Im in the money!

I thought i would mention the fact that every piece of WBL i have undertaken has been paid!

This has not been intentional as i did not know i would receive payment for :

Working with Vicky at her children's Parties

Working at stagecoach

Filming on the healthy Lifestyles Project

The only WBL i knew i would be payed for is Kent's Cavern!

This is obviously a bonus and shows i have skills which employee's find valuable and are willing to pay for , therefore if i needed a income i could look for similar job roles to these in the future.

Having done the WBL i know what the job Intel's , and that i actually enjoy it, and can offer skills to my employer.

I have worked out i have actually made about £350 after tax! Not to bad! 

 

Kents Cavern Here I Come!

Over the Past week i have contacted Kent's Cavern via Email asking if they have any Part time Vacancies.

I received an answer from James Hull , The General Manager for Kent's Cavern.

The Role involves Dressing as a Christmas elf who will engage with members of the public in the 'Kids Zone' after they have finished their tour of the caves and met Santa.

1.- Being dressed as an elf may not be what i envisioned but will certainly be exciting.

2- Children! I have mentioned this before but i NEED to learn what techniques to use to engage with them as i would like to work with children in the future!

I was called in for an interview after submitting my application form , and met James in person. He gave me a guided tour of the area i would be working in and explained the job in more detail.
before hand i did my research on Kent's cavern and also put a portfolio together of work i had done in the past which i thought would be relevant to the post.
I made sure i presented myself in a professional manner wearing black jeans and a smart top, as first impressions count! I also turned up 20 minutes early!


He clearly stated i would be an Entertainer not a 'Child Watcher' and i would not be left with the children on my own ... I bought this up as i do not have a CRB and am over the age of 18. My role would include me staying in character for hours at a time , as this is Santa's grotto not just Kent's cavern and I'm not just Elly Bowden, I am Elly the Elf! This is certainly going to be a challenging role but i want to push myself and see if i can maintain a character and persona for continuous amounts of time.

Well I'm pleased to say i got the job :)

He was impressed with my theatrical skills and previous experience and my openness to the role. I must say i was worried as he continually mentioned the high standard he expects of his staff and that he only usually employs Grammar students! So this one is for the underdogs!

I have a training day where i will meet the director and discuss paperwork and any worries and queries i may have ... Oh and try on the dashing elf costume! ;)

My Initial Aim:

To get my name and face recognised at Kent's cavern so there is potential for job offers within the company.

 My Secondary Aim: To get the role at Kent's Cavern.

Objectives:

Contact Kent's Cavern and ask if there are any job vacancies

Leave my Name and Contact Details on the Email

Introduce myself to James Hall

Arrive at Kent's Cavern and have an Interview

Show off my skills and training i have within the arts which i feel will be invaluable to my job role.

Maintain a friendly and approachable persona

At the moment these are my aims but i also have Aims and Objectives for the job role itself.

These will be put on here at a later date once i have my staff training day and fully know what the job Intel's!

My online profile.

I have had this for awhile but have decided to add it to my blog, as i hope i will be able to get work experiance both paid and unpaid from it in the future.

I also use the site to look through other peoples profiles to see how they present themselves both visually through pictures and their wording in text.

This account also lets me see what auditions are available and would be sutible for me and has helped me decide wheter there would be work for me when i leave university or not.

My Starnow Profile


^^Check out my online profile^^


My profile lists: My name, age and location. A picture. How many profile views i have.

My skills: I am listed under Actor, Model and Musician. My profile also shows my Physical details and previous experiance within my skill feilds.

My current head shot picture :)

Work experiance with vicky

As mentioned before in previous posts i have been working with Vicky at her children's parties , so far i have been a pirate 'arrrrgggh' and a circus friend!
I have learned how to faint paint , and facilitate games. I feel alot more confident working with children and actually enjoy it ... i never thought i would!

The most valuable thing i have learned from Vicky , is that to have you're own business you have to work extremely hard and have alot of commitment!
Vicky takes the time to select presents for each birthday child , and create exciting arts and crafts for them to do in relation to their chosen theme.

Networking skills are essential as well as organisation in order to be successful.

Pictures :) 

Stagecoach- October 2010

I had the opportunity to fill in as an assistant to Vicky Nagy at stage coach. This was  due to Louise being away on holiday ... so thank you Louise!

Stagecoach is a company i have always wanted to be a part of/work in so i jumped at the opportunity!

My role would require setting up tables and chairs, setting up the biscuits and juice , tying shoe laces and generally making sure the children are safe and not causing havoc! 

We started work at 9am , i was unsure of what would be expected , if the children would be angels or devils and excited to meet the boss *Jan* and get my name and face out there, for potential employment and networking opportunities!

The children (3-7) were learning peter pan, so i listened to them saying their lines ,  and sing 'never smile at a crocodile!' a song that was etched into my brain for the next 10 hours!!! *It's incredibly catchy!*

We played musical statues, this was a learning curb for me as i was chosen to pick the children who were moving, i made a young girl cry , the crocodile tears came rolling down her cheeks  ... this is something i felt terrible about and at first i wasn't sure how to cope. I soon realised the situation could soon be sorted with a sticker!

The children had bubbly, live and energetic personalities which made the experience fun and kept me on my toes! I would love to work with them again and with stagecoach permanently as i think its a great company.

• Aim: To get my name and face recognised by Jan the principal of stagecoach. 

• Objectives: 
• To undertake work experience with stagecoach
• To work to the best of my ability and maintain high levels of energy
• Introduce myself personally to Jan and tell her about my interests within stagecoach
• To tell Jan what i am currently studying and what i hope to do in the future

By working with Vicky and helping out during her classes , and ... by meeting Jan i now can say i have worked for stagecoach professionally if not only for a short time , i am however helping out again in November! I have made a new contact in Jan and hope to work with her in the future!

True to her word, Jan hired me twice again to help out during classes and during dress rehearsals for the two groups performing peter pan. I had to help the children into their costumes and working with Louise cue the children onto the stage. The challenges included keeping them quiet behind stage and making sure they entered the stage when they were suppose to. Some children played up and were very noisy and fidgety. I quickly came up with a silent game of 'Simon says' and managed to keep the children quiet ... success!

I also faced the mission of almost pushing the children on stage , as some of them really did not want to co-operate and parents were waiting to see their child in the spotlight!

I came with the aim of getting my name and contact details out there to stagecoach and Jan , and have been very successful in doing so , each time i was paid for my help , so she obviously thought i was capable and Right for the job otherwise she would have not asked for my help again. Hopefully in the future i could perhaps secure a job opportunity with her!

Healthy lifestyles Project - June 2010 - 3 days!

Thanks to my wonderful tutor Sandy i got the opportunity to partake in an educational film for children in primary schools , encouraging them to make the conscious decision to live a healthy and active life!

I was apprehensive , as i will admit I'm not the healthiest person in the world and probably don't exercise as much as i should. The lessons and morals taught to the students benefited me also , i now realise how important it is to live a healthy and active life especially as a performer!

I had never done any filming previously so was nervous about what would be expected! I wanted to know what was required of an actor when filming , would i have to speak slowly , change the pitch and tone of my voice or not do anything at all and act like i normally would? The hardest part of filming, was portraying a 10 year, without coming across as patronising to the pupils watching! This was challenging being the ripe age of 20!

Who ever said filming is glamorous or easy LIED! 

The days were long and tiring as every line you say , you have to repeat again at different speeds and different angles. The amount of times i had to dramatically fall on the floor and drink fizzy orange * a drink i now hate with a passion!* could make me cry! All part of filming i guess! 
The fall by the way ... was epic! I could have got an Oscar ... If not slightly over dramatic!

That all said i thoroughly enjoyed the experience and working with the pupils who took part in the filming. The pupils aged 10, all had very different personalities and made the experience fun and exciting. They surprised me with how well behaved they were and really made our job easy!

My favourite part of the experience was making a green food chain and a red food chain , we chose fried chicken and organic carrots. The sound effects were hilarious, thanks to Dan!

• My Aim: To undertake in professional filming and learn what is required of an actor.

• Objectives:
•  Attend all 3 days of filming
• Talk to the director/camera man about their experience within filming 
• Undertake the project with an open mind 
• Ask other actors how they feel after filming both mentally and physically
• Experience the project first hand as an actor
• Read the script and project outline
• Talk to the pupils about the project/ did they find us funny/approachable etc

I feel i have achieved my aim , having taken part in this project i now know that filming is not easy and requires a lot of energy , commitment and concentration. I managed to speak with both other peer members and the director about their personal experiences and have gained both valuable knowledge and contacts for the future. Having read the script prior to filming i had a general outline of what would be required of me and knew how to prepare myself mentally and physically for the days ahead. Most importantly going in with an open mind meant i had no prior opinions/feelings about what to expect and therefore i let go of my inhibitions and enjoyed the project fully!

Blogging should be a daily routine!

I have realised that a blog can easily be rejected as initially i don't think to check my blog and edit it daily or even weekly in all honestly.

In future i want to update my blog on a more regular basis! Or atleast allocate time where i will check over my blog and make comments on others aswell.

BLOG NAME

On no , I've realised my original blog name's spelling was wrong!

My new blog name is : EllyBowdenwbl.blogspot.com

Please let everyone know.

Thankyou x

Work experience 11th April 2010. 1pm-4pm

My work placement had finally come around , so today was the day i would be helping Vicky Nagy with her children's party.

So at 1pm after being kitted out in my pirate gear to fit James 4th pirate birthday party we set up the venue.

Whilst setting up we thought about places we could arrange the face paints, the pirate treasure and how to arrange the arts and crafts activates in the middle of the room. I made sure all activities were accessible and inviting for the children.

Setting up also included finding plugs for the ipod dock and CD player, and liaising with parents to discuss how the party would run.

I encountered many new social situations which i found initially hard to deal with , i had to except that not all the children would be open to having their face painted and therefore did not force anyone to have one, i also learnt that the children need alot of attention , praise and energy!

Initially i felt nervous, as Vicky is confident with children and i have not had much prior experience in teaching or facilitating workshops to children of that age, i went to the party with these aims and objectives in mind.

Aims and Objectives:

Aim: To help facilitate games and exercises for young children in a fun and exciting way, learning suitable disciplinary methods. 
  
Objectives:

• Create fun activities for the children which are well thought and organised                  
• Make children and parents feel welcome by introducing them to myself and the space                 
• Get the children to join in games by supporting and reassuring them
• Praise the children when they complete exercises and be firm but not intimidating when they are not listening to instructions

Vicky hosted the games and i supported her in this. I understood that being my first time my responsibilities would be minimal and Vicky needed to ensure they party ran smoothly and successfully as this is her own business.

I made sure all equipment needed was in place for games and remembered children's names she had forgotten (there was 24 children!)  I also made sure the children were safe and not feeling left out of the fun!

Things i have learnt:

1. How to run my own business and take into consideration tax/money etc - I discussed this with Vicky and asked her how easy or hard running and up keeping your own business is!
2. How to interact with young children- I learnt that i can speak to them on my level and not patronise them by speaking in a 'baby voice.' I also learnt how to get the children to pay attention, and join in with games in a friendly and non intimidating way.
3. How to liaise with customers/clients on a professional level which is friendly and approachable.
4. Alot of time preparation is needed to run quality workshops for children , Vicky supplied her own balloons, arts and crafts materials, face paints, music, prizes, party bags and presents for the birthday boy.

I feel i have achieved my aim , i helped facilitate games and exercises but would like to be more actively involved in the future and now feel more comfortable both around children and dealing with social situations praising/disciplinary.


I can honestly say i enjoyed the experience and would love to help out again and perhaps next time take more of a leadership role as i now have experienced how to deal with children and parents. I am looking into developing my own skills as a performer learning how to perform magic tricks, making balloon animals and  Face Painting professionally.

Just a few pictures from the party!

My work placements!

Work placements!

After creating my WBL proposal and figuring out potential contacts / placement's i am now looking into starting my first work placement with  'Miss Vicky Nagy' who is a children's party extraordinaire. I know her through my partner as she is his sister , so this is a great placement to start with as i feel secure and happy to work with her! I understand although there may be surprises, i wont be chucking myself in the deep end by not knowing the person I'm working with!

who is vicky? Please click the link to see her webpage!


Currently i haven't got in contact with everyone i would like to work with at the moment , this is because i have been pre-occupied with other assignments but i have had a few which have said yes!

Vicky Nagy (Children's parties)

and ... TAF (Torbay Acting Factory) I was a member there for 10 years and i really enjoyed putting on shows, i have a good contact with Polly Anna Davis who runs the drama/singing and dance classes. I am also familiar with the venue layout and have helped out previously during work experience in year 10 so have a few idea's of what may be required but with the new skills learnt on the course i could offer alot more as a workshop facilitator and in regards to health and safety. 

http://www.torbayactingfactory.com/

Check out this very old pic  ;) I was about 9 here and Vicky Nagy is also in it to on the chair next to me what a coincidence!

 

I'm sat on the floor far left with a white top and headband on :)