideas on actual facts/real events. The Gut Girls - a play by Sarah Daniels - set in the Edwardian times but gives a really good insight into the lives of working class women doing a hard job. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - gave us the idea of the ghost and how events can’t be changed afterwards - even if someone wants to change them. The song of the shirt - 19th century poem about a poor seamstress - might use some sections in our script. Also a documentary film based on the poem that uses some very interesting long/establishing shots.


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Notes


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Contact us T: 01483 437750 E: [email protected] aqa.org.uk


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Documents

LEVEL 1/2 Logbook TECHNICAL guidance AWARD PERFORMING … · 2020. 3. 9. · LEVEL 1/2 TECHNICAL AWARD PERFORMING ARTS (3745) Unit 2 Logbook guidance and examples Version 1.0 December