Marta Sound Design

Last semester I took an introduction to Sound Design class. We discussed many ways to begin hearing sound, our environment, and how to re-create or create a new environment for the theater. One of the exercises during our first cuing session was to find our loudest sound, and then begin to fine tune that through the speakers. After we set the volume for that cue, the next step was to find our quietest sound, and then begin to fine tune that through the speakers. In loo of that exercise, I began my research for Marta the Divine by beginning to acquire materials that I believe help to create the loudest sound for the production. By doing this, I am also testing out my fellow collaborators sensibilities toward how they are hearing the world of the play.

Here are a few links to the sounds I have found for a bull fight and a some responses to those sound resources from my colleagues:

Raging bull--I found that I really want to begin to develop a sound environment for this production. I don't only want to have sound cues for special moments in the play, but rather, I would like the audience to hear this world as often as they are seeing it. In other words, an audience must always see the environment to understand the play, they must also hear the environment to understand the play. Just as it is always a challenge for a lighting designer to create a dim or dark look on stage and still see the actors...it is also a challenge for a sound designer to create a loud scene, yet still be able to hear the actors. This is my challenge and I can't wait to meet it in the theater.

Battle of the Bull--One thing that Harley pointed out to me, which I am very intrigued by is that he said (to paraphrase), the bull fights during the period of Marta would not have actually been in a colosium the way we imagine a modern bull fight to be. It would be more like the running of the bulls in the streets. In other words, they were rougher. I imagine they were much more dangerous and deadly, yet I can't help but notice that the screams were much louder in these videos when the bull fighter was being malled by the bull (it may be a sound edit, but none the less interesting to see).

Bull fighting midget--I like this one the most because it is comic to me. The sound the tiny voices mixed with the "manliest" of sports.

Bull fight introduction--Finally, it was nice to hear that people could really relate to these sounds, and yet I love that Gina mentioned she wonders what happened to my original thoughts about dryness and cactus and dirt roads, because she can't hear that in the clips that I played. I don't want the audience to be taken away from that environment (if that is the environment we create for this scene), and so it is my job to find that sound that keeps us in the bull fight on the dry road as we pass a cactus, and yet still create the awe, wonder, danger, and urgency in the sound we hear.

I am so very excited to see how this continues to develop!