First Impression of Commedia dell'Arte

My very first impression of Commedia dell' Arte is that it is a genre of theatre that gives a sense of freedom and equality, since both genders are included, and actors are not limited to scripts. It also seems quite professional, even though commoners invented it.
My favorite character type is the Zanni, because they make the story more interesting, and they are sometimes quite clever and cunning. However, I liked the Dottore in the play the most, because he seemed intelligent but was, in fact, gullible and a bit foolish. He was able to trick the trickster back. Also, his character and personality seems funny to act out.
I would like to know how the commoners were inspired to create Commedia dell' Arte. Another question I would like an answer to is: If Commedia dell' Arte is such a famous form of art, why would so many people not know their favorite character? Is it because they can't choose, or they don't know any characters?
I realized that masks could actually help people be more courageous on stage, since others could not see half of their facial expressions. If the facial emotions are unseen, the audience begins to focus on body language instead, taking the fear away from the performers. Also, the actors themselves don't have to worry about the possibility of not showing their expressions clearly.
I look forward to this unit!

Moving on to the next MYP Unit

On Monday, we did our personal reflections. I was very honest with myself, and I had to be harsh on my team members, although not everything was their fault. I think that if I had to redo this project, I would do some parts differently, but some mistakes we made before helped us in other situations. For example, when David wasn't here and we didn't have the clips, we re-uploaded them, and we were able to find our camera number that way. Wednesday was the day we learned about "Commedia dell' Arte". I found it quite amazing how one simple form of theatre could evolve into so many new genres. I also learned the importance of masks that day. Before that lesson, I would have thought that the masks only played a minor part in expressing emotions.

Silent Film: Finishing Touches & Movie Day

October 13 was a real pain in the neck. Just when it seemed like everything was falling into place, the converting was horrible. It was taking 3 HOURS to finish! Luckily, the outcome was great. All the pauses had stopped, and the movie ran smoothly. I thought I looked like a fool, but at least we enjoyed filming. Then, there was the day that we watched all the other movies. My favorite was the one with the jelly, because the plot was such a small thing enlarged into a funny story! I learned that sometimes, there are many situations in the way, but in the end, every step was worth it.

Filming Process Week

This time, the filming was better, since my group was cooperating very well. Although the other group sometimes interrupted our filming, most of the parts were filmed. However, on the editing day, the person with the videos was absent, so the videos had to be re-uploaded. Sadly, HandBrake wouldn't work! The last few minutes were used to try and film, but there were so many problems that we weren't able to. By the end of the week, all the filming and video converting was completed. Unfortunately, importing the videos onto i-Movie was a pain in the neck. I still have to work on it tomorrow. I've learned from this experience that no matter how things seem to be fitting perfectly at first, there's always the possibility of obstacles slowing us down, so we must plan ahead and make sure we use all of our time effectively.