Michael talks to a group of students about the monologues they will be performing while being videotaped.
Students watch a movie clip to look for the way a scene is shot...from lighting, to make up, to sound, to the collaboration of a team in a production...
Michael then set up a scene for the students to perform while he videotaped them. They were all sitting in a waiting room of a doctor's office and were completely silent. It was amazing to watch the video clips on Thursday night where Michael captured all these tiny details in the scene and brought out a ton of emotion...it was totally different watching it being filmed and then watching the film itself. Pure magic (and talent!) on both the actors' and the filmmaker's parts. While he was filming one group, the other students were encouraged to walk around and look for all the subtle details in the scene.
Processing the experience and getting perspectives from both the actors and the observers.
Rylee shares a laugh with Michael...
The following day, the students performed short bits of their monologues and received coaching from Michael. The biggest suggestion....SLOW DOWN....use time and don't rush. Michael emphasized that in film, the biggest moments are the silent ones. Here Micaela and Tessa work through their scenes, each pair supporting one another as they performed.
Micaela performing from "The Fantastiks"...
Tessa listening to feedback and incorporating it into her work...
Rylee and Cooper...
Elinor and Jacque receiving some suggestions...
Sierra pauses her monologue to focus in on one of those silent moments...
Nyna and Michael discuss the rhythm and beat of Shakespeare...
Caleigh preparing for her monologue from Ascension Day...
After filming was complete, the students gathered to watch themselves perform. There were a lot of laughs during this part of class, but in a good, supportive way. Everyone is always surprised by how they look on film, and this was no exception. Michael also shared that when filming, a person often feels like they're on camera the entire time, but once editing occurs and scenes are spliced together, it is fascinating to see how a scene develops, even when it is shot out of sequence (as is often the case). As an observer, this was really amazing to watch.
While the students work very hard, there is downtime in class and time to relax while listening and learning...
Thank you SO MUCH, Michael, for sharing your wisdom and expertise with us. We really enjoyed the time you spent at Next Step Prep and hope you had a good time with us, too!
(And just a little side note--for those of you who followed the blog last year, Michael is the father of photographer and dancer Matthew Murphy, who taught ballet classes for Next Step Prep last year and photographs for the New York Times. Check out his work here or his blog here. In a couple weeks we'll be excited to welcome Linda Murphy, who will teach tap dance to the students. What a wonderfully artistic family! We are grateful they are sharing all their talents with us these first two years of Next Step Prep!)
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