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Almost, Maine – Filming to Stream & Music

Filming to Stream

On Monday and Wednesday of the last week of term, the 'Almost, Maine' cast started filming scenes from the play. The purpose of filming is to stream the production in case the show cannot be performed due to the pandemic.


Filming involved working with a studio set up in the media room. Students were in full costume, with set and props used to capture the theatricality of the performance. A green screen was set up to allow animations and video footage to be added later.


The process of capturing theatre on film is difficult. Theatre is live and is based on an exchange with an audience. This meant scenes had to be reworked for the camera. The cast had to be versatile in order to adapt their theatrical stage work into a small, intimate film studio.


As for ticket sales: night 1 of the show (Wed 24 August) is quickly selling out, so make sure you book a seat as soon as possible!

There are still plenty of tickets left for night 2 (Thursday 25 August) but book ahead, so you don't miss out!

PHOEBE A. Y10
Publicity

Love You So – Original Song

I wrote the lyrics and melody of 'Love You So' for Woodleigh's Senior production of 'Almost Maine'. I have always had an interest in creating songs and have written quite a few before. Mostly, the lyrics and melodies come into my head before anything else. A lot of the time they come completely out of the blue! I have always liked writing: making words into poems and songs, writing descriptive recollections of a moment in life, or creating dark, fictional tales. But I love how adding music to these words and telling a story, can suddenly profoundly touch a person's heart. It can make a person happy, angry, cry, laugh, dance, sing along, or just sit in silence, encapsulated by the sound of a voice, the sound of an instrument, the sound of a story.


'Love You So' just came about. At first, it was just words and a melody, written in my note app, and recorded in my voice memos, but it wasn't until I was introduced to the play 'Almost, Maine' and the people I would be working with, that the song became something that conveyed meaning, and emotion, that linked back to the themes in the play. Over the term, I wrote extra verses that echoed storylines and experimented with the structure of the song. Throughout rehearsals, a small group of student musicians were led by a student Musical Director. Together, we developed the chords for the song, crafted an instrumental bridge section, explored different instrumentation, and added vocal harmonies.

It came together as a full sound, with lots of people involved and lots of instruments as well. Tayla in Year 12 played guitar and cello, Milly in Year 11 was on violin, Rani in Year 9 played the vibes, and Tabi in Year 10 was the pianist. We also all sang vocals for the track. I enjoyed hearing the song's vocal patterns and harmonies come to life, and the way the instruments brought bass, rhythm and harmony into what had initially begun with a simple melody. Despite being in different year levels, we worked well collaboratively, and all got to know each other through the intimate, creative processes of writing a song.

At the end of this devising and refining process, we finally got to record. This was slightly daunting and difficult to do at times, but it was a really good experience. I got to record my double bass and my vocals, and I learned techniques that I will definitely use in the future!! I'm thrilled that my song is going to be used multiple times in the show. Please book your tickets so you can enjoy our work.

Milla L. Y9 Composer

Photo montage by Lou Lou B. Y12