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Sound design

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Sound design is a technical/conceptually creative field. It covers all non-compositional elements of a film, a play or any other multimedia project.

Theatre

Sound design is one of the youngest fields in technical theatre, second only to the use of projections and other multimedia displays. The idea of sound design has been around since theatre started, however the first person titled the "sound designer" at a North American regional repertory theatre was probably Dan Dugan, and certainly his successor Charlie Richmond, at the American Conservatory Theatre (ACT), San Francisco, in the late 1960s and the first sound designer credit on Broadway was given to Jack Mann for his work on Show Girl in 1963[1]. Since then the field has been growing rapidly. The term "Sound Design" was introduced to the film world when Francis Ford Coppola directed and his musician father, Carmine Coppola, arranged the music for, a production of Private Lives at ACT, while the final cut of the film The Godfather was being edited in 1972.

Currently it can be said that there are two variants of Theatrical Sound Design. Both are equally important, but very different. Often a single Sound Designer will fill both these roles, and although on a large budget production they may work together, for the most part there is only one Sound Designer for a given production. Where such distinctions are made, the first variant would be Technical Sound Design, which was created in the 1970s, and the second Conceptual Sound Design which evolved from technical during the 1980s. These terms are really examples only, and not generally used in practice since most Sound Designers simply call themselves Sound Designers, no matter which role they are filling.

Technical Sound Design requires the sound designer to design the sound system that will fulfill the needs of the production. If there is a sound system already installed in the venue, it is her job to tune the system for the best use for the given production using various methods including equalization, delay, volume, speaker and microphone placement, and this may include the addition of equipment not already provided. She, in conjunction with the director and musical director, if any, also determines the use and placement of microphones for actors and musicians. A Technical Sound Designer makes sure that the performance can be heard and understood by everyone in the audience, no matter how large the room, and that the performers can hear everthing they need to in order to do their job.

Conceptual Sound Design is very different from technical sound design, but equally important. The designer must first read the play and talk to the production's Director about what themes and messages they want to explore. It is here that, in conjunction with the director and possibly the composer, the designer decides what sounds he will use to create mood and setting of the play. He might also choose or compose specific music for the play, although the final choice typically lies with the director, who may want nothing but scene change music or, on the other extreme, will want ambient beds under every scene, such as Robert Woodruff of the American Repertory Theatre or William Ball, Ellis Rabb and Jack O'Brien who were active at ACT and the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, in the mid 1960s where Dan Dugan initially began his art.

On occasion, the director may be very hands-on and will tell the sound designer what sounds to use and where where to play them. In such cases, the sound designer becomes little more than an audio editor, but this depends to a large degree on the director and his relationship and level of trust with the sound designer. There are also collaborations such as exist between Ann Bogart and Darron West in the Siti Company, where he is in rehearsal from the day one and sound is really another character of the play. Also, the Conceptual Sound Designer must build the "prop sounds" (telephones rings, answering machines, announcements etc.) and figure out how to fit them into the established themes with regard to when and where the action is supposed to be taking place. For example, using a modern cellular phone ringtone would be out of place for a phone ringing in the 1940's. A Conceptual Sound Designer uses sound to enhance the audience's experience by conveying specific emotion or information without using words.

Other audio positions in a production that may or may not be filled by the designer include that of the Production Engineer, who is in charge of keeping the integrity of the show. This person may be resonsible for anything and everything from the mixing of microphones to the playback of prerecorded sound effect and music to actually applying body mics to the actors, as well as maintaining the communications systems such as intercom and monitors.

The Production Engineer (also known as an A1 in North America) controls the mixing console during a performance. The Engineer controls playback of any sound cues and mixes the show just like a Studio Engineer would mix a band recording, except that they only get one chance to get it right for each show and they have to take into account differences in the cast, audience and the atmosphere so that the overall sound of the show remains at a near constant even though many variables fluctuate from show to show.

In an ideal situation, on a show large enough to warrant it, an assistant called an A2 helps the engineer in any way necessary. Typically an A2 keeps track of wireless microphones before, during, and after the performance as well as being available backstage to deal with any problems that arise so that the engineer does not have to leave the console to fix a problem. RF Mics or lav mics (a common term for body microphones), are commonly used in modern productions and are the responsibility of the A2. The A2 may also play an integral role in establishing and maintaining communication between all aspects of production using various intercom systems. In many situations, often for budgetary reasons, this postion does not exist at all, in which case much of the A2's responibility will fall to the A1.

Above all, both the Technical Sound Designer and the Conceptual Sound Designer must call on experience and "uncommon" sense to ensure that the sound is contributing constructively to the production and is in harmony with the work of the actors and other designers.

The union that represents theatrical sound designers in the United States is United Scenic Artists Local USA829 which is now integrated within IATSE. Theatrical Sound Designers in Canada are represented by the Associated Designers of Canada[2].

History (Theatre)

It's known that in India and China around 3000 BC there were theatre productions accompanied by music and sound. The Commedia Dell'arte style also used both music and sound effects.

The first production that used recorded sound, as cited by Bertolt Brecht, was Rasputin (1927) a play by Piscator that included recording of Lenin's voice. It would not be however until the 1950s, when Hollywood directors started directing Broadway productions, that sound design would start growing. Still, there was no sound designer in those plays; it was the stage manager's duty to find the sound effects and an electrician played the recordings during performances. But even though the sound designer has basically assumed these roles, time and technology have not ruled out non-sound designers having a hand in sound production. For instance, since today's audiences are savvier and can readily distinguish between live and recorded sounds, live backstage sound effects are still used (e.g. gun shots) by the stage manager (or assistant stage manager) for premium "aural illusion."

MIDI and digital technology helped the field to evolve exponentially during the 1990s. Also, the World Wide Web has greatly enhanced the ability of sound designers to acquire source material quickly, easily and cheaply. Nowadays, a designer can preview and download crisper, more "believable" sounds as opposed to toiling through time- and budget-draining "shot-in-the-dark" searches through record stores, libraries and "the grapevine" for (oftentimes) inferior recordings. In addition, software innovation has enabled sound designers to take more of a DIY (or "do-it-yourself") approach. From the comfort of their home and at any hour, they can simply use a computer, speakers and headphones rather than renting (or buying) costly equipment or studio space and time for editing and mixing. This provides for faster creation and negotiation with the director.

Awards (Theatre)

Even though there have been continual, extraordinary advances in technology and even more demand for top-quality sound, sound design is still struggling to obtain acceptance (there is no Tony award yet for sound design[[3]]). Sound design has fast become an integral part of the design process for many theatres and sound designers often hold similar, if not superior positions in the creative team to the lighting designer and other designers.

Some of the major North American theatrical award organizations that recognize sound designers are

Theatre


Multimedia

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