On the darker side, it is quite depressing that my buddy told them that my Hall Production this year sucked so much that he wanted to leave after watching halfway. Of course, given that I've known him for 10 years, he didn't meant any harm. It is just a comment on the low standards of Hall Productions in general, albeit with my Production as an example (TMD...). But it was depressing all the same.
Retrospectively, it is interesting to see how a simple thoughtless comment like this can have a myriad of effects on a person, namely me.
The first thought that came into my mind is this: 'Damned. 2 of my potential customers for my hall's coming production gone.' =(
The second thought is that I am guilty of asking my friends to waste their time and money coming to watch my so-called 'low standard' hall production.
And ultimately,
What is point of doing a Drama Production if that is the maximum standard we can achieve, and it is low compared to professional standards??? Are we wasting our audience's time and money?
What about the tens of hours spent writing script? Hundreds of hours for meetings, rehearsals, tech runs, full runs? Burnt Sundays? Moreover, each an everyone of the production team not only does not get paid for these efforts, they need to contribute at least $120 to the Production as canvessing! Multiply all these effort, times and money by at least 50 members of the production team.
Why are we doing all these if our audience want to leave halfway during the show???
Depressing isn't it?
We were talking about Huang Cheng's 'dropping' standards (or our rising standards?) and the possiblity of them upholding their tradition for the sake of upholding tradition. Are we actually making the same mistake?
Then there was this 'arguement' with another friend (this year's scriptwriter) about the whether Efforts more important or Results more important. Can she be right that if the results sucks, no matter how much effort we put in, it is useless?
At a deeper level, for those friends who said the show was 'ok' or even 'good'... Is it because they are giving me face that they didn't tell me right in the face that the show sucks. Are friendships these days not based on truths anymore?
Illusions pierced. Things to think about. Just because of a single comment from a true friend.
I just think that Hall production can never be used to compare with professionals because we are not professionals.. Hmm.. as sad as it may sound.. hall xi production can never be a professional production. The word \'professional\' itself meant accumulation of many years of knowledge and experiences. many years. Hall xi production start from scratch..(80% or 70% of us are new. and not to mention we do not have the professional knowledge. i don\'t know how many really did read up on their roles and tried to gain knowledge on it)Ahh.. efforts and results.. i don\'t think i have the answer.. i think it\'s up to the individual to decide.
ReplyDeleteActually.. on the surface, what makes a good production? A good script? Great visuals? Surprises? To be able to get messages across?To me, if you put in efforts, for example: script, it will ultimately reflect in the results. However, everyone in the team must put in as much effort and everyone must aim for the same good results.Because no matter how good your script, you would need to the actors to pull it off, articulate clearly so that the audience even get the message in the first place.Everything and everyone must work. =xEven if it isn\'t professional level, doesn\'t mean that we can entertain the audience and connect to them in our own way. =x It is possible to make the whole thing very enjoyable.If it is a good script. You think it\'s good after reading it. You imagined how it would turn out in your mind. Then the result must be as good as how you imagined it. If not the whole production has not achieved the minimal \'results\' they ought to achieveMaybe you should ask them why is it a \'low standard\' to them. Something must be missing? Timing? Pacing? That\'s why they got bored before the good parts even reached their ears?
ReplyDeleteEvery disappointment goes down to expectation. Shouldn\'t expect too much, then maybe you will be surprised by the result. This is the Zen way. Haha!
ReplyDeleteBut I guess for us (including that friend, who works in professional production company) who watch a lot of productions, we need something REALLY good to satisfy ourselves. In a way I understand how my friend feels. It can\'t be help la. Just hope that our producton can satisfy those go watch shows less frequently.
As for what is \'good\'... for me it will be anything that make me laugh alot, or make me think alot, or make me go \'Waaaa...\' For theatre works, it is hard to see shows that possess the latter 2 qualities, so from now on I am only going to watch 喜剧. =)
as far as I remember, a good number of people wanted to keep last year\'s script simple and plain, opting for mundane-ity(?) rather than anything more sophisticated. We limited ourselves from the start. So pls dun tell me who and who is disappointed and so you are disappointed as well. Secretly, I am disappointed with a number of people who dared not dream. Hence last year\'s result is like tat nia... haiz....
ReplyDeleteThe problem in question now is not daring to dream or not bro... it is a question of the directors\' and their team\'s ability, including mine.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can be emo whenever and wherever i like in my blog. I wan to change my style of writing cannot ah?? Hahaha!
point taken.
ReplyDeleteBut now we will never know how far we can really go.
And I hate feeling that things could have been better if I had tried harder etc...
And yes, I can finally add comments to your blog... wootz
hey hey...dun be depress... to me... the success of hall/students productions is nver to be judged on technical or artistic or watever professional terms... it is a time where a group of friends come together to putting in time effort to put up a show... its the process.. the fun..the tears... the jokes who only the group noe.... yah... if everyone enjoys it and learn smth from it... get to make friendships..it is a success oredi... give u a group of professionals wif all the highest standards may not foster a similar memory... or relationship...cheery, youjie=)
ReplyDelete