One of the most ingenious uses of social media is its capability to reach specific audiences. Each network has its unique niche; Facebook has developed from a tool for college students to a tool used to keep families and long-lost friends together, Linkedin plays a huge role in professional networking, Twitter keeps followers updated in real-time, blogs provide a more personal outlet and most people still do not know how to use Google+.
Social media must be used to maintain the values of the organization. With Facebook, organizations can reach out to their customers and interact with them in order to develop a stronger community. Twitter allows organizations to have real-time conversations with their followers, as well as monitor what people are saying about them. These two are the giants of social media now, and organizations that are not using them are missing out on huge parts of their audience.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
K-E-Dollar Sign-HA
I am constantly astounded by the way social media is used to achieve political ends. Recently, the #FreeKesha campaign has been taking over my various timelines and dashboards. Pop star Kesha Rose Sebert filed lawsuits against her music producer Dr. Luke in 2014, claiming he had emotionally and sexually abused her. Dr. Luke fired back, claiming Kesha was making false allegations against him to get out of her contract. Since then, legal tensions have been extremely high as both parties work to achieve their ends without losing public favor. Recently, Sony ruled that Kesha would not be released from her contract.
The backlash for this decision has been unprecedented. Countless fans have taken to their social media, using the hashtag #FreeKesha to bring awareness to the situation and show their support for her release from the label. There has even been a GoFundMe campaign started with the intention of raising money for Kesha to buy her way out of her contract, though many are skeptical whether or not that is a plausible solution. Several celebrities have also taken to social media to show their support.
I find it fascinating that social media plays such a huge role in every public decision nowadays. In this digital age, nothing is truly private. In fact, many companies use this to their advantage, spinning a story a particular way in order to shape public perception (which is pretty much PR 101). In cases like this, the question of police brutality and other recent cases of racism, it is impossible to hide from the public eye. Awareness is skyrocketing and everyone has an opinion, whether it is grounded in fact or not.
As someone who feels very strongly for women's rights and the voice of survivors, I am extremely upset with the ruling. I do not think anyone should be forced to work with someone, especially if there is even a question of past or existing abuse. It is a danger to public opinion and, more importantly, the client. Sony's image will surely suffer from this entire situation- rightfully so. The time to respond effectively has already passed. From now on, Sony will be forced to pick up the pieces and try to regain the trust of their audiences. I will be looking forward to more news on the subject and hopefully a compromise for Kesha.
Until next time!
Kathryn
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| Female artists are rallying on Twitter in support of Kesha |
I find it fascinating that social media plays such a huge role in every public decision nowadays. In this digital age, nothing is truly private. In fact, many companies use this to their advantage, spinning a story a particular way in order to shape public perception (which is pretty much PR 101). In cases like this, the question of police brutality and other recent cases of racism, it is impossible to hide from the public eye. Awareness is skyrocketing and everyone has an opinion, whether it is grounded in fact or not.
As someone who feels very strongly for women's rights and the voice of survivors, I am extremely upset with the ruling. I do not think anyone should be forced to work with someone, especially if there is even a question of past or existing abuse. It is a danger to public opinion and, more importantly, the client. Sony's image will surely suffer from this entire situation- rightfully so. The time to respond effectively has already passed. From now on, Sony will be forced to pick up the pieces and try to regain the trust of their audiences. I will be looking forward to more news on the subject and hopefully a compromise for Kesha.
Until next time!
Kathryn
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Shedding Some Light
I fell in love with lighting when I saw the touring production of the musical Once (lighting design by Natasha Katz) in . There was a moment where the two main characters were standing on an elevated platform above the rest of the set, in complete darkness, silhouetted from behind with a deep blue wash. The idea was that they were standing on top of a hill at night time, looking down on the town below them. There was no set to speak of, no music; just the two actors standing in the light. It was so subtle yet so powerful- I swear everyone in the audience was holding their breath.
Lighting is one of the most important factors in theatrical storytelling. First of all it lets the audience see what is happening on stage. It also gives context for time, place and season, as well as set the mood. In Once, the set was extremely minimalistic, which allowed for the lighting to establish the setting. In dance shows, most of the lighting comes from the side, highlighting and complementing the dancers' bodies. Lighting can also add color to a set.
As Master Electrician for Picnic, I was in charge of maintaining the lighting designer's artistic vision, programming the board, updating paperwork, fixing lights throughout the run and operating the board during shows. The lighting designer for the show, senior Liz Roth, was eager to teach me all of the tricks of the trade she had learned throughout her years at school. I learned a lot about the different types of fixtures used in the show and how to operate them. I also learned some really cool techniques for designing by observing Liz's work, such as dividing the stage like a grid and designating lights by segment.
My favorite part of Liz's design was what she called her "Hal Lights." Every time the character Hal came on stage, the intensity or color of this particular group of lights (group 120 in the programming) would change. She used 36° Source 4 LED fixtures with Apollo 3549 gobos, or templates. This created a tree-like breakup of light on the stage, adding texture to other lights being used. It was supposed to symbolize the way that Hal caused tensions to rise between the other characters.
Ever since seeing Once, one of the first things I notice in any show is the lighting. Though I love performing, I have had an incredible experience working on this show and am extremely excited to begin to delve further into another aspect of theatre that interests me. This is yet another tribute to ONU's incredible theatre program; I can almost guarantee that I get more hands on experience with equipment than any engineering or pharmacy major!
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| Incredible lighting from Carnegie Mellon University's production of Spring Awakening Lighting design by Dan Efros |
As Master Electrician for Picnic, I was in charge of maintaining the lighting designer's artistic vision, programming the board, updating paperwork, fixing lights throughout the run and operating the board during shows. The lighting designer for the show, senior Liz Roth, was eager to teach me all of the tricks of the trade she had learned throughout her years at school. I learned a lot about the different types of fixtures used in the show and how to operate them. I also learned some really cool techniques for designing by observing Liz's work, such as dividing the stage like a grid and designating lights by segment.
My favorite part of Liz's design was what she called her "Hal Lights." Every time the character Hal came on stage, the intensity or color of this particular group of lights (group 120 in the programming) would change. She used 36° Source 4 LED fixtures with Apollo 3549 gobos, or templates. This created a tree-like breakup of light on the stage, adding texture to other lights being used. It was supposed to symbolize the way that Hal caused tensions to rise between the other characters.
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| Scenic design by Kenneth M. Ellis; Lighting design by Liz Roth Though this particular cue is not used in the show, it is an intensified version of Liz's "Hal Lights" |
Until next time!
Kathryn
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
#PolarPicnic
If you would like to see a recap of my live-tweeting session with Ken Ellis today, check out my Storify here!
Share This Parts 1 and 2
Long story short, social media is taking over the Internet, and public relations practitioners need to take heed.
With the uprising of platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, it is now more than ever of the utmost importance to be able to connect with your audience at their level. As Internet communities are being developed based on interests and content, you have to learn how to immerse yourself as a company or organization in what is happening in real-time. This will make sure that your audiences recognize and remember you in the future, promoting your business. It is also essential to garnering new audiences- the more you are involved in social media, the more likely you are to come up in search results relating to your area of specialty!
I really like the format of this new book. The use of multiple authors allows for several different opinions and perspectives that have worked for people in the past. I love having several different sources from which to choose. After all, we are a business of begging, borrowing, and stealing in order to develop a process that works best for us.
Until next time!
Kathryn
Until next time!
Kathryn
Live-Tweeting
For those interested, I will be live-tweeting a symposium with the scenic designer for ONU's production of Picnic, Kenneth E. Ellis. This will start at 11:00am on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 and will go on for approximately an hour.
Follow me @katmw8 to keep up!
Follow me @katmw8 to keep up!
Monday, February 15, 2016
I Can't, I'm In Tech
In the theatre world, there is an unspoken understanding- tech week is hell. Rehearsals are long and tedious, designers and their assistants are frazzled and pressed for time, and everyone is exhausted. Nobody involved has any spare time or patience for anything you might want from them, so do not even bother asking. Your safest bet is to leave them alone and treat them with due pity and respect.
Tech rehearsals differ from regular rehearsals in several ways. At ONU, each night of the "week" (actually Friday through Wednesday) has a designated purpose. Friday night is a spacing rehearsal, in which the actors move from a relatively empty rehearsal space to the actual stage, which is still in some degree of construction. This allows the actors to see what the performances will actually feel like and gives the designers/crew an opportunity to see the show without their added effect. Saturday and Sunday morning consist of load-in, during which crew and work study members do their best to get as much of the set and light plot finished as possible. Saturday evening will be a cue-to-cue (abbreviated as Q2Q) rehearsal, during which the actors run through the show, stopping every few moments for sound and lighting designers to program and adjust their cues, or settings. This may or may not bleed into Sunday's rehearsal. When Q2Q is finished there is a stop-and-go during which the actors get to perform more fully with fewer designer stops. Monday night, actors are in hair, makeup and costume for the first time. Tuesday is the first dress rehearsal, during which the goal is to have no stops. Wednesday night is invited dress, which is essentially a preview. Thursday night is open, with additional performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Monday night is strike, when we take all the beautiful lighting and scenery we have created, tear it down, and throw it away.
Actors typically have about six weeks of rehearsal to put their part of the production together. As a member of the technical team, we have about four days to make the magic happen. As master electrician for the current production of Picnic by William Inge, I am working non-stop from the top of call until we are dismissed for the night. Actors, on the other hand, have the chance to pause in between their scenes and while the technical team is working. I certainly will never again complain about being tired as an actor.
Please go see Picnic this weekend! Performances are Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $5 for students, and they are well worth the price. The department has worked incredibly hard on this project and the results are beautiful.
Until next time!
Kathryn
Tech rehearsals differ from regular rehearsals in several ways. At ONU, each night of the "week" (actually Friday through Wednesday) has a designated purpose. Friday night is a spacing rehearsal, in which the actors move from a relatively empty rehearsal space to the actual stage, which is still in some degree of construction. This allows the actors to see what the performances will actually feel like and gives the designers/crew an opportunity to see the show without their added effect. Saturday and Sunday morning consist of load-in, during which crew and work study members do their best to get as much of the set and light plot finished as possible. Saturday evening will be a cue-to-cue (abbreviated as Q2Q) rehearsal, during which the actors run through the show, stopping every few moments for sound and lighting designers to program and adjust their cues, or settings. This may or may not bleed into Sunday's rehearsal. When Q2Q is finished there is a stop-and-go during which the actors get to perform more fully with fewer designer stops. Monday night, actors are in hair, makeup and costume for the first time. Tuesday is the first dress rehearsal, during which the goal is to have no stops. Wednesday night is invited dress, which is essentially a preview. Thursday night is open, with additional performances Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Monday night is strike, when we take all the beautiful lighting and scenery we have created, tear it down, and throw it away.
 |
| Not to mention class, work, and homework every day. |
Actors typically have about six weeks of rehearsal to put their part of the production together. As a member of the technical team, we have about four days to make the magic happen. As master electrician for the current production of Picnic by William Inge, I am working non-stop from the top of call until we are dismissed for the night. Actors, on the other hand, have the chance to pause in between their scenes and while the technical team is working. I certainly will never again complain about being tired as an actor.
Please go see Picnic this weekend! Performances are Thursday at 7:30 pm, Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, and Sunday at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $5 for students, and they are well worth the price. The department has worked incredibly hard on this project and the results are beautiful.
Until next time!
Kathryn
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