This task is a major part of this semester’s drama specialist, being a group performance of an Oscar-Winning scene. My group consists of Felicia and myself, and we performed a scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The scene involves two characters, Harry Potter and Dobby the House-Elf. We decided to choose this scene as we both enjoy the Harry Potter series and find this scene a challenge for both actors. This means that we can push ourselves and our abilities while also doing something that we both love.
In the process of doing this, we had another option to choose from. I am unable to refer to this scene, as I did not document it correctly and thus have lost it. However, it was a scene about an investigation of a woman who has killed her wife. In the end, we decided that we would be able to perform the Harry Potter scene better and make more creative design choices than what we could have done otherwise.
Design Choices
When creating the scene, we decided to make many design choices to effectively create the bedroom and show the characters. Firstly, we used a bed as the focal point of the scene. This is as it is the main part of the bedroom and I often use the bed in what I do (such as hiding in it when Uncle Vernon comes in. The bed has a pillow and a sheet on it, to make it look more like a bed, and also to provide a prop for me to hit myself with. Finally, a bedside table with a lamp was used to give the space a more natural feel (like an actual bedroom). Lighting was a design element used to recreate the scene. The lights used were quite simple in warmer tones, to portray the feel of a regular room. The costume was also used to further show our characters. Dobby had a simple tan-coloured shirt, with black pants. This was to attempt to show how Dobby is unable to get actual clothes, and thus his style must be quite simple and bland. Harry Potter had pants and a blue shirt, to show how he has more of a style that reflects his uncle and cousin (as he gets his clothes from them). It can also show how he is wearing casual clothes, as it is just a regular day when Dobby arrives.
The context of the scene also affected certain design choices. The scene is occurring in mid-1992, near the end of the school holidays (in August). The current time is the late afternoon (due to the Dursleys preparing dinner for guests). The current address is 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, Southeast England. This can affect how certain roles may be played, and what the overall set-up looks like. Context also affects costume choices. Due to the Dursley’s not caring for Harry Potter that much, they only provide him with Dudley’s (harry cousin) oversized clothes. This affects what clothes Harry is wearing in the scene. Dobby is in a similar situation (being forced to be a cleaner), meaning that he only wears tattered rags.
Character and Choices Made
Vocal Choices
While playing Dobby, I decided to go for a higher-pitched voice. This is as it is the voice that most closely relates to Dobby as a character, who is seen as sweet and innocent but also quite scared. This also can help show how I am the one with the less amount of power in the scene, as a high-pitched voice is often associated with small and powerless creatures. Along with this, I also decided to constantly seem scared and timid using both my breath and my tone and expression. In the middle of quite emotional or fear-inducing lines that I say, I try to take a shaky breath to indicate my worry. I also end most of my sentences with a sharp intake of air, again expressing my concerns with the situation. This can also be shown through the use of my tone and expression. Where I am expressing concern, I tried to increase the pitch of my voice, while also slightly increasing my volume if I am trying to display this to Harry in the scene. I also try to make my speech rawer and more emotional in the most heightened parts of the scene (such as when I am warning Harry about the dangers of Hogwarts after punishing myself for speaking ill of my family). Finally, I try to use emphasis on the most important words that I am saying, to add attention to them and their meaning. For example, I often emphasise the words ‘not’, ‘grave’ and ‘danger’ (and other words relating to danger), trying to convey to Harry my point of Hogwarts being too hazardous to return to.
Physical Choices
The first physical choice I made was to constantly be clutching or fiddling my hands. This is to show my nervousness in the situation, especially considering I am disobeying the Malfoys. This is also a reflection of the worry that Dobby constantly has due to a life of being punished for doing the wrong thing and being consistently afraid of messing up. It also is contrasting with Harry’s more laid-back body language, showing the differences in how they react to stress (with Dobby becoming quite frantic and Harry always trying to stay calm). Another physical choice I decided to make was to be quite hunched over and have bent legs. This is to not only portray my physical short stature, but also my social position. Compared to Harry, I should be quite short, as it is quite a difference between the two different species. However, my short height also can show how house-elves can be considered lower on the social ladder, and less respected in a wizard-orientated society. The contrast in power is also shown through this, as Harry is taller, with the majority of the power in the scene, while I seem to be at his mercy, begging for him to see my ways.
Physical Choices Made to Show the Character of Dobby
Stanislavski Techniques Used
Stanislavski’s techniques were an important part of developing and enhancing this performance, especially in how I play the role of Dobby. Stanislavski’s questions were the main part of this allowing me to further explore the character. The first question, ‘Who am I’, allowed me to further connect with and discover the character of Dobby. It helped me understand his past relationships (such as those with the Malfoy family, one where they abused their power and constantly hurt Dobby), which allowed me to connect further and discover traits that may come as a result (such as his timid nature and need for perfection). I was also able to further explore both physical and emotional traits (such as his short stature, and his want to be morally right and kind), which again, enabled me to play Dobby effectively. The second question, ‘Where am I’, allowed us to further construct the set that the scene will be played in, such as the use of a bed and lighting (to portray the idea of a bedroom). The third question, ‘What Time is it?’, allows for a further look at the experiences that may have just occurred to either character (such as it being Harry’s birthday which, in turn, makes him more desperate to see his friends at Hogwarts). The fourth question, ‘What do I want?’, is all about finding the character’s objective. This allows there to be meaning behind what you are saying and gives you intentions and directions in both physical and vocal choices. For example, due to my want to stop Harry from going to Hogwarts, I may choose to get in quite close proximity to Harry and speak with intention and worry. The following question (‘Why do I want it?’, ‘How will I get it, and ‘What must I Overcome?’), further explains the objective in the scene and how it can relate to the other character and overall story. For example, knowing that I will get my objective by scaring and persuading harry (through emotive language), can help me emphasise certain words of importance that add to the scene. Overall, Stanislavski’s techniques were an important part of the performance.
Overall Performance
What went well/What could be improved
I feel as though I was able to get into character effectively, showing the character of Dobby. Although there is more, I could do to portray the character, I feel as though the basis of what I am doing can show the character’s emotions.
To further improve my performance, I would like to change my facial expressions. I feel as though, throughout the scene, I overuse facial expressions to portray emotions, often in an unrealistic way. This takes away from the believability of the scene and could also take away from the emotional impact of the scene (as the emotions are often unbelievable for the audience). However, this contrasts with where I could vary my thoughts throughout the scene, as they are often the same (and this can show through how I look). My face looks the same in every shot, despite the change in emotions. I also feel as though I should have had more physical movements that could reflect my character and position in the scene. What I was doing (which was standing hunched over clutching my hands), was quite boring to watch and could vary as the scene progresses. For example, I could use hand gestures to emphasise my points at times or bend lower or higher when I felt I was either losing or gaining power in the scene. Finally, I feel as though I could have made my ‘wailing’ more apparent, loud and believable. Being able to cry realistically on camera is a skill I am yet to obtain, meaning that many of the parts where I am meant to cry are not realistic and often over-exaggerated to make up for this.
Learning Experiences
This task furthered our knowledge of film acting, as well as building off previous knowledge learnt. During this semester, we have all learnt a lot about screen acting. To begin with, different elements of voice were further explored. We looked at how we can manipulate voice to show a range of emotions and motives, while also ensuring that what we are doing is subtle enough to be believable on screen. This can include using pauses, tone, pace and pitch to help improve your recording. We also learnt about physical choices. In screen acting, as everything is recorded, physically choices can be subtle and still picked up (while large choices can be too much for the audience). This means that choices should be small and relevant to the character, while also making sense for the audience. Manner of walking, standing etc. can be important in developing a character, and placing in terms of other characters or props can also be an important part (especially in symbolism and developing a relationship between things). Stanislavski’s techniques were also focused on as a way to further understand and develop a character and using the questions can allow one to get a better grasp on how to effectively play them. Objectives are also another important part of developing a character, as they allow for one to further explore why they are doing something, thus showing them how to perform it effectively. Some other important elements taught were energy in a scene, emotion portrayed, focus and understanding of the meaning of the text. Design elements specific to screen acting were also a major part of learning this semester. We looked at camera angles and how they affect a scene (how they can portray a character, what they can show and how they should be used), with many different camera angles that are used in screen acting being explored (to find their symbolism).