I loved the "20 Acts in 60 Minutes" piece. I felt like this one, obviously because of the many different stories, offered the most uses of modal elements. There was a great combination of music and natural sounds and sound effects. In Act 10, where the play (the inspiration for the 20 acts) was recorded, not only was the dialogue a strong element, but all the background sounds from the audience were just as strong. The story about the woman who got stuck in the ocean was interesting because it sounded as though the waves crashing was more of a sound effect than the actual sound. My favorite story? The one where the Penguin meets Mary Poppins and then Mary Poppins meets Batman. The use of each individual characters theme music really added to the cheekiness of the story. Probably the most interesting aspect I noticed about the stories, was that there were several where the sounds were described, rather than recreated. It was interesting to hear how certain sounds were described (the clang of a bean can), when it seemed as though with this medium, you could really use those sounds for the description.
The second story I listened to, "A Little Bit of Knowledge" relied more on single person narration and the use of music. Only one story brought in an interview, although there was a point where the voice of the interviewee was overlapped with the narration and it was really interesting to hear. There was also the use of a lot of music. Each piece started with whimsical music and ended with serious, almost sad music.
It is interesting to think about the different choices people make with sounds, especially in stories that are featured on the radio. No decision is ever wrong. Sounds, whether natural, created, music, voices, work depending on the story being told. These were really interesting because I could actually see or, actually hear, how someone uses sound as composition.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I'm not a big fan of the cheesy "canned" sounds like the swish of someone moving quickly, or the sound of footsteps that you can tell is just someone banging on a table. What did you think of the juvenile detention center guy?? Peein' in the puddin'.....I wonder if the way HE sounded in the interview didn't spark a little bit of the tension that arose because of his interview.
Hi Meg,
Like you I noted the use of music was a strong presence. I especially liked the use of the audience and the prescence of "authentic sounds" - like the sound of a copier/printer for the story where Mike was associated with his function on the job and people did not know his name.
I think too, like you said the use of sound really depends on a person's purpose so that is no right or wrong sound.
I agreed these were so much fun to listen to -- I am listening to them as I am typing. And I am wondering if I would have liked these stories half as much if I would have read them. It seems like I connect with them and am interested in them in different ways because they are spoken, with a soundtrack underneath, even with some canned sounds for effects. It is interesting to me how powerful and emotional the sounds can be - how they make me feel like I know the speaker in a way that I don't when I read a book or article.
Post a Comment