Pandemic Placement
The Covid-19 virus consumed over a hundred international locations, forcing the World Health Organisation to implement a global pandemic. Day to day life was disrupted by extraordinary lockdowns, strict journey bans and social distancing. For students this looked like disruption and isolation as education was conducted online, leading to difficulties finding work placements within the creative arts industries due to government guidelines. Throughout this blog, I will be utilising Gibb’s Reflective Learning Cycle[1] to evaluate joining Event Heroes as a placement. As it gives a framework for inspecting experiences, and given its circular nature it lends particularly nicely to repeated experiences, permitting you to learn and plan from things that went well or didn’t go well.
Underneath the given circumstances I utilised social media platforms to network potential placements as social media platforms are increasingly becoming more popular for recruitment, according to Digital 2021: The UK It “found that nearly 78% (53 million people) of the UK population is active on social media (January 2021), up by nearly 5% on the previous year”[2] suggesting that advertising jobs via this medium is fast turning into the quick, available manner of attaining applications. As a pupil taking part in a work-primarily based module it was important that i focused on securing a placement, I found Event Heroes via Instagram and networked via their facebook page and email corresponding with the director Ciaran Mallon. During the initial online zoom interview with Mr Mallon and with the understanding that media platforms don’t come without faults such as manipulating ‘through understanding expressive, communicative, ethical […] dimensions’[3] with this being the first interview experience for myself on the platform of zoom. This left me feeling vulnerable and extraordinarily apprehensive of the perception of my verbal communication in regards to signal faults and natural or unintended pauses in conversation and the display of my gestures being visually restrained and minimised on a screen, resulting in diminishing my expressive personality and nature. Despite the uncertainty, the nature of the relaxed environment and familiar surroundings of home devolved a natural openness between Mr Mallon and myself as an interviewee as it gave an open window to each other’s lives an otherwise private setting in regards to workplace interview.
This environment helped build a rapport and showcase my knowledge on the company ideals and slogan, ‘Entertainment you can believe in’[4], cleverly having my cosplay wardrobe on display. Highlighting that I would be an ideal candidate as it encompasses costuming and performance relevant to my degree but also displays other niches not currently used within my degree, a cosplayer who possesses skills as a novice seamstress and wig stylist. Utilising my strengths and talents, I was able to create personalised masks for the Event Heroes characters, I was able to sew masks for the characters to ensure character safety, offer a service and set of skills that no other crew member could provide. Reflecting back on this process as aesthetically pleasing personalised masks are to individual costumes in respects to colour pallets and individuality, it would have been far less time consuming to produce a generic Event Hero branded mask, resulting in cheaper labour costs and far less demanding time scale on a single seamstress.
2020-2021 saw the cancellation of many distinguished festivals, sporting activities, exhibitions and live shows in order to slow the virus, however Covid-19 hasn’t faded the importance of in-person events for individuals who were committed and looking forward to returning as soon as restrictions lifted. My placement started on June 2021, just in time for the government guidelines to allow change to restrictions of outdoor public events to be possible however this required adapting after the lockdown, with safety measures for example the Event Heroes COVID safe policy was Implemented requiring protocols: sanitised costumes, wigs, props and hands before and after each event, performers/crew vaccinated ‘where possible’ and all performers and crew to wear face coverings. Having these strict protocols in place meant that Event Heroes could return by offering limited services which helped to facilitate cherished memories for those most affected by the pandemic for example families like Lilly’s celebrating her 5th Birthday and the final one with her terminally ill mother. Due to health and travel restrictions the family couldn’t take their intended trip to Disneyland Paris as it would have been far too dangerous. Event Heroes bought 5 princesses to the outside garden party, maintaining a minimum of 2 meters distance while wearing triple layered masks to protect the family and the princess performers bringing a little lightness and magic to an isolating time. This birthday experience was emotionally rewarding because it was providing dreams, joy and an unforgettable service to a family with tragic circumstances, however it did not come without its emotional challenges as characters could not shed a tear or break character due to character integrity while dealing with such a sensitive nature at this birthday party and if it were to be done again an emotional debriefing would be helpful as its ‘ a structured voluntary discussion aimed at putting an abnormal event into perspective.’[5] An emotional debriefing would be helpful to aid with the healing in regards to performers dealing with that emotional trauma of the event and circumstances surrounding the pandemic with the 2 meter non-contact rule.
The pandemic although particularly difficult to navigate due to the nature of Event Heroes work, government guidelines and the unpredictability of future events, has not been an overall negative experience to the start of my placement, it has given an opportunity to showcase skills that otherwise would not have been displayed before for example my Character masks and personable skills during the zoom interview. Even in regards to the restrictions like the 2 meter rule it has given character performers autonomy over their bodies, not to be touched or played with like a rag doll as often members of the public forget that underneath the performance and costume there is a real human being.
Bibliography
Denda, K. (2015) ‘Visual Literacy: A Critical Information Literacy’, “Developing Interview Skills and Visual Literacy: A New Model of Engagement for Academic Libraries.”, 15(2), pp.313
Gibbs reflective learning cycle (Graham Gibbs, 1988)
Hootsuite Inc, Kepios Pte. Ltd. We Are Social Ltd ‘ Digital 2021. The United Kingdom’ . [online] Available at: <https://wearesocial-net.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/common/reports/digital-2021/digital-2021-uk.pdf> [Accessed 1 November 2021].
Mallon, C (2018) Event Heroes ‘Entertainment you can believe in’. [online] Available at: https://www.eventheroesni.com [Accessed 10 November 2021]
“Workplace Safety – Coping With A Critical Incident – Better Health Channel”, Betterhealth.Vic.Gov.Au, 2011 <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/workplace-safety-coping-with-a-critical-incident#bhc-content> [Accessed 6 November 2021]
[1] Gibbs reflective learning cycle (Graham Gibbs, 1988)
[3] Denda, K. (2015) ‘Visual Literacy: A Critical Information Literacy’
[4] Mallon, C. (2018)
[5] “Workplace Safety – Coping With A Critical Incident – Better Health Channel”, Betterhealth.Vic.Gov.Au, 2011 <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/workplace-safety-coping-with-a-critical-incident#bhc-content> [Accessed 6 November 2021].
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