Create and Improve:
During this phase of the design, we had to overcome many challenges, such as the frame falling apart due to weak materaials, or the rubber band shooting off of the car due to not being able to attach the band to the frame. Our solutions to these problems were quite simple, for example, for the issue of the frame, we simply added more glue to the connecting points of the frame, and for the rubber band issue, we found a way to wrap another band around the one that powered the car, making it stable and not able to shoot off the car. When improving the design, we considered ways to make the car faster/travel longer. For travelling longer, we tried using larger back wheels for a lower rotational inertia to make the force more spread out, and longer rubber bands to have more force.

develop and plan:
Our first idea for this project was to create a car powered by a mousetrap, with the basic mechanism of the mousetrap releasing and pulling a string, quickly spinning the axle, and moving the car forward. We found that mousetraps were difficult to come by, so we pivoted into another idea, inspired by a video on youtube of a person who made a car powered by a rubber band. Our plan was to make a slightly modified car, using a different axle mechanism for the rubber band to pull. Because the original design used bottle cap wheels, we were worried that the car would not grip well, so we planned to use large rubber wheels for the back wheels instead.

How did you do in your final performance?
I think I did well, I had emotion and good focal points.

What are you proud of and what would you change if you had the opportunity?
I was proud that I memorized the whole thing, and that I was able to convey my emotions better.

What discoveries did you make in your own acting process? What tools did you add to your toolbox for the future?
I discovered that practice really helps, and recording you reading a script helps you improve at knowing what points to fix and make your performance better.

I used to think that acting was all about following a script, wearing goofy costumes, and being dramatic, but now I’ve realized that acting in theatre can also be on the spot, or in other words, improv. at first, the idea of going onstage and just acting out a scene was strange and new to me and felt uncomfortable/scary. But after a couple lessons, it started feeling more and more natural.

A big learning idea in improvisation that I’ve learned is to always say yes, no matter the circumstance. This will stick with me because I’ve learned that one “no” can stop an entire scene.

I think during improv I was creative and added interesting things to scenes. I would like to improve at staying in character and following along with the scene.

1. Go with whatever is happening.
2. Add on and don’t let one person do all the work.
3. Know the boundaries.
4. Take turns.
5. Listener.
6. Engaged in the conversation.
7. Good attitude.
8. Energetic.
9. Know the scene.

I think I need to work on staying in character and being engaged, and also knowing how to add more to others’ sentences.

file:///Users/henry.zhu/Movies/ghost%20talk.mov