Task
Once you’ve watched the video above, please download the following text extract from A Reunion/An End by playwright and theatre maker Liv Ello. Alternatively, you can choose another piece of text for this exercise.
On your first reading, don’t think about sound straight away. Try to enjoy it as a reader and think about what the extract is trying to say. To help you understand what is going on, answer the following questions and note down your answers:
- What is the extract about?
- Who are the characters and what is the relationship between them?
- What causes tension, where are the moments of conflict, and are there points of resolution?
- Where and when is the extract set?
- Where are the emotional and tonal ‘shifts’? Is there a pervading emotion, or is there an emotional journey?
- Do you like the characters, and do they have a backstory to help us empathise with them?
- How might the characters hear and interpret certain sounds based on their previous experiences?
Task
Now it’s time to start to think a bit more deeply about sound. Read the extract again and try to answer the following questions. If it helps, you can try reading the extract out loud. If you can’t find the answers in the text, it’s okay to come up with your own ideas to fill in the blanks. Remember, this is about your own artistic interpretation of this piece of text.
- Where does the extract take place?
- In which time period is the play set?
- In which part of the world are we?
- What time of day is it?
- How can we either sustain, lighten or darken the emotions implied in the script?
- What kind of music best describes the internal world of the characters? What would they be listening to when they go for a walk, when they’re sad, or when they’re happy?
- Do the characters listen to sound and understand the world in a specific way? For example, if they’re a child, maybe every event is just slightly bigger and more significant. Can we reflect that in our sound design?
- Are there particular sound effects mentioned in the script? Should we make them naturalistic or abstract, and how does that fit into the concept of the show?
Task
Create an audio moodboard that features music and sound effects that you think would fit into your interpretation of the text. You can collect music and sound effects into a folder or make a playlist on Spotify or YouTube. Use the information you’ve collected in the previous exercises to help you select your sound effects and music.
- What songs would the characters listen to?
- Is the piece set in a certain time period? Does that dictate what music they listen to?
- What songs or sounds would help conjure a specific emotion or mood?
- What sound qualities does your design have? What sort of textures? For example, does it take place in a dark, stormy world?
- Film references or soundtracks are also helpful because they tie the visual in with the sound.
You can use the Lexis Audio Editor app to manipulate or change your sound effects and music choices.
An audio moodboard is a useful tool that sound designers can share with their director or other creatives to help them understand what direction the sound designer would like to go in. The sound designer can then adjust or make changes to this as required before they go further in finalising their sound design.