Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Tonight, my wife, my son, and I went to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Scera Theatre in Orem. The play started at 8pm which was late enough for it to get dark before the play was over. Yes, the theatre is outdoors. The stage was proscenium and somewhat box style. Most of the audience sat directly in front of the stage. All of the seats were great with all of them being on a large hill. It was also a little chilly for me (I didn't bring a coat or jacket).

The lighting was interesting because half of the play was done before the sun set. Spotlights were used to emphasize a particular character or event in the play. The costumes ranged from tie-dye to casual (jeans) to elegant (dress). The theme of the play was Las Vegas. The music included Elvis Presley, 70s music, and a carribean piece.

My wife and I were entertained. The dancers were not all together at some points, but it was still well performed. One thing that my wife pointed out was that there were a couple of disabled people performing in the play. I thought that was great.

We enjoyed the experience and are happy that we went. I give the experience 9 due to the chilly night for me.

Dance Sport at BYU

I went to the Dance Sport Competition at BYU this evening. I had never been to this event before. I've been to the BYU Ballroom Concert twice and have loved it each time. The competition wasn't what I expected it to be like. I thought that one couple would dance a 2 minute song and then a new couple would go. What happened was that about 10 to 12 couples were on the dance floor at that same time, dancing to a short song. Three different groups of the about the same size danced to the same song. There were three heats (three different songs) for all of the couples to dance to. The music was waltz, tango, and the quick step. I loved the music.

It was interesting to see how so many dancers could dance on the floor at the same time. There were occasions where one couple would run into another because either one of them weren't paying attention to where they were going. All of the couples wanted to do their own thing, but at the same time, had to be cautious of the other dancers on the floor.

The dancers seemed to glide both horizontally and vertically. That would bounce a little here and there, but were mainly closer to the ground with their knees bent. It did make the dancers look a little heavy, but the up and down movement made it actually seem lighter. The use of gravity in the dances were very evident as we discussed is class two weeks ago.

The costumes were also both elegant and free. The womens' dress were very vibrant (bright colors) while most of the men wore black tuxes. I liked the contrast between the black and the colors of the dresses.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I like watching ballroom dance and listening to the music that accompanies it. I paid $10 dollars for a ticket. Not too bad, but too much for how long I stayed. I only stayed for about 45 minutes. The atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable. I'll give the experience a 7.

Reading About Film

We were asked to read a handout about film this week. There was no title to the piece, but it discussed how video is an art form. It is a form of art that has the ability to take advantage of almost every natural sense of the human body. One of the things from the reading that stuck out to me was what Germaine Dulac said about the meaning of cinema residing in image and not the story. That was true in the early days of cinema as well as today (and much more today, I think). The image of the video is very important in order to connect with the viewers no matter what the story is. The story or plot of a film may be the best ever written, but if the images used to portray that story don't match up, then the movie could be considered worthless and uninteresting.

Another example of this is the current use of special effects. Today's films have been able to utilize special effects in a way that make the action look real. An explosion, a gun shot, or a dead or wounded body are made to look more real than ever now which plays on the emotions of the viewer in thinking that it really is real.

Film has been a blessing to all of us. However, with all of the special effects, I hope that we understand what really is real.

Film

This week in class we discussed film or cinematography. We discussed its history and elements. The one thing that stuck out to me the most about film's history is how fast it was invented after the photograph was. I think it was somewhere around 20 years or so. The gates of Heaven had been opened. I did think about the restoration of the gospel when I though of how fast film developed after photography did.

I enjoyed watching some of the first films in class as well. The film about the moon was great. The special effects were good (for then). It is amazing for me to see how much film has changed over 100 years! Watching that movie also made me think about what everyone thought of moon in that time. We have come so far.

I also liked learning the different elements and techniques of film. The different responsibilities of the director, cinematographer, editor, etc. were interesting to know. I didn't really know any of that before. We also learned the different camera angles and shots. See the movies as examples of these shots helped me understand that concepts much better.

I'll probably view movies and TV with a new approach and understanding. Everything makes more sense when one understands that reasons for why a film or TV show was filmed the way it was filmed.