Time
and Pace reinforces the reality effect of the types of theatre we have
discussed this week because it allows the audience to experience the
experiences that the performers are experiencing at the same time. If the audience has been in the theatre
watching a performance for 20 minutes, it has only been 20 minutes that has
elapsed on stage as well rather than a “normal show” in which sometimes months
or years could elapse on stage within only 20 minutes, depending on the
show. It creates a stronger sense of
reality between the performer and audience. The audience buys into it more,
thinking it is more “real” because time is operating under the same rules in
the show as it does in their normal reality.
For example, in Forced Entertainment’s durational Quizoola, after a while the performers’ answers to the questions
became less creative and it was obvious that they were getting tired due to the
exhaustion of having to be on point for so long—this created a sense of
uncertainty in spectators because it was no longer easy to tell what was a
fabricated response as opposed to what their responses would actually be if
they weren’t in this performative setting.
The link to reality seemingly got closer and closer as the timing and
pacing burden affected the performers and the audience. It didn’t feel like any sort of performance
anymore. It was reality. Or was it?
The
first thing that popped into my head was this video I saw a couple of months
ago in which a girl took a picture of herself everyday for 6 1/2 years and
compiled it into a video. The photos are
technically in real time because they are taken a day apart but the pace at
which we see them in is obviously accelerated to mark her development. I think this is a nice example of achieving
the real time goal. We are limited by
only seeing one snap shot of her every 24 hours, but it allows us to be able to
go through the motions of her essentially going through puberty—We are still
taken on that 6 1/2 year journey. Through a period of the video she was also going
through depression and when watching it, the audience can almost go through the
motions and see her battle with it. It’s
fascinating to watch.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRvk5UQY1Js
Yes! I was totally thinking of this video when reading the prompt about time and pace and how this video takes us on this woman's 6 1/2 year span growing from a young girl to a woman. When I first saw this I was fascinated with pausing the video to be able to see one picture for more a bit longer. The speed of the pictures does reinforce how we can see over 6 years of someone's life right in front of our eyes but I wanted to pace it out. To see the details in each shot was intriguing to me and matching the photo to how old she was and what happening in her life at that moment. So glad you chose this example and now I got to find another one!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alexandria that the link you posted really hits home in regards to the prompt. For me the most interesting thing to watch was her hair. growing (or not) a little bit each day. Those kinds of moments where minor changes are made consistently are usually unable to be perceived the way her hair changes in the video. If we were to see this woman in real life, we would hardly notice a difference day in and day out (apart from haircuts of course). Although I don't know this girl personally, I feel that after being invited into a single moment of each day of her life, I have a better understanding of who she is as a person. In terms of pace, I think the entire transformation occurs as a continuous, fluid scene, with accented differences to give the audience a perspective on her interest, her moods, and her personality. Despite the simplicity of her video I am definitely drawn in by the performance and I feel that time and pace is an integral facet of that experience.
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