Like there is such thing as semester break in this course. Week 6 is more like a catching up-week in addition to new projects due. To do list:
- Creative Advertising portfolio; mostly work on the rationale
- On the Frame project brief 3; 2000-word Proposal
- Popular cinema: watch Blair Witch Project…
On the bright side, I finally get to see my first musical in Melbourne. Who wouldn’t want to see The Lion King musical hey? Being produced in Regent Theatre, the musical got me thinking about our On The Frame studio and how its staging aesthetics, costume design and basically the whole miss-en-scene plays an important role in a musical set design. Julie Taymor’s design of the African-style costumes, wooden lion masks, Soweto choral singing and aesthetics inspired from Indonesian shadow puppetry are complemented to show the indigenous life on stage. The Lion King south african co-creator, Lebo M insisted that most of the cast must be South African to inhibit the performance with bright spirit that encourage a fresh energy within the musical production. Furthermore, with the use of African languages such as Swahili in the song “Hakuna Matata” and Zulu in “Circle of life”, the overall dialogue and music gives the african life tone that signifies the setting and context of the production.
On The Frame studio allows us to explore Deleuze’s idea of out of field in which refers to what is not seen on the frame but is still considered or understood. When I was viewing The Lion King, I’ve noticed characters entrances not only from the back stage but behind our exit doors coming from our side. This entrance have significantly reflected the idea of ‘out of field’ and that what is understood not necessarily should be seen on the frame. Not only provoking the 3D sense that goes beyond the stage, the use of space among the audiences also invites them into the diegesis of the musical. It is because the production surrounds the audiences to be part of the experience whilst giving the realistic feeling of connection to the narrative.