Sound design research.

By Joe Mountain.

Sound designers have plenty of key roles to ensure the performance sounds right and works well with the performance itself.

I believe their main role is to design, Install, and operate the sounds. This includes… what equipment is needed The sound designer has a very creative role.

The sound designer also needs to… Evoke emotion. Create the mood. Build tension. And underscore the action… underline the important parts of the piece. Source sounds, or even make the sounds. Edit the sounds to improve them.

Roles of a sound designer.

Sound in any kind of theatre is highly important. Different type of theatres use sound differently and in

different ways but all for the same reason… complete the picture.

I have chosen to analyse sound in these two styles of theatre and how they use sound differently… or even in the same way.

Musical theatre. Contemporary theatre.

Sound design.

Sound design in musical theatre. Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins is a play set in London during the world war. It

is about a family in need of a nanny who can handle the kids as many have failed before. Many had failed until Mary Poppins came along and changed the children to responsible and well behaved children.

Joseph and the Technicolor dream coat. Joseph and the Technicolor Dream coat is a story based on

the "coat of many colours“ that was given to joseph from his father. This coat was to give joseph many fortunes but bumpy roads were ahead. The story is based on the Bible's Book of Genesis.

Always has some sort of live music. Contains sound effects. Always spoon feeds the audience. Sound has a direct correlation to what’s happening

on stage. Diegetic and non-diegetic.

Mary Poppins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkHV6THFoDs

Joseph. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODXzBV-ejY0

Musical Theatre.

Contemporary dance. More experimental approach, no rules or regulations. Sound can work in correlation with the dance or

performance… or be completely disassociated, this provides confusion and tension in the audience.

Sound provides form, structural devices i.e. climax, time frame, rhythm etc.

The sound in dance usually suggests place, mood, time etc.

Three different kinds of contemporary… Ghost dance. Revelations. Beach birds for camera.

I have a clip from a dance based around beach birds for camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMrOIE6-Pos

Contemporary dance.

Both genres create a picture…. Builds the atmosphere through the design of sound.

Both CAN but may not be narrative… but they can be narrative with diegetic and non-diegetic sounds used in both.

Both follow general rules of sound design but musical theatre being more strict towards them.

Comparisons.

Contemporary dance conveys emotion through movement not sound.

Musical theatre always has a story line Musical always has some form of live band where

contemporary don’t Musical theatre is spoon fed… contemporary isn’t Contemporary is open to the audiences own

interpretation.

Contrasting.