Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1987 - 51

SOUND

continued from p. 41
sound quality, artistry, and imagery.
Perhaps it is the advent of more elaborate cinema sound systemsspecifically the THX design mentioned earlier, or more commonly the
Dolby stereo and Six Channel surround systems - that have created a
need for film sound designers who
are not only able to pUt good sounds
OntO a soundtrack bur know what
those sounds will do to an audience
when it is played back in a cinema
environment impossible to recreate
in the mixing theatre. A good example of this is the custom cinema playback system design employed for the
film Earthquake with its multiple
massive low frequency loudspeakers.
It is often a good theatre sound designer's knowledge of the effect a cue
will have when reproduced on the
theatre's sound system that allows
that designer to make effective
choices of material and production
techniques. Perhaps it is specifically
this ability to "second-guess" the end
result that has made the difference
between the "mixing engineer" and
the "sound designer" for both stage
and film; certainly it is important.
In fact, sound requirements are remarkably similar for both film and
theatre. The number of film sound
effects and "foley" sounds (sounds
made by the human bodyl is naturally much greater than for stage productions since all natural and incidental sounds must be recorded, bur
music requirements are very similar.
Films enjoy original scores more frequently than plays, yet both can benefit from having scenes wri tten or
directed with the music in mind, and
vice versa. Silence, too, has significance in both. Music forms for both
tend to be driven by the current trend
toward hi-tech stylization, yet classic musical motivations still persist.
Because of the superior ability of film
to capture spontaneous events, it
often contains certain "rough edges"
which give just the right feeling; film
production frequently exemplifies
the philosophy that fine tuning a sequence could spoil it whereas live
theatre builds in a feeling of spontaneity if desired but rehearses the
scene thorougWy, ensuring it can be
reliably reproduced time after time.
Sound - both effects and musictends to be considerably more personalized in film since it usually
continued on p. 51

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 1987