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Finished Banner (1.4)

I have now more or less finished the banner. From looking at it I can see that it is too text heavy, so if we were to do it again we would correct that, but I cannot now because I do not have the original files.

I imported the files I had not already imported, (from Luke - the title and one of the boxes), and removed the white on all the files.


I learned how to use the scissor tool so I could cut each box (that actually contains two boxes within it) into two separate boxes and move them around so I could use the space better.

I did this and then realised I could crop each box/jpeg by dragging the lines around it further in, so I did this to make them easier to see, and laid them out.

I then arranged them however worked the best.

Then I added lines to point the boxes to wherever the places they are are.

Finished Doctor Faustus Personal Response (1.1; 1.3)

I have changed some things around and added some parts based on Mr Bigland's comments, and here is my personal response, finished:

The Royal Exchange’s performance of Doctor Faustus was magical from the start.

The performance started promisingly and jumping straight into the story; my first doubts about whether I would understand everything or not washed away, and I became immersed in the play.

After the mood had been set, still early on in the performance, there was a part that made a lot of people jump (including myself) and I thought it was really good, where a dark hellish figure came down from the ceiling. The rest of, (at least) the first half, was filled with more exciting moments many of which I would have not expected to be that visually stunning in a theatre.

The battles and intense scenes were brilliant, a strange dance-like choreography running through the whole play, in which I found particularly inspiring. A dark, spidery like texture showed as the demons were scattered across the stage, attacking or taking characters away - the scene in which Faustus realised he could control them is a great example, an intricate display of a somewhat elegant action scene.

Another use of the dark figures was to change the set. The play started and finished in Faustus’ dark cellar, the scene changes simple but effective. As well as the demons, lights and chandeliers came down from the ceiling and the striking use of the roll-out carpet worked surprisingly well. In just moments, the set could be drastically changed, the colour and feel of part of the world that was displayed.

Pulled into this world, the crowd were right inside the set – not only was every seat a great position (and even if one special effect wasn’t very visible to where sat, definitely another one soon would be) but there were candles and books stacked around the edges of the stage and the balconies; the chandeliers, neon lights, demons and often people were suspended and hung from the blackness above to be swallowed back up again; at parts, characters were almost right among the audience...

In addition to the great set and choreography, clever “magic” tricks were performed at points throughout the play (a few by Faustus himself in his all-powerful state), which were shocking – at one point Faustus appears to have even been decapitated, looking very real (at first.)

Some of the costumes were interesting and creative (whilst in some ways also quite useful for the actors themselves), especially the use of masks recurring through the play (the most notorious of these the way Helen of Greece was portrayed, looking and moving like a doll.)

Also, not only were the visuals wonderful, but the sound carried very well in the circular venue, and the use of the plays 38* speakers, placed around the room, paid off quite well. The speakers were used to show voices in Faustus’ head, and also to make, with new technology, some of the things Faustus says echo around the room. I thought this would be used more often and more noticeably, from looking through the programme, but the speakers were still put to quite good use with the voices.

Even in times where there weren’t special effects and action scenes though, namely the second half, the play was still very enjoyable. Although some parts of the play could have been possibly shortened, some scenes were very tense, atmospherical and even emotional. An example is the mystical scene where Faustus meets Helen of Greece, summoned from hell, and another: the end scene - a slightly new take on the Doctor Faustus ending, as Faustus faces his fate and slowly steps into the grave, rather than being dragged off by demons as he argues against going to hell.

In some ways this ending was effective - it ended the play on a melancholy note, keeping us wondering about the depths of hell and about what Faustus had done throughout the play - his incredible desire for power had made him blind to see what the consequences might end up...

It did not, however, though still quite dark and gloomy, offer a horrifying atmosphere, one that a lot of people would have expected from this play.

The director had already captivated the audience with a detailed set, but his intention was also to frighten everyone. "If we do get it right, it should be absolutely terrifying in places.”

I remember jumping at least twice throughout the play, but it wasn't terrifying - I can imagine a young audience being frightened by it (though there were no very young people there), but it didn’t do that much to scare, at least, myself.

Overall, the play did focus less on the gore and sinister side of the play and a lot in the (modern,) comical side of the play, and in the characters.

Although there were scenes that were a little sinister, for example where Faustus was presented the 7 deadly sins in front of him, or where people that plotted to kill him were hunted down and taken away by demons, there were more light-hearted, scenes added to the play that were obviously not in the original, like innuendo parts and comical references.

Personally, I don't think it needed to be any scarier - the action and choreography was enough to make it very enthralling...but some of the funny and comical scenes took away the authenticity of the play, which I thought was a bad thing. Obviously the writer of the play, Christopher Marlowe, meant for there to be a contrast in places between the dark and the humour, but I don't think he meant for it to be this much.

The acting was quite convincing however: throughout the play Faustus' character seemed nervous and unsure of himself, his constant referring to himself in third person helping this along. This worked in its own way though - Faustus appeared less like this, more cheerful, as his popularity increased and he became renowned, and then more nervous again by the end. His world of magic was mirrored in the world of his unknown (by him) followers, other people who wanted to use the powers he used (but not for the same purposes.) This contrast was the way the comedy and light-heartedness worked...in some cases the play made me laugh out loud.

Doctor Faustus is a great play, and this adaptation of it was, in short, pretty fantastic. Although for some fans of the play and those expecting a sinister experience it may have been a little unsatisfactory, but generally it was a great adaptation, brilliant enough for those that are fond of theatre to enjoy, and definitely brilliant enough to persuade those not too fond of theatre to become more fond of it.

Banner Progress (1.4)

As the rough deadline was slightly extended till next Monday, on Thursday, we have the weekend to finish the banner.

Luke has not done the background as he said he would.

We arranged that Ben would work on the banner, and background, on Saturday and then send it me on Sunday to finish off.

Ben did no work on it on Saturday and I have just been told that I now have to do work on it today and try and finish it on my own.

I know how to make things less distorted in the banner though now.

If I go to Edit - Image Size - Resolution, in Photoshop I can change the resolution to make it bigger, then save it as a JPEG, import into Indesign and there it will not distort as much.

We have decided that we might do it all in Photoshop, save as a JPEG and then import that into Indesign, as this will be a lot easier.

I would download the free trial of Photoshop to do this but at home I do not have all the different parts we did in Photoshop, and I would have to download Indesign and Photoshop and export the Indesign file, or different parts to Photoshop. I think this would be time consuming and it would be less hassle just to do it in Indesign.

Doctor Faustus Personal Response First Draft (1.1; 1.3)

This is my finished review/personal response to Doctor Faustus at the Royal Exchange Theatre. I am not sure what else to add to it but will still keep it labelled a first draft.

PERSONAL RESPONSE (FIRST DRAFT?)

The Royal Exchange’s performance of Doctor Faustus was magical from the start.

The performance started promisingly and jumping straight into the story; my first doubts about whether I would understand everything or not washed away, and I became immersed in the play. After the mood had been set, still early on in the performance, there was a part that made a lot of people jump (including myself) and I thought it was really good, where a dark hellish figure came down from the ceiling. The rest of, at least, the first half was filled with more exciting moments many of which I would have not expected to be that visually stunning in a theatre. I thought the battles and intense scenes were brilliant, a strange dance-like theme running through the whole play.

The crowd were pulled right inside the set – not only was every seat a great position (if one special effect wasn’t very visible to where sat, definitely another one soon would be) but there were candles and books stacked around the edges of the stage and the balconies; chandeliers and neon lights suspended over the stage from the dark above; at parts, characters were almost right among the audience...

The director’s intention was to frighten everyone – “and if we do get it right, it should be absolutely terrifying in places.” I can imagine a young audience being frightened by the play, but although the play was jumpy in parts, it didn’t do that much to scare, at least, myself.

Clever “magic” tricks were performed at points throughout the play (a few by Faustus himself in his all-powerful state), which were shocking – at one point Faustus appears to have even been decapitated, looking very real (at first.)

Some of the costumes were interesting and creative (whilst in some ways also quite useful for the actors themselves), especially the use of masks recurring through the play (the most notorious of these the way Helen of Greece was portrayed, looking and moving like a doll.)

The set looked great all the time; starting and finishing in Faustus’ dark cellar, the scene changes were simply but effectively done – lights and chandeliers came down from the ceiling; dark figures ran on stage and took objects on and off; the most effective was the use of the roll-out carpet that, along with the lighting, drastically changed the colour and feel of each set that was displayed.

Not only were the visuals wonderful, but the sound carried very well in the circular venue, and the use of the plays 38* speakers, placed around the room, paid off quite well. The speakers were used to show voices in Faustus’ head, and also to make, with new technology, some of the things Faustus says echo around the room. I thought this would be used more often and more noticeably, from looking through the programme, but the speakers were still put to quite good use with the voices.

Even in times where there weren’t special effects and action scenes though, namely the second half, the play was still very enjoyable. Although some parts of the play could have been possibly shortened, some scenes were very tense, atmospherical and even emotional. An example is the mystical dance-like scene where Faustus meets Helen of Greece, summoned from hell, and another: the end scene - a slightly new take on the Doctor Faustus ending, as Faustus faces his fate and slowly steps into the grave, rather than being dragged off by demons as he argues against going to hell.

However, as well as in some ways being effective, this new ending and the way a lot of the rest of the play was done offered less of a dark and horrifying atmosphere, one that a lot of people would have expected from this play. The play focused less on the gore and sinister side of the play and a lot in the (modern,) comical side of the play, and in the characters. Although there were scenes that were a little sinister, for example where Faustus is presented the 7 deadly sins in front of him, or where people that plotted to kill him were hunted down and taken away by demons, there were more light-hearted, scenes added to the play that were obviously not in the original, like innuendo parts and comical references. This, as well as being disappointing for some, took away the authenticity of the play, which I thought was a bad thing.

Doctor Faustus is a great play, and this adaptation of it was, in short, pretty fantastic. Although for some (like fans of the play and those expecting a sinister experience) it may have been unsatisfactory, but generally it was a great adaptation for those that love theatre, and definitely brilliant enough to persuade those not too fond of theatre to become more fond of it.

Finished CV and Letter of Application (1.2)

I have finished both and they are in text documents on my computer. This is how they read:

CV

Gabriel McPhillips

5 Holly Bank, Turton, Bolton, BL7 0LP

07790 916 754

gabrielmcphillips@gmail.com

EDUCATION

2013 – 2016 University of Manchester
BA (hons) in Graphic Design
Included -
Advertising
Illustration
Print
Motion Graphics

Turton High School Media Arts College
A Levels 2013
English Lang A
Film Studies B
Graphic Design A

GCSE’s 2011
Cs - A*s in Creative & Media Diploma, History, Spanish, Music, full R.E course and all A’s in core subjects, including Triple Sciences.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Graphic/website Design job in Blackburn 2017
www.dgdesigns.com
Employer: Dave Ronson
I have worked with a team in designing parts of the website for a new Creative Arts centre. We often worked under pressure and with a busy schedule, and for a period of time my work was voluntary. Working there has developed my communication skills, and also my skills in Photoshop, Fireworks and other design programs.

2 Week optional placement at D-room Design Communications Bolton 2016
www.d-room.co.uk
Employer: Darren Smith
I had to for the first time pitch ideas to a team for a number of plans, small and large, and contribute to the final making of some of these. I gained lots of information from here, some due to my asking, which helped me learn about what different situations in the design workplace could be like.

INTERESTS

Film-making and promotion – In my spare time I have made lots of short live-action films with friends and animations using Flash, designing film posters and even DVD covers for them.
Acting - I have attended many drama workshop courses at the Octagon Theatre, and whilst still even quite young, featured in a village pantomime as a key role as well as in school productions.
Creative writing and drawing – I also enjoy writing short stories, novels and comic books, which I also have done at home. Throughout my youth I have also travelled to Manchester to take part in a Creative Writing course at the Bridgewater Hall.
Music – As well as having particular interests and experience in making electronic music, I can also play the piano (grade 4), and the guitar.
Sport – Over the years I have taken part in the school swimming gala, showing my determination to contribute to a greater goal, and have been part of a local karate club.

SKILLS

Language – Can speak good Spanish and learning Japanese.
Driving – Full clean driving licence

Two References available on request.

LETTER OF APPLICATION

I am writing to apply for the job of Senior Graphic Designer, as seen advertised in the Guardian. The opportunity presented is one that I would not like to miss, and I believe I would be a great candidate for it - as well as having a lot of experience in Graphic Design and a great education in the field; I also have the range of skills and the creative mind to take up an important role in a range of different projects.

A key role in the development and promotion of a new Arts Centre, whilst co-operating with a busy team I have had strong, useful experience using my skills in Photoshop, Indesign and Fireworks, within Graphic Design and Website Design. I can present a detailed portfolio easily on request, from this and from my degree course in Graphic Design.

Besides this course, my past achievements include A’s in Graphic Design and English Language at College, and the equivalent to 17 GCSE’s (C’s to A*’s). These GCSE’s include A’s in Maths, English and all three Sciences, and a B in the Creative & Media Diploma.
Since I was young I have been interested in this field; throughout and since my childhood I have completed many personal Media and Creative Writing projects including writing two full-length novels and completing a 30 minute animation with a DVD cover and poster.

I have the motivation to work successfully alone, and also my past experience shows that I have the communication skills necessary to work effectively within a team. Having a range of skills, I can succeed in whatever tasks may be presented to me. I am conscientious, hard-working and reliable, having the ability to think outside the box.
My personal attributes, experience and knowledge ensure that I will make a dynamic impact in this role.

Yours Sincerely
Gabriel McPhillips

CV writing (1.2)

I have asked my parents, and looked for advice on the internet, on how to write a good CV. I have decided to keep my real current achievements in the CV and then add to it depending on which job I am going to "apply for," for the fake CV.

I have made up a course that could be taken at a good nearby University (Manchester).