Campus session 1 - Module 1

As I was unable to attend the campus session on the 6th October I was curious to find out what was spoken about that day.

How do the principles and practice of web-based communication support or challenge professional (arts-related) practice?

 

This question was asked on the campus session as the on-going question has moved on from the conversation since 2010 when Alan Durrant asked: 'Do Web based technologies enhance professional practice?'

 

Before asking myself the question the key words picked out was support and challenge. To get the best out of this question I really wanted to look into those two words:

 

Support: a verb - To hold something up. To give assistance to, especially financially.

a noun - material assistance.                                                                                         https://www.google.co.uk/support (2014)

 

Challenge: a noun - A call to prove or justify something.                                                                       a verb - to invite (someone) to engage in a competition.

https://www.google.co.uk/challenge (2014)                                                                                                                     

 

I have my own views on what each word means to me as an individual. Below are my own definitions of the words support and challenge:

 

Support: when someone offers you help, both physically or mentally which allows you to carry on with something that you are finding difficult at that moment in time or they are giving you help on something which needs an extra push to allow you to succeed in whatever you are wanting to achieve.

 

Challenge: when someone or something is in your way that you need to overcome to take that next step forward in your career path. This obstacle may be harder at points but if you face it and accomplish it you will feel happy within yourself.

I then began to ask questions on how the Web 2.0 and web based communications helps us in professional practice and what gives us the support as well as the challenges?

I wrote a spider diagram so I could see the pros and cons for the support it offers us along with the challenges.

My spider diagram of Challenges and Support

 

When looking at others PowerPoint's I realised the same ideas and concerns with how the web could affect us as artists if it is abused and not used correctly kept cropping up.

I think the Web is such a great source however it could harm our reputation if we do not use it correctly.
I personally feel there are more challenges than support systems but on the other hand the web is a broad network which caters for every need, we could not stop using it especially for networking and marketing purposes.

TASK 1d: 2d Images

Whilst plucking up the courage to continue with Task 1c I have decided to go onto Task 1d.

Every picture gives a person memories that they can treasure and hold onto.

Whilst opening a Flickr account it dawned on me at how many pictures I have. I knew I had a lot but I didn't realise how 'snap happy' I have been over the years. When sorting through the photos individually they all leave me with different memories and emotions, just from that single second shot taken at that specific time.

 

On my Flickr account I have added pictures of previous shows/performances I have been involved in, however deciding on each picture was difficult as I didn't want to clog up my account with too many pictures of the same experience. As a professional I want these pictures to show my versatility as well as what I have been apart of already. They show backstage and onstage shots but I would also like to add to it and gain some rehearsal shots next.

Here is my Flickr account: https://www.flickr.com/photos/128429796@N07/

Please feel free to browse through my photos that I have uploaded. I will be adding to my Flickr account of images of where my professional career takes me.

Do we spend more time looking through a camera ready to capture a memory, rather than living it?

http://www.muddybootdreams.com/2014

When on holiday in Paris this year I knew I would take a lot of photographs as I love to look back and I also enjoy showing friends and family where I have been. However once into the second day I realised how much people in the 21st century enjoy there holidays/experiences through a camera rather than living every moment of that exciting, wonderful time with the people around them. Photographs are such a fantastic item to treasure but wouldn't you like to look at a few pictures and remember the experience, laughter and fun had at that specific moment rather than look back and not know what you were doing at that specific point?

The quote to the left is a quote I am going to keep to as you never get the same moment twice!



http://mkalty.org/photography-quotes/

However I understand that we could not live without pictures as they remind us of where we have come from and the adventures we have been on as individuals. This is very important to me as I enjoy to reminisce and remember the different people who have entered my life at certain points. I love to have a lot of pictures of different dates so in the future I could show my children and grandchildren what I have done but be able to tell the story to go with each picture memory.

Images in the Profession

I realise pictures speak one thousand words, and so I need to be careful, within the professions I am in, with where I upload each image and ask myself if I am happy for the public to view them (even if they are on a secure website/social media page). As a professional performer and teacher the way I portray myself in an image on the web has to be appropriate and how I would be face to face.

I was very interested to see if any pictures of myself came up when writing my name into the search engine, google. I was very surprised to see that both my headshots came up on the first page near the top. As a professional and teacher I know that I wouldn't want any pictures on the web that I would be embarrassed by as this may damage my reputation in both industry's.

However pictures are vital in both professions as I can show what I have achieved as a teacher with pictures of the children/teenagers in shows and rehearsal processes to market my business as well as  a Headshot and other professional pictures for my career as a performer to market myself in the same way.

I am aware that I will need permission and a written signature of a parent/guardian for the use of a photograph with there child in but I also need to ask permission from anyone 18+ if it is ok to use a picture they are in, as I would not want them to feel embarrassed by a picture or for it to damage there career in any way.


TASK 1b: Professional Communication Technologies

Most of us are all guilty of using the Web 2.0 every day as it is always there at the end of our finger tips.  We are fortunate to access it on our smart phones, tablets, laptops etc. What would we do without it?

What is Web 2.0?

I was so confused and didn’t know what Web 2.0 was before reading the handbook, but couldn’t believe it when I understood it was everything I used to network as a professional and use on a day to day basis for personal use and business.

Web 2.0 is a phenomenal resource we have today in the 21^st century. It allows us to do so much from keeping in contact with friends and family who may have moved abroad, allowing businesses to have a larger audience to target, letting the public know what you are pursuing and letting us, as the public, have our own voice.

There are so many ways to communicate, such as; Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Blogging, email, YouTube etc. which all have their own unique way to get/keep in touch. Once joining the BAPP course I hadn’t heard of blogging and didn’t understand what the use of a blog page was for, however once browsing at others I realised what a fantastic site it is by allowing you to have your voice heard whilst gaining feedback from the public and followers of your page.

The Web 2.0 is always improving and expanding globally and will carry on doing so in the future as it is never ending. Whilst looking at the Facebook statistics, it made me recognise how large and popular this social media site is.

‘Facebook: 1 billion users; 604 million mobile users; More than 42 million pages and 9 million apps’  Facebook (2013)

Web 2.0 gains so many more people every day from all over the world expanding each site individually. Will social media ever come to a standstill?

Every site is filled with all kinds of people from many different backgrounds who enjoy the freedom of keeping in the loop and know. For many industry’s social media has benefited many people and will continue to do so whilst improving each day. We have the freedom to interact with celebrities, idols, businesses which will encourage us to participate in communication.

Netiquette

Web 2.0 is a fantastic way to communicate and participate in any discussion however the correct use of language is essential. The Web 2.0 facilities are so laid back and give so much freedom but if abused it can easily be taken away from you. As great as it is there are members of the public which abuse its features and manipulate people by words, pictures, videos or posts which is very common.

Web 2.0 – For Performing Arts

Communication and Information

Wherever I look there is always something on Facebook for me to join or information which is related to the industry I am in. The Web 2.0 is perfect for information or advertisement for auditions that are being held or information on new shows/performances which are in rehearsal and space for any questions or queries that would get an automatic response as it is so accessible.

Facebook

Here is a post from a professional database for professionals. This is informing and letting everyone know there will be a workshop coming up. This keeps us all up to date and in the know of what is coming up and giving us information in such a quick and effective way. This page has 22,358 likes, which means this post is reaching each person individually by the click of a button.

 

Here is another page that keeps me up-to-date with auditions coming up. All I have to do is find this page, like everyone in the industry, and scroll through. This is such an easy way to keep up-to-date by checking the page daily for new information. This page has 22,489 likes.

 

Twitter

As well as #hashtags Twitter is also well known for the freedom to follow those who inspire you and to see what they are working on whilst gaining knowledge on any information the industry or interests you have. It enables the freedom of your own thoughts (the same as Facebook) but to a wider audience as anyone can follow you.

YouTube

Another great source is YouTube which allows us as professionals to appreciate and research work that inspires us and to keep us up to date with recent work out there and workshops people are undertaking. I watch many clips from YouTube to inspire and get ideas for choreography I am putting together for the children/teenagers I am teaching as I love to keep up to date with new trends of dance as well as keeping in touch with where those trends have evolved from and hanging onto them to keep them alive. I have never put anything I am in on YouTube before as I have been reluctant to showcase myself in such a exposing way as I feel more comfortable through Facebook as I can monitor who can see videos/pictures of myself.

Many professionals in the industry have some sort of access to social communications. However do we as professionals need to keep some of our personal information away from the web?

When addressing my own way of using social media I have always been careful as to what I have involved in my posts, comments, pictures and videos. I know first and for most that my career means too much to me than it to be destroyed by my lack of thinking of what I put on the internet. From my previous blog post I mentioned how everyone knows everyone in the industry and so I want to look and present myself as best as I can on the internet how I would face to face, as the internet is open for anyone to see.

 

 

TASK 1a: Professional Profile

Professional CV's

As professionals we need CV’s for everything we may want to achieve and do. We all rely on our CV and Headshots to provide us with auditions and jobs. This baffles me and made me realise how much we, as professionals, need to keep our CV’s up to date whilst having a headshot that represent and resembles who we are.

When looking at my professional CV I realised how little information was on it about myself and how my headshot, what I have previously done and the audition that day will get me a job rather than the way I conduct myself in rehearsals or my personality. This makes me think to myself how vital it is to land that first job and to make a great impression straight away as the industry is so small and everyone knows everyone. Even from the BAPP induction I met people who knew of people I had worked with, which reminded me of how we are all so intertwined as we all have our own links in some shape or form.

Luckily as well as my CV I am on the database ‘Spotlight’ which is such a fantastic website database for professionals online. This network holds CV information, additional information, voice reel, show reel and other professional photos/headshots of yourself. Spotlight gives you enough space to market yourself for Casting directors, directors and choreographers to understand more of who you are and what you can do.

The big question is what do Casting Directors looks for in a CV and headshot? and further more do they all look for the same thing?

On my CV it includes;

- Agent

- Name

- Spotlight View Page

- Height

- Hair Colour

- Nationality

- Eye Colour

- Vocal Range

- Training

- Dance I specialise in

- Other things I can do

- Accents

- Theatre and TV Credits

Here is my CV before I amended it:


Before CV Updated

As you can see I have highlighted what must be changed and updated on my professional CV for me to sell myself as best as I can on paper. I personally think a tidy CV is one that a Casting Director will have more joy looking over.

Here is my updated Professional CV:

Updated CV

I always think to myself:

‘’Life as a professional is tough and the competition is such a roller coaster journey where we are all faced with many ups and downs along the way, but once we are on top it is such a great view.’’

Profile

When looking at writing my profile I took the current information off my CV but then made a list of other things, alongside stage school and jobs, I have achieved in the area of the ‘Performing Arts’. I wrote it all down and then started to piece bits together that were relevant at this moment in time.

My list of Current and Past achievements

I found this a delight to look at to see how much I have achieved since being graduated and what I achieved when aspiring to become a professional within the industry of ‘Performing Arts’. Once looking through my portfolio of shows from when I was 3 years old to 18 I can see such a wide variety of shows/concerts/dance shows I have been involved in and enjoyed each one individually.

I never know how much to incorporate into a profile but as I do not get the chance to involve it into my CV I knew I wanted to involve previous experiences as well as present, as it was that previous knowledge, experience and training which got me to where I am today.