The Theory of Connectivism has appeared incredibly prominent throughout the entire course so far and has made me realize how important this theory is. The various forms of Connectivity have enabled many to reach out to other professionals and establish what the professional world means to them.
My forms of Connectivity in order to gain sources of information regarding the Arts are as follows:
Internet
Social Media
Contacts
Casting Websites
Verbal Communication
Audio-Visual
Internet
The internet has been the prime source of all of my Professional Acting jobs. It has given me so many links to Social Media, information and contacts and it is hard to think of how you would go about professionally connecting without Web 2.0 nowadays. It is a quick flick or press away and you are able to search whatever you would like to and discover the answers in seconds. The internet enables you to instantly link with someone, however with this freedom also comes great responsibility. You have to be careful about what you post, express and discuss with other people and be able to detect when something is authentic and when something is in actual fact misleading, as I found out when doing a Pantomime that was meant to be fun, but also involved very early mornings and lots of travelling. These things aren't always mentioned when they are first put on the internet, so you have to be cautious!
Social Media
Social Media has been the crux of understanding people's thoughts and feelings in regards to the industry and is the platform that you can use in order to reach out to and engage an audience of viewers or follows. It enables you to create just the right and desired image, however there can also be a negative result because of this. I have often found that as a result of social media, many people end up over-dramatizing specific details. For example, I once went to an audition and began rehearsals in a Theatre that would be performing a Theatrical and Biblical classic that would be challenging to perform in London and would be a performance that had never been done before. However, the reality was that it was a play in which was being performed above a small, London pub with a tiny audience, a director that no one had ever heard of and were told would only get paid if we made a profit. It seems to be that the Dramatic Industry is named that for a reason!
Contacts
Having contacts and keeping friends has been very useful over the past few years and has served me particularly well when it has come to changing and developing my career. My drama school friend, Zara informed me about tuition company, Explore learning and sooner or later not only did I have a part-time job to fit around my auditions, but I also had a job that would eventually show me that I would also want to then develop a career in teaching. I only found out about an ex agent because I simply attended a drama school friend's Wedding and if I hadn't have gone I wouldn't probably have known. Just by undertaking a production I was able to meet with an agent, who then got me an audition and later on a job for Disney Channel.
Casting Websites
Casting sites and how effective they are have been varied throughout my Acting career. I found that Spotlight for example didn't get me personally very far, however, Casting Call Pro was always successful in notifying me of jobs, mainly because I felt I was more 'in control' of what I could apply for, due to the fact that you didn't always need an Agent with CCP, but with Spotlight they appeared to have a much tighter vetting system and affiliation with particular agents. Without those websites, you would find it incredibly difficult to be in the know about different jobs.
Verbal Communication
This has been particularly useful when it's come to rehearsals and drama school discussions where I have been taught about all things Theatre. Often in rehearsals we were encouraged to discuss and questions things such as the character, the situation and the emotional intentions of every person that appeared in a play. However, the industry itself also includes an element of direction where actors can sometimes find themselves saying, 'I would like to share an idea with a director, but they already know what they want.' This is because at the end of the day, every actor is responsible for bringing the director's vision to life and no matter how much you discuss, you still have to portray the vision that is desired by the director.
Audio-Visual
This is fantastic in bringing people together, particularly when people can be so far away from each other. Throughout the BAPP course, people from all over the country have been able to connect and the various Skype sessions we have have enabled us all to do that. Therefore we are able to reach out to more professional individuals, but can also start to use other ways of communicating ideas of professional practice not just through discussions, but also through personal reflections, like my own audio-visual blog about the course and what I hope to achieve. The only issue with being able to find out and discover things through audio-visual is that technology and software can sometimes let you down. I was mid-conversation with Matt, an ex drama school colleague and fellow BAPP Arts course peer on Skype, when suddenly my laptop overheated and all suddenly crashed. I have also had issues with sound and microphone from my own laptop and with Paula and her software.
All of these sources appear to have their positives in regards to Professional Practice, however it is also important to look at the ethical issues as well. What is it I need to be careful of? What should I take advantage of? How much is too much?
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