Intro to Sound and Music Intro to Stagecraft

The Three Components of Theatre Sound Intro to Sound and Music

What Makes up Theatrical Sound? The three components that make up stage sound are: Dialogue Sound effects Music What Makes up Theatrical Sound? 3

Speech is delivered by characters on stage usually in conversation with one another. Voice-over narration typically is provided by an omniscient, detached narrator or by a character in the story, usually reflecting back on the events on stage. Dialogue 4

Dialogue forwards the narrative, giving voice to the character’s aspirations, thoughts and emotions, often making conflicts among the characters evident. Dialogue plays an important role in establishing character. It can also be used to emphasize setting or a character’s cultural background, age, class, education, and so on. Functions of Dialogue

Sound effects are the sounds – not speech and not music – heard as part of the action and the physical environment onscreen. They include ambient sound, such as wind in trees and city traffic. They also include the sounds produced by specific actions in a scene, such as footsteps the rumble in a spaceship, an explosion, the roar of a dragon or the sound of a kiss. Sound Effects

The Function of Sound Effects Sound effects play an important role in shaping the audience’s understanding of space and in characterizing an environment. They can: Define a location Lend mood to an environment Portray the environment’s impact on characters. The Function of Sound Effects

Uses of Live and Recorded Sounds Sound Foghorn Hourly chime Birds Rain, thunder Toilet flushing Scream, howling wind, creaking floorboard Telephone, door knock Helps establish: Setting Time of day Season Weather conditions Realism Mood Onstage cues Uses of Live and Recorded Sounds

Sound effects are seldom recordings of the actual events the audience is being shown. Rather, almost all sound effects in a contemporary theatre are the result of post-production manipulation. Foley artists produce many of the sound effects by creatively manipulating various materials and recording the resulting sounds. Foley Artists

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Music Most narrative plays rely on music, to engage the audience. The composer’s charge is usually to add soundtrack music that compliments the imagery on stage without calling attention to itself. Music

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Purpose of Theatrical Music In many cases, the only purpose of a score is to provide background music, which sustains audience attention But like other elements of a stage, music can establish themes and parallels and it can evolve with narrative context. Purpose of Theatrical Music

Functions of Theatrical Music Theatre music can also: Define character Shape emotional tenor Set the scene/ historical context Create continuity between scenes Emphasize climaxes Functions of Theatrical Music

The Sound Designer: Process Reads script, makes note of cues Meets with director, designers, composer Researches sound libraries, records sounds, music Prepares sound track Plots effects/music on cue sheet The Sound Designer: Process