Daniella Dennis – UCAS Personal Statement
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I am currently 18 years old and studying a two-year Performing Arts UAL extended diploma acting programme at Leyton Sixth Form College. In this course I am studying the disciplinary developments of singing, dancing and acting, my favourite discipline being acting. I do not want to attend an institution of further education as I feel that going straight into the industry is a more suitable path for me as I plan to continue working part-time, get an agent as well as take a one year acting class at City Lit to develop my skills as an actress so I would be prepared for roles within Television, radio and Film. I would rather start my career now as a young black female actress and have my career grow with age than in three years’ time.
I really enjoyed Unit 8 because it was a Unit where I got to spend more time crafting my acting technique and understanding the process of becoming a character. For Unit 8 I performed a monologue called ‘Born Bad’ by debby tucker green, the style of the play was in-yer-face, which is acting that challenges its audience in a clear and direct fashion. To successfully perform this monologue, I had to heighten my knowledge on the entire play, from that I had to annotate my monologue and fully understand why my character feels the way she does, what motivates her reactions. Vocally, from this performance I learned to have more vocal intonation to prevent the scene being lost. I learned how to control and manipulate my voice in order to provoke the intended emotions from the audience and to implement realism. Practitioners such as Stanislavski have greatly contributed to my acting technique because I spent a unit on my course studying his methods of acting, enjoying learning about the system. Over the course of this year I have worked on my own artistry, thus becoming more imaginative, authentic and vulnerable. To contribute to my voice, I learned how to effectively block my piece, by doing this, visually the scene looks better and creates an atmosphere. In addition, it helps me to mentally log when I have to say my lines. This year both singing and acting have taught me the importance of breath control. Regarding singing I’ve learnt to breathe from my diaphragm, instead of breathing from my chest, this has allowed me to hold a note for longer and create and project a bigger sound without running out of breath.
In secondary school, I was a part of a performing arts production called ‘Make Believe’ where I was trained by lecturers who are presently active in the industry which influenced my choice into studying performing arts in further education. As well as studying full time, I am also working part time as a sales assistant in JD sports. Working and studying share similar requirements of me, team work & communication a necessity to both. At work some of my duties consist of: standards (shutdown), punctual, helping customers, maximize sale profits. I believe that my course has developed my professionalism as this is a very cut-throat industry also allowing me to implement these habits into my work-life. I also worked in a hairdresser as an assistant for professional hair-stylist Selena Williams where I ran the company’s social media page, prepped clients, organized appointments. Due to the experience I gained from working professionally in a hairdresser, I now have my own hair business where I offer a vary of services to clients to further support myself financially. I also take heel dancing classes a Studio 68 as an opportunity to learn something new.
I am a hard-working individual who uses each day as an opportunity to grow and learn new things. I have no doubt that going straight into the industry is the right choice for me as I have carefully looked at my options. There are many opportunities out there for me and I firmly believe now is the time for me to take them.
Why did I structure my personal statement in this form ?
A personal statement needs to showcase all your qualities and achievements but at the same time fit neatly on to one page to avoid being dreary. At first I did not know how to structure a personal statement or what to write in it. I was also worried about it not being as appealing as someone who is applying to higher education. In a lesson covering personal statements ,we were told what we needed to include in our personal statements. There were eight questions, such as " What and where have you studied?", I used most of these questions to help write my personal statement. I answered each question in a paragraph or in some covered a few questions in one paragraph. By doing this it helps whomever is reading to clearly see what each section covers and that I am confident within myself and writing. This also displays professionalism and my eye for detail; being able to effectively separate my ideas.
Why in this order?
The reason why my personal statement is in this order is because it is important that I immediately statement and myself. I then go on to say how the training has helped develop me as an actor and what I have taken away from it. This displays my willingness to learn and my passion for the art and my progression throughout the course. The next paragraph is external, it explains how I support myself financially and other activities I take interest in. Finally the last paragraph strongly supports my personal statement in reminding the reader why they should take an interest in me and what I can bring to the table.
Why did I keep my personal statement fairly generic?
My reason for keeping my personal statement generic is because I wanted to ensure I am presenting myself as applicable as possible for various opportunities. I didn't want it to seem as though I am limiting myself.
My intent:
" I believe that my course has developed my professionalism as this is a very cut-throat industry also allowing me to implement these habits into my work-life. I also worked in a hairdressers as an assistant for professional hair-stylist Selena Williams where I ran the company’s social media page, prepped clients, organized appointments. Due to the experience I gained from working professionally in a hairdresser, I now have my own hair business where I offer a vary of services to clients to further support myself financially." - [see paragraph 4 above.]
My intention by including this into my personal statement was to give an insight into another part of my life be siding performing arts. This also shows one of the ways which I may support myself between jobs in my upcoming acting career. It demonstrates my professionalism with working with people and also how I advertise and promote myself in a engaging manner. Which is beneficial as our generation is heavily impacted by social media.
In the second paragraph I talk about which units I enjoying during the UAL course and what I have gained from it. The reason why I included this into my personal statement is because it is relevant to the industry I am trying to be apart of, it presents my training and my understanding of the three disciplines.
What did I extract from my personal statement?
"In secondary school, I was a part of a performing arts production called ‘Make Believe’ where I was trained by lecturers who are presently active in the industry which influenced my choice into studying performing arts in further education"
The small paragraph above still remains in my personal statement but was originally longer as I went on to say the productions I had been apart of while in this external institution ( for example performing in the West End in a show produced by ' Make Believe') and also how I belonged to an agency ran by the same company. My reason for deducting this from my personal statement is because I didn't think it had much relevance and rather belonged in a cover letter or acting cv.
Why did I structure my personal statement in this form ?
A personal statement needs to showcase all your qualities and achievements but at the same time fit neatly on to one page to avoid being dreary. At first I did not know how to structure a personal statement or what to write in it. I was also worried about it not being as appealing as someone who is applying to higher education. In a lesson covering personal statements ,we were told what we needed to include in our personal statements. There were eight questions, such as " What and where have you studied?", I used most of these questions to help write my personal statement. I answered each question in a paragraph or in some covered a few questions in one paragraph. By doing this it helps whomever is reading to clearly see what each section covers and that I am confident within myself and writing. This also displays professionalism and my eye for detail; being able to effectively separate my ideas.
Why in this order?
The reason why my personal statement is in this order is because it is important that I immediately statement and myself. I then go on to say how the training has helped develop me as an actor and what I have taken away from it. This displays my willingness to learn and my passion for the art and my progression throughout the course. The next paragraph is external, it explains how I support myself financially and other activities I take interest in. Finally the last paragraph strongly supports my personal statement in reminding the reader why they should take an interest in me and what I can bring to the table.
Why did I keep my personal statement fairly generic?
My reason for keeping my personal statement generic is because I wanted to ensure I am presenting myself as applicable as possible for various opportunities. I didn't want it to seem as though I am limiting myself.
My intent:
" I believe that my course has developed my professionalism as this is a very cut-throat industry also allowing me to implement these habits into my work-life. I also worked in a hairdressers as an assistant for professional hair-stylist Selena Williams where I ran the company’s social media page, prepped clients, organized appointments. Due to the experience I gained from working professionally in a hairdresser, I now have my own hair business where I offer a vary of services to clients to further support myself financially." - [see paragraph 4 above.]
My intention by including this into my personal statement was to give an insight into another part of my life be siding performing arts. This also shows one of the ways which I may support myself between jobs in my upcoming acting career. It demonstrates my professionalism with working with people and also how I advertise and promote myself in a engaging manner. Which is beneficial as our generation is heavily impacted by social media.
In the second paragraph I talk about which units I enjoying during the UAL course and what I have gained from it. The reason why I included this into my personal statement is because it is relevant to the industry I am trying to be apart of, it presents my training and my understanding of the three disciplines.
What did I extract from my personal statement?
"In secondary school, I was a part of a performing arts production called ‘Make Believe’ where I was trained by lecturers who are presently active in the industry which influenced my choice into studying performing arts in further education"
The small paragraph above still remains in my personal statement but was originally longer as I went on to say the productions I had been apart of while in this external institution ( for example performing in the West End in a show produced by ' Make Believe') and also how I belonged to an agency ran by the same company. My reason for deducting this from my personal statement is because I didn't think it had much relevance and rather belonged in a cover letter or acting cv.
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