Tuesday, November 04, 2014
All The World’s A Stage… But Does It Need Sound Reinforcement?
Pro Sound Web: I recently attended two “straight” plays, i.e., the kind without musicians. Such events are all about the dialog (and the lighting, of course). One production had no discernible sound reinforcement and the other had totally overt and apparent microphones, loudspeakers and amplification, thereby opening an opportunity for me to compare and contrast.
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3 comments:
NO IT DOES NOT NEED SOUND REINFORCEMENT. good lord I can not express how frequently I am disappointed with performers who are incredibly ill prepared to properly project and use their voices to the fullest extent. Granted with our growing use of moving light fixtures and automated scenery there are more and more ambient noises that performers have to compete with and for instances like musicals I am all for sound reinforcement but for straight plays there should not be a need for reinforcement. performers should not be relying on reinforcement because when that reinforcement fails they are then left on stage with their pants down. There are some instances for companies with larger money that can afford to expand their sound designer to a seat by seat design can create a design that could potentially replicate the natural sound of a personally conversation with the actor but we are still incapable of creating a reinforced sound design that can make a straight play sound natural.
As a sound designer I have to agree with Sean. There is no NEED for sound reinforcement however there are times where I understand the desire to include it in the design. I think when done well sound reinforcement is something that can really add to the feel of a straight play. Most notably when utilizing microphones you can add effects to the voice that cannot be done otherwise. Granted you could always just record the voice with the effect that you want and have the actor mime the words, but there's so much that could go wrong with that. Despite these effects I still have to agree with Sean. Too many times I find actors get into the habit of speaking softer because they think that the mics will do the projecting for them. They could not be more wrong. It is very hard for an engineer a mix the show if they're not given any signal to work with. It is exactly this that will often cause the dialogue to sound like it is coming out of the speakers. If mixed right you can make the sound seem like it is coming from the actors rather than the speakers. Another common problem that I notice that is more annoying is improperly mixed surround sound. One thing I can't stand is going to a show and hearing the actors voices coming from behind me. That really takes me out of the show, more so than hearing the PA over the actors. Point is, the use of reinforcement can be beneficial in straight plays but more as a way of peppering in vocal affects and adding volume to quiet moments unlike a musical that requires the vocals to be heard over a band.
I thought that this article was really interesting, and it brought up a lot of good points about sound reinforcement. I think it's really important to keep in mind, as Sean and Mike said, that there is no need for sound design in every situation, and that there are situations in which the presence of sound systems can detract from a performance. Even looking at the words sound design, the addition of sound is a design choice. It's not something that has to be there, and its presence is something that should be justified. That being said, there are plenty of situations in which sound design and reinforcement are necessary for straight plays. This summer I worked for Shakespeare in the Park, and they had a huge sound system for King Lear and Much Ado. That being said we were in a venue that was outdoors and held nearly 2000 people (and even with the sound system we were no match for the helicopters that flew above us during performances). Apparently though, one year the system went down. The actors completed the performance using some older technique that allowed them to project their voices throughout the venue. I thought that was a really cool story, because it illustrates the importance of actors being able to project. Sound systems can provide the actors with an ability to use their voices in ways that they couldn't if they were also responsible for making sure their voices could be heard throughout the theatre, but at the same time it's important that they not become a crutch. Actors still need to be able to understand how to use their voices and project, hopefully while still being able to maintain the qualities of the lines so it doesn't sound like they are just yelling their lines. Also, as Mike touched on, it's also very important that the sound be coming from its source. The actors mics should be coming from the direction of the actors (unless it's a design choice, like with the ventriloquism in Phantom of the Opera). I like how the article points out the importance of sound design and how it can be applied, but I think it's also important to look at the opposite side as well and to see the importance of not having sound. Sound design is a choice, and the choice to have it is just as important as the choice not to have it.
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