Journal Entry 6

Week 6

Reflecting back on preparing for my final project, I found the most challenging aspect condensing and rewriting the play to fit the modern theme I wanted. This play was originally written in Greek, and translated to Old English. I originally wanted to translate Cyclops using only the Old English script, however I found it impossible and not very effective in terms of getting the best possible dialogue I could. What I did to counter that was I searched for already modern interpretations of Cyclops.

I managed to find a really good interpretation I could understand, however I couldn’t just simply use that, since it would be plagiarism. So, I rewrote my desired scene from the modern script in my own words. The only problem was that this script was incredibly long. The individual responsible really embellished each and every possible word from the old script into his dialogue. Thus, I had to condense it, picking the lines I felt were more important.

I also tweaked the script to fit the number of people I had available for filming. Including myself, I had four people available. My mother filmed, and my brother and father acted. My brother filled the role as the leader of the warriors who were trapped in Cyclops’ cave, while my father played Cyclops himself.

The tools I used for this course were props and costumes. I tried to find the best cave I could, using a clearing into the woods in the back of my home. I also shredded a shirt to wear, and carried a wine bottle and sword. In the play, Odysseus gets Cyclops drunk off of very fancy wine, while stabbing him in the eye afterwards. I felt these tools were adequate for the story.

What I enjoyed most from this process was the acting itself. I do not consider myself a very good actor, but I have never really given it a shot. It is fun to get in the role of somebody completely different and try and see things through their eyes, acting how you think they would act in a given situation. I also enjoyed seeing my family act and take on their roles as well. It was an experience that allowed us to collaborate together, something we rarely get to do in such a fashion.

What I learned from creating this piece is that I have a far larger creative side to me when I put my mind to it. I also learned my father can show silly emotions and not be rather stoic all the time. Most importantly, I learned that this will serve as a memory from this summer, and that is something my family and I will truly enjoy.