Rehearsal 10, 29 June 2020
9am – 1pm
Zoom Video Conference
It was the first rehearsal conducted ever since the Circuit Breaker was implemented, and was conducted online due to the stricter social obligations. Since the last rehearsal and test-audience sharing, Haizad has been reviewing, restructuring and reframing the scope of the work, as well as looking at alternative platforms for presentation given the uncertainty of the situation. He shared that as of now, the direction of the work is still uncertain, and will continue to transform throughout the remainder of this process.
Jiwang will now be presented online:
- Showing of a pre-recorded video, which will be shot in Stamford Arts Centre Blackbox
o There will be a 8m by 8m white box taped on the floor
o There will be no sprung floor (which the performers agreed will not be an issue as there are no big jumps in the work)
- Video branching will be used, which presents options of the next clip for them to proceed and will not be able to backtrack
o There is a potential of about 20 different combinations/outcomes; if the audience wants to experience another series of videos, they will have to restart.
- The online showing period will be one month starting in August.
IMG_Video flowchart
There are not many changes to the roles, except for Daryl possibly having to take on the additional role of lighting designer for the lights in the Blackbox. There will also be 2 videographers included; Hafiz and his friend. Alfian Saat has also been engaged to be the researcher and contributor (he prefers to not be referred to as a dramaturg as it is usually associated with theatre works, and he is not as well versed in dance to be called as such).
Haizad then proceeded to share the refined vision for Jiwang, after also considering the input from the test audiences during the previews:
- The songs have changed:
o Previously all had the same vibe, which might be draining to the ears.
o Jiwang has a broad meaning with different definitions to different generations.
o Now the songs are all centered around the theme of sadness, and are portrayed through a variety of song vibes.
o He admitted that the songs are hard to curate, and there might be some biases in the selecting of songs.
o There will be more focus on the persona of the singers, balancing the “feels and era” between each song, and no longer about simply the band names.
- It will be episodic, following the flowchart
o Between each song there will be a menu similar to the karaoke menu when choosing the next video, and will also include a translator + subtitles at the bottom of the screen.
o There will be 15 songs.
o Some songs might change or be dubbed over during post-editing.
- The performers will each embrace the “jiwang body”
- Songs 1 – 4 will each be a solo by one of the performers
o They are given the option to choreograph the set of movements and be lyrical, however it has to be sad in movement.
o It should not be biographical to the artist, instead embodying the persona and transmitting it through their bodies and movement.
o There are some correlations between the performer and the artist / song assigned to them, which might aid in having a stronger emotional and personal connection.
o They were advised to keep in mind the difference between “acting normal” and “being normal”, and to be sincere & honest to the song