2. THE SOUND DESIGNER
As a Sound Designer, there are many things that must be considered and taken into
account when designing for events and shows. I have chosen to research and analyse
Musical Theatre and Contemporary Dance; two very different genres in which sound
design is incredibly important in setting specific atmospheres.
Most sound designers have
come from being composers
Design, install and
operate
Working extremely closely with
the directors and
choreographers
Evoke emotion, underscore
the action and create mood &
atmosphere
Sourcing the sound/music
Edit the sound
Diegetic and non
diegetic sounds
What equipment is needed and
where?
Reading/analysing the script
and adding cues
3. ANALYSIS OF SOUND
• Time
• Place
• Season
• Era
• Mood & atmosphere
• Society/class
• Culture
• Geographical location
4. MUSICAL THEATRE
Musical theatre is a form of theatre that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting,
and dance. The story and emotional content of the piece are communicated through
the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the performance.
Conventional approach
Often a traditional score
is used
Motif & motif
development
Live orchestra
Sound effects
Spoon fed to the
audience
Diegetic & non
diegetic
Often uses direct
correlation
http://www.youtube.com/wa
tch?feature=player_detailpa
5. CONTEMPORARY DANCE
Contemporary Dance is a style of expressive dance that combines elements of
several dance genres including modern, jazz, lyrical and classical ballet. Contemporary
dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements.
Original scores
used
Can work in direct
correlation or be completely
disassociated
Can provide structural
devices
Place, mood, time
Experimental
approach – no rules
Motifs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player
_detailpage&v=0IH_rrpj0CU#t=6
6. COMPARISON
Similarities
• Both genres create a
specific atmosphere
through sound
design
• Both genres CAN
BE narrative
Differences
• Contemporary dance
expresses emotion through
movement
• Musical theatre always
follows a storyline
• Musical theatre is spoon
fed – the audience is never
left wondering why
something happened
• Contemporary dance is
open to the audience’s own
interpretation
Editor's Notes
As a Sound Designer, there are many things that must be considered and taken into account when designing for events and shows. I have chosen to research and analyse Musical Theatre and Contemporary Dance; two very different genres in which sound design is incredibly important in setting specific atmospheres.Most sound designers have come from being composers, so have more experience and understanding of what sound design includes, allowing them to be more professional. It’s extremely important for the Sound Designer to co-operate with the directors and choreographers of the performance, whether it be a musical theatre or contemporary dance production, so that they understand every aspect of it and are able to manipulate sound to portray a specific mood, atmosphere, geographical location or time of day. Sound Designers must also consider how the sound is going to be heard. It is essential for all equipment to be correctly and carefully placed around the stage, and even on the actors, so that the audience can hear everything that’s going on and, in the case of musical theatre, aren’t left guessing. The script must be read and analysed by the Sound Designer so that cues can be added, informing the designer of when to cue specific sounds. All sounds must be designed, installed and operated carefully in order to create the desired atmosphere, ultimately to evoke emotion and underscore the action.
In some cases, performances are reliant upon the music and sound. It can help to tell a story, set a time, place and date, represent a location and create a mood and atmosphere to allow the audience to relate and be a part of the show. For example, if a musical theatre piece was based in the Victorian era, the Sound Designer would have to source sounds that are relevant to that time period to give the performance a realistic approach. Contemporary dance, however, is more open to the audience’s interpretation, so does not often tell a story like a musical theatre piece does. Instead, the sounds might portray the geographical location for the performance by playing a soundtrack of music that originates from that particular location.
Musical theatre is a form of theatre that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The story and emotional content of the piece are communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the performance.A conventional approach is often taken and this allows the audience to be spoon fed – they always know what’s going on in the performance because they can easily follow the dialogue, and more often than not, the music tells part of the story, too. Music and sounds in musical theatre will always be performed live by an orchestra beside the stage. This is because Musical Theatre is all about interacting with the audience and making them feel included in the performance, so the live music adds to the whole atmosphere. Everything in a Musical Theatre performance works towards one clear idea. As evidence, I’ve chosen the ‘Cell Block Tango’ from Chicago the musical. It is set in Prohibition-era Chicago and based on a 1926 play of the same name, telling the story of women who have murdered their partners. (WATCH CLIP – STOP AT 6:05). All sound throughout this song is diegetic. All actors and dancers work with the music to create a sense of realness and tension, there is no disassociation. The lyrics of the song spoon feed the audience so there is no guess work involved when watching the performance.The music playing is by a live orchestra but the actors and dancers create additional foundsounds with their hands and feet. Both the music and foundsounds have very quick attacks, short sustains and quick delays to represent the emotion in the performance. The music doesn’t depict the time of day, however it does create a tense, almost angry atmosphere. The pitch of the music varies from minor to major and the intensity of the music combined with the sharp actions on stage completes the picture of a 1920s prison and makes the performance realistic and much more thrilling. The Sound Designer would have placed microphones all around the stage so that the sounds of the actors hands and feet can be heard.
Contemporary dance is a style of expressive dance that combines elements of several dance genres including modern, jazz, lyrical and classical ballet. Contemporary dancers strive to connect the mind and the body through fluid dance movements.Unlike Musical Theatre, Contemporary Dance can be completely disassociated. A more experimental approach is taken as there are no rules or regulations – more often than not there is no narrative, but there is a motif visible throughout the performance which evokes emotion. The sounds and music can provide a structure to the performance, or depict the time of day, the place, and create a mood. As evidence, I’ve chosen Beach Birds for Camera which is choreographed by Merce Cunningham. (WATCH CLIP). As you can see, this piece is not in direct correlation with the music – it is completely disassociated. The music is non diegetic because the dancers don’t react to it, instead they evoke emotion through fluid movements, and this creates a mood which is interpreted in many different ways by the audience.
