Unit 2.3: CD Front Cover

Unit 2.3: CD Back Cover

Unit 2.2: Midsummer Nights Dream Soundtrack Influences

Les Claypool (Above)

Influences

Les Claypool is a rather minor influence in my soundtrack, but is still significant and influences the slightly experimental parts of my work. He is the slapped bass player for the band Primus, as well as working on various side projects such as Mr Oysterhead, and Colonel Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade.

His style is influenced by other well-known bassists such as Geddy Lee (Rush), Chris Squire (Yes), and Paul McCartney. He is also very talented at improvisation, and this remains an influence in my work.

Song- Robot Chicken

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgiekPe0X30&feature=related

Film And TV Soundtrack Influences

Having watched A Touch Of Frost a lot on TV, I began to notice how the soundtrack incorporated both synths and saxophone improvisation to great effect, whether it represented the opening credits, or darker, more sinister scenes. My soundtrack features dark overtones, most notably at the end of Act 2, which were clearly influenced by this.

For a while now, I have been interested in spaghetti westerns, as well as their soundtracks. They sound grand, triumphant and glorious as well as setting a suspenseful atmosphere. This music, from the film Faccia A Faccia (Face To Face) was a particular influence in the second section of Act 4.

Song: La Resa Dei Conti

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6IJKSsJVds

A Perfect Circle

A Perfect Circle is an alternative rock/ metal band, that incorporates a sound which is rather soothing, while at the same time appearing rather dark and sinister. Their second album Thirteenth Step was a particular influence in my soundtrack, especially with it’s calm, fresh and clean approach and accessible sound. This is not an obvious, but subtle presence throughout quite a few of my songs.

Song: The Noose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVXTmav24Wk

Unit 2.2/ 2.4: Soundtrack Back Cover Log

Soundtrack Back Cover Log

Dr Dre's The Chronic Back Cover:




Step 2:





Step 3:





Step 4:





Step 5:





Step 6:





Step 7:

My original idea for the back cover of the soundtrack CD was the back cover border of Dr Dre’s The Chronic, with the song titles and instruments used replacing Dre’s song titles and other information.

Log Record:

28/04/10:

Step 1: I elongated the background to fit all the song titles on in three columns, side by side, and typed them in.

Step 2: Added “A Johnson Production” where “Produced By Dr Dre” was, and added own colour to pattern underneath leaf.

1/05/10:

Step 3: Added brighter colours to other patterns on the border, and added information at the top about real instruments/ musicians involved.

5/05/10:

Step 4: Decided against last idea, as it made back cover too bright and overpowering. Instead, I chose to use a much lighter background, and only keep the pattern underneath the leaf coloured in.

10/05/10:

Step 5: Repeated pattern underneath leaf in other three leaves.

Step 6: Added composition Credits for the songs, and added self- composition note/ garageband logos at the bottom.

16/05/10:

Step 7: Added note at the bottom, labels at the sides, thank you note to Danny Fletcher. Listed song composing credits, and the musicians involved/ what instruments they play. Added two Garageband guitar logos at the bottom. Changed production credits to “Produced by Patrick Johnson/ Dr Dre”. Changed leaf to maple leaf.

By Patrick Johnson 10S1

Unit 2.2/ 2.4: Midsummer Night's Dream Soundtrack Log

Midsummer Night's Dream Soundtrack Log

30^th January 2010- Started creating first song for the soundtrack: The Woods. Has a rather sinister edge, and a subtle mix of light and dark elements representing both the light comedy side of the play and the fear of what troubles the characters face ahead. Have spent about half an hour on this and it lasts roughly 15 seconds.

1^st February 2010- Finished off The Woods, and started work on second track, Helena’s Song. I am quite pleased with this, as it sounds lighter than The Woods, representing the sadness of Helena in her current situation. This took about an hour.

2^nd February 2010- Brought in trumpet today and was excited about recording Oberon’s Song using it. Put together start of song using contrasts in pitches and blending different recordings of myself to create a grand, royal tune fitting of Oberon’s character. This took about an hour after school.

5^th February 2010- Finished Helena’s song, and collected ideas together about what Bottom’s Head should sound like; chaotic, mischievous, dark, but still with a great sense of fun and adventure. This took about half an hour.

6^th February 2010- Tried to start Bottom’s Head using software instruments on Garageband, but despite my attempts, I couldn’t produce any decent material. So, after that I decided to grab my trumpet and do some more on Oberon’s song. I stayed for about an hour and a half after school that day.

10^th February 2010- Started compiling ideas in lesson for sound of Sleep- soft, gentle, tranquil and peaceful, with a good-natured vibe which hints that soon all will be well in the play. Also started work on Pucks Entrance, which is mischievous, and filled with deep bass lines, and cathedral organ passages, amongst more silly instruments such as musical boxes. That took about one hour.

15^th February 2010- Have now completed two songs, The Woods and Helena’s song.

16^th February 2010- Finished work on Oberon’s song with an effective fade out effect. This is the best song I have created so far, as it sounds more fresh and realistic than my other material, with grand trumpet passages and a royal, triumphant atmosphere. This took about half an hour.

18^th February 2010- Created Pyramus And Thisbe, a short (about 8 seconds), punchy trumpet fanfare on three different pitches. This took about half an hour.

20^th February 2010-Done some more on Puck’s Entrance, adding a higher passage on the upright bass and a fade out ending section. Took about an hour after school.

25^th February 2010- Started Sleep, a peaceful track characterised mainly by light synths, soft pianos etc. I think that this particular piece would be brilliant to listen to when you are in a laid- back, calm mood.

26^th February 2010- Have now completed The Woods, Helena’s Song, Pyramus And Thisbe, Oberon’s Song and Puck’s Entrance. Done some more work on Sleep and almost finished that apart from a few pitch adjustments to be made.

28^th February 2010- Completed Sleep and started collecting ideas about Helena’s Song, a dark, emotional piece with a hint of sadness reflecting Helena’s feelings concerning Demetrius. Took about half an hour after school.

5^th March 2010- Started work on Helena’s Song and Titania’s Song after school. Both tracks are similar in some ways, although Titania’s Sing is much lighter.

10^th March 2010- Have now finished Helena’s Song and Titania’s Song, and started work on Bottom’s Head, although this will probably prove difficult as it should be a hectic and complicated piece.

15^th March 2010- Have completed Bottom’s Head, but am not altogether happy with it, as it sounds rather too chaotic, and a swirling mess of loud drum beats and dark piano passages which seem to alternate between the sinister and the absolute panic of the situation at hand.

20^th March 2010- Have now been told to do soundtrack songs for the start of each act instead, which I am not best pleased with. I now plan to use the best sections of the old songs in songs for each act, and build separate sections around them.

30^th March 2010- After a short break, I have resumed work on the soundtrack, considering doing tracks for Acts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as a main theme and an end theme. Have blended sections of Oberon’s Song and Puck’s Entrance/ combined them both together with a new bridge section recorded on trumpet. Took about an hour after school to blend them together and create new section.

5^th April 2010- Finished work on Act 1, and created a new section for the first part of Act 2. It sounds like Sleep, but with more catchy segments and a larger range of instruments. This took about an hour after school.

7^th April 2010- Finished Act 2 with a section of another song I created which sounds rather strange, but fits in well with the theme. Ended the tune on a slightly darker note, which signifies the arguments which await with Bottom and Titania. Took about half an hour after school.

10^th April 2010- Composed some sections of Main Theme in lesson, and pieced them together after school. These last about a minute altogether. Took about 45 minutes in lesson, and 30 minutes after school.

11^th April 2010- Started Act 3, and composed another section of Main theme which lasts about 30 seconds and features more drums and improvisation than other tracks.

13^th April 2010- Completed Act 3, and finished main theme. This took about an hour and a half after school.

14^th April 2010- Recorded with Melissa Whittingham after school on flute, once we had compiled some decent segments for Act 4. It took about an hour to actually joint compose two tunes, which sound peaceful and good-natured, and about half an hour after school to record them.

16^th April 2010- Added some similar passages to the flutes in Act 4, but on a wider range of instruments, and extended one flute part to nearly half a minute. Took about 45 minutes after school.

19^th April 2010- Finished work on Act 4, and brought trumpet in to record the triumphant Act 5. This is without a doubt, one of the best tracks I have recorded yet which far overshadows Oberon’s Song in terms of pitching and a royal, outstanding sound. This took rather a long time though, and nearly two hours after school.

21^st April 2010- Found loads of unused bonus material on Garageband which could be used on the Soundtrack CD, and spent about an hour after school sorting out the best tracks.

24^th April 2010- Finished Main Theme after school, piecing the current sections together plus adding new sections which fit in well. This took about an hour and a half.

26^th April 2010- Have started work on the End Theme, which begins with the last segment of the Main Theme. This took about 45 minutes after school.

4^th May 2010- Have worked out how to get electric guitar on software instruments, and plan to use them as part of the End Theme. Have also discovered new effects and used some of them in my previous work. This took about an hour.

8^th May 2010- Have decided against using electric guitar sections in actual End Theme, and so the previous guitar parts have been removed, and will only exist as bonus instrumentals on the final CD. I have, instead arranged to record with my mate Danny Fletcher on piano next Monday.

11^th May 2010- Have recorded with Danny, who I must say is very skilled and a grade 7 on the piano. I am very grateful for his assistance. We spent about an hour composing and recording the tune after school, and I spent about another half an hour after that editing it.

12^th May 2010- Disaster has struck! I have somehow lost the song that me and Danny recorded and can’t find it anywhere! I have spent a full hour trying to find it, but to no avail, and will have to give in soundtrack as it is.

13^th May 2010- Have managed to produce two more sections for the end theme, a avant-garde orientated passage and a rather emotional acoustic part. Have included this in a 19 track CD with 7 songs used in the play, and 12 bonus tracks.

By Patrick Johnson 10S1

Unit 2.2: Original MSND Soundtrack Plan

Midsummer Nights Dream Soundtrack Audition

Since music is one of my main hobbies and interests, I am willing to take on the challenging, and rather problematic task of recording the soundtrack of A Midsummer Nights Dream myself. My extensive knowledge of computer music programs such as Garageband, plus my ability to play the trumpet well further my reasons to record the soundtrack. All songs (I have worked out there should be about 11 in total) will be recorded using a wide variety of software instruments relating to the theme of the play, and entirely self composed by me and anyone else who wishes to aid in my quest for the perfect score.

I also plan on using real instruments, such as trumpets, flutes, piano etc, and would gladly appreciate any assistance from musicians in the diploma group in recording for certain songs. Personally, I believe that creating your own soundtrack is a wonderful idea, and, although it requires a great deal of effort, I believe I am fully capable of completing the project to an exceptional degree.

Below are some song names and ideas I have planned for the soundtrack:

1. Main Title/ A Midsummer Nights Dream

2. The Royal Palace

3. Peter Quince’s House

4. The Woods

5. Enter Oberon/ Titania

6. Helena’s Song

7. Puck’s Entrance/ The Magic Potion

8. Bottom’s Head

9. Sleep

10. Pyramus And Thisbe/ Trumpet Fanfare

11. End Title

Tracks 2, 5 and 10 will contain mostly trumpets, as brass instruments will fit the triumphant and royal themes successfully. Oberon should be a proud and outstanding character, which is best described by trumpets. I also plan to use trumpets on songs 1, 8 and 11.

Tracks 4 and 9 will feature flutes, as they are peaceful, quiet instruments, which perfectly describe both woodland areas and the restfulness of sleep. I also plan to use flutes on tracks 1, 5, 6, 7 and 11.

Violins will furthermore be required on tracks 1, 4, 6 and 11.

Grand pianos will be a strong influence.

Track 1 should be a welcoming, easily and totally accessible song featuring a wide range of instruments including grand piano, violin, flute, trumpet etc. As an intro song, it should combine all the greatest elements of the play all mixed into one.

Track 2 should be a grand and triumphant opening capturing immense energy with volume and sharpness. It should have a clear, pronounced sound produced by mainly brass instruments and drums.

Track 3 should be a mixture of both seriousness and slightly silly music, as it represent ordinary workers, but with a comedic twist.

Track 4 should be an enlightening tune containing flutes with perhaps a touch of the dark and devious warning listeners of what troubles face our main characters ahead.

Track 5 should be a colourful tune, with a contrast of light and dark overtones. There should also be a mixture of mighty and rather feeble, although dignified passages depicting Oberon and Titania as opposites.

Track 6 should be a rather sad and slightly emotional song, but not too sad to ruin the cheerful, comedic atmosphere of the play. Needs enough sorrow and instrumental elements to portray Helena’s emotions when rejected by Demetrius.

Track 7 should be sprightly and lively, with both silly instrumental passages to represent Puck’s mischievous side, and slightly darker passages to represent a more sinister Puck.

Track 8 should be rather pompous, persistent, loud and also with a creative, slightly quirky angle. This represents the idiotic, foolish and absurd characteristics of Bottom’s appearance.

Track 9 should be a peaceful, thoughtful track, which successfully extracts thoughts from the audience, and represents the images on screen.

Track 10 should be loud, outgoing and pack a strong and memorable punch, as well as contrasts in pitch and mainly trumpet playing. This symbolises an important event, chiefly that Pyramus and Thisbe is about to commence.

Track 11, the final track, is similar to the main title, as it combines a large variety of instruments into a merge of different themes and moods reflected throughout the play.

I have already recorded parts of two of the tracks, Sleep and Puck’s Entrance/ The Magic Potion and will show you them as part of my audition.

Paddy Johnson 10S1

Unit 2.2: Midsummer Nights Dream Costume Ideas

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM - COSTUME IDEAS

I think that we should expand on the musical side of the play, and even rehearse/ convert some of the lines into short songs for the main characters.

My idea of Theseus is a general in Napoleonic costume and the characters Egeus, Demetrius, Hermia etc…. should also have costumes relating to this era.

The idea I have for the workers are typical working costumes, but when portrayed as Pyramus and Thisbe, their costumes change into something more dramatic and colourful.

I personally believe that A Midsummer Nights Dream should be a colourful affair, and so we, as a team, should incorporate as much extravagant brightness in costume and set designs as possible. I also strongly believe that the play should make use of surreal touches, especially in sudden changes of period costumes, which also allows me and the other diploma students to show off skills developed in the Unit 4 topic based on dreams and reality.

Puck should be dressed in a jester costume to show his mischievous side.

The ideas I have for Oberon and Titania should be the most colourful and impressive. Perhaps a dress resembling the colours of a peacock for Titania, while a mixture of red, gold and white for Oberon’s costume.

Costume ideas for Theseus, Puck and Titania are shown above.

Patrick Johnson 10S1

Unit 2.1: Globe Theatre Homework

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

From 1599 onwards, Shakespeare’s plays were usually performed at the Globe, a huge, open-air circular theatre in Southwark, London. The theatre could hold 3000 people, and there were two performances a day. Along with other members of his theatre company, Shakespeare owned a share in the Globe and made a lot of money.

The Globe was a wooden circle with no roof over the middle. Performances were usually in the afternoon. It was built of oak beams and a flag was flown during a performance. The stage was known as an apron stage, which stuck out into the middle of the yard. It was covered by a roof, which helped to keep the players dry. The ceiling over the stage was called the “shadow” or “heavens”. It was painted with sun, moon and stars. The stage was positioned so the sun didn’t shine in the actors’ eyes. Behind the stage there was a backstage area where the actors got changed.

As the Globe had a roofless yard, it was a warm-weather theatre. In cold weather, performances were held at the Blackfriars, a monastery converted to a theatre, or at another location. Plays at the Globe began in mid-afternoon after a trumpet sounded. Sunlight provided the lighting, although torches were sometimes lit to suggest night scenes. There were no intermissions. All performances had to end before nightfall so that playgoers could return safely home. There were no performances during lent or during outbreaks of plague.

The Globe had a Latin motto: Totus mundus agit histrionem. It was a translation of one of Shakespeare's most famous lines: All the World's a Stage. A flag flew over the theatre on play days to advertise performances. If a tragedy was scheduled, the flag was black; if a comedy was scheduled, the flag was white; if a history play was scheduled, the flag was red.

Theatres often had thatched roofs making them fire hazards. “Gatherers” stood at the door with boxes to collect admission money, this is why a ticket office is called a “box office” The stage was five feet high so people couldn’t jump on it. As there was not much scenery on stage, props and elaborate costumes were used instead.

In London, plays were often put on by theatre companies, which were groups of professional actors. By law, a company had to have a patron, a rich friend who would support it financially. Theatre companies were named after their patrons. Shakespeare spent much of his career with a company called the Chamberlain’s Men. Its patron was the Lord Chamberlain.

All the actors at the Globe and other theatres were males, even those who played Juliet and Cleopatra. It was forbidden for a woman to set foot on an Elizabethan stage. This meant that Romeo probably recited his lines to a fuzzy-faced boy and that Antony may have whispered sweet nothings to a gawky adolescent male. However, because of wigs, neck-to-toe dresses and makeup artistry, it was easy for a young man to pass as a girl. When an actor reached early adulthood, he could begin playing male parts. Shakespeare himself sometimes performed in his plays. It is said that he enjoyed playing the Ghost in Hamlet.

All actors had to memorize their lines exactly; if they forgot their lines, they had to improvise cleverly or watch or listen for cues from an offstage prompter. Highly skilled actors, such as Richard Burbage, earned more money, and received more praise, than Shakespeare and other playwrights. Actors who played clowns and jesters were celebrities, much as today's television and movie comedians.

Shakespearean and other Elizabethan actors had to perform their own stunts, such as falling or tumbling and had to wield swords and daggers with convincing skill. Most actors had to know how to perform popular dances depending on the time and place of the play. Actors had to have loud voices, as there were no microphones.

Before performing a bloody play, actors in Shakespeare's day filled vessels such as pigs' bladders with blood or a liquid resembling blood and concealed them beneath their costumes. Onstage, they had only to pound a fist against a bladder to release the blood and die a gruesome death. Stagehands in the wings simulated thunder by striking a sheet of metal or pounding a drum. They also sometimes set off fireworks during battle scenes and lit torches during night scenes. The audiences’ imagination was needed to help provide other special effects. Actors wore clothing that was currently in fashion. They had to memorise all their lines as there were no cue cards or intermissions.

Shakespeare wrote plays that appealed to people of different backgrounds and tastes. Going to the theatre was a bit like going to the cinema today. Cheapest tickets cost one penny, which most people could afford (wages were about 12 pence a week.) The most expensive tickets were 6 pence and were bought by rich merchants and nobles. Foreign traders and tourists often made a trip to the theatre when visiting London. With so many people crowded together, the theatres were also popular with thieves and pickpockets.

The Globe Theatre was a democratic institution, admitting anyone, whether a baron, a beggar, a knight, a candle maker, an earl, a shoemaker, or a strumpet, if he or she had coin of the realm to drop in a box before entering. Audiences were not as well behaved as they are today. People jeered at the actors and shouted out rude remarks. Some even climbed onto the stage and joined in with swordfights. People also brought food with them to eat during the performance, or to throw at bad actors.

James Burbage, owner of The Globe Theatre, moved the theatre to avoid paying a higher rent. He found a new site across the Thames River, near two other famous London theatres, the Rose and the Swan. Burbage arranged for a local carpenter, Peter Street, to go into the darkened theatre at night and loosen the building joints. On the night of January 20, 1599, actors and friends of Burbage gathered outside the theatre. Then in a "most forcible and riotous manner," they took and carried away all the wood and timbers. Crossing the frozen Thames, the group carried the pieces of the dismantled theatre to its new home where it was rebuilt.

There was no shortage of entertainment in London at this time. Cock fighting and bear-baiting were popular sports and many people enjoyed watching public beatings and executions.

Many Londoners opposed theatres because they thought that the crowds they attracted would spread plague, cause riots, and increase pick pocketing. Some opponents believed theatre plays would lead young people and tradesmen astray and tempt Sunday churchgoers to the theatre door instead of the church door.

Plays in Shakespeare's time had to be approved by the king's (or the queen's) censor, the master of revels. The authorities took the theatre very seriously and plays considered morally or politically offensive could be banned under threat of imprisonment.

Tragically in 1613, during the premier of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII, the Globe burnt to the ground, the cannon fired during a scene had set fire to the roof. Luckily most of the props, costumes and Shakespeare’s plays were saved. The theatre was rebuilt with a fireproof tiled roof. However, the Puritans, who were strict Protestants and disapproved of entertainment of any kind, came to power in 1642 and set about closing all England’s theatres. The Globe was pulled down and replaced by tenements in 1644.

Modern attempts to rebuild the Globe theatres are based on 17th Century descriptions and drawings. Recreations are based on educated guesses and a surviving drawing of a rival theatre. In 1970, the American actor Sam Wanamaker started a project to rebuild Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre near to its original site. It is an accurate replica of the original and built of the same materials – brick, oak wood, thatch, animal hair and putty. It is used for performances of Shakespeare’s plays but because of safety regulations can only hold half as many people as the original Globe.

History of Shakespeare in performance

Theatres were reopened with the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 when Charles II returned from exile in France. New theatres were built, actresses appeared on stage for the first time and hundreds of new plays were written. When Shakespeare’s plays were performed they were heavily adapted by playwrights such as William Davenant (1606 to1668) and Nahum Tate (1652 to 1715). In Tate’s version of King Lear, Cordelia has an affair with Edgar, and Lear and Cordelia are saved in a happy ending. This play was very popular and performed for over 150 years. Shakespeare’s plays in the 17^th Century were adapted to suit the sophisticated, fashionable tastes that developed during the restoration.

In the 18^th Century Shakespeare performances were dominated by David Garrick (1717 to 1779). He was an ‘actor-manager’ who ran theatres and produced and starred in performances. As Shakespeare was his hero he produced as many of his plays as possible bringing them to a wider audience. He developed a new, more relaxed, realistic way of speaking his lines that replaced the formal acting style that had gone before. Garrick also rewrote and adapted the plays. Few performances used Shakespeare’s original text. In 1769 Garrick organised a “Shakespeare Jubilee” to celebrate Shakespeare at his birthplace in Stratford upon Avon. This was the beginning of the Shakespeare industry that thrives in Stratford today.

Shakespeare became very popular in the 19^th Century. The plays were restored to their original text with an obsession for historical accuracy and period detail. Producers attempted to recreate realistic scenes such as ancient Egypt for Antony and Cleopatra or a medieval Scotland for Macbeth. Performances were elaborate with hundreds of extras for the crowd and battle scenes.

Edmund Kean was the most famous actor of the early 19^th Century. After his performance as Othello the poet, Coleridge wrote that seeing Kean act was so exciting it was like “reading Shakespeare by flashes of lightning”. Henry Irvine staged and starred in many of Shakespeare’s plays in London from 1878 to 1902. His productions were often spectacular. He was even known to build real streams and use real animals such as rabbits on stage. He had flying, singing witches in his version of Macbeth. Ellen Terry was the greatest actress of the late 19^th Century and often played lead female roles opposite Henry Irvine.

The 20^th Century saw a return to the Elizabethan style with very little scenery and as much of the original text as possible. This style was popular throughout this century but there were also many experimental or ‘avant-garde’ interpretations, including modern dress productions, all female casts, and modern props such as bicycles, cars, skateboards and telephones.

The 20^th Century has also been characterised by many new ways of presenting and understanding Shakespeare. His works have been translated into dozens of languages and his plays performed all over the world. Shakespeare has inspired many plays, films, books and other works of art and his works are studied by millions of students and experts in schools and universities. Actors famous for playing Shakespearian characters include John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Peggy Ashcroft and Judy Dench.

Shakespeare’s works have been made into some of the earliest silent films, soon after the invention of cinema. Since then plays have often been adapted for the big screen. Laurence Olivier directed a very patriotic film of Henry V in 1944, during World War 2, cutting out many of the Shakespeare’s lines about the horror of war.

In the 1960’s the Italian director Franco Zeffirelli filmed some of the plays in the Italian cities where Shakespeare set them. In his Romeo and Juliet the lovers are seen on a real balcony in Verona, and The Taming of the Shrew was filmed around Padua. Kenneth Branagh has made popular Shakespeare films including Henry V (1990) and Much Ado About Nothing (1993), and has played Iago in Othello (1996).

Ballets, operas and musicals have been based on Shakespeare’s works such as Verdi’s operas Macbeth and Othello. Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story (1957) is a musical based on Romeo and Juliet, set in New York among two rival teenage gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Return to The Forbidden Planet (1990) is a science fiction musical based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

Patrick Johnson 10S1

20^th January 2010

Unit 2.2: Composing Music For Media Homework

Composing Music for Media

I have chosen to write about this job description, as it covers all four topics I have picked out in the lesson to be my favourites. It fits in well as music, film (soundtrack), creative writing (lyrics for songs), and drama/ theatre, which are connected to film.

The Requirements

• High level of proficiency in at least one instrument, preferably piano or keyboard.
• Ability to read and write music, or convey musical ideas using conventional notation, time signatures etc.
• Good level of knowledge around music technology, computers and recording techniques.
• Several thousand dollars to get started with a home studio. Money to spend on showreel, self-promotion (website etc.), networking.
• Practical experience writing for various instruments and working with musicians. Conducting skills.
• Good knowledge of music as used in film, TV and other productions.
• Sound knowledge of copyright and licensing laws and practices.
• Outgoing, confident personality. Excellent communication skills and erudition particularly around musical and dramatic expression.
• Creative ability to come up with appropriate musical ideas quickly and work under extreme pressure.
• Flexibility in musical styles.
• Excellent time management skills.

Typical activities of the Media, Film or TV composer

• Liaison with directors, producers, studio personnel, musicians, clients, accountants, film and sound editors.
• Following up leads, drafting contract proposals and licensing deals.
• Arranging and orchestration work. Music copying, score and part creation for sessions.
• Composing, performing and recording using samples and sequencer software, film, commercials, documentary.
• Studio technical work, cabling, computer fixing.
• Calls, meetings, lunches, networking.
• Planning and implementing future potential work generating activities.

The Positive/Negative Aspects of being a Media, Film or TV composer.

This is a short personal overview of what you feel is the good and less good aspects of being in this career path.

Negative

• Lack of apprenticeship opportunities.
• High reliance on contacts.
• High reliance on good fortune and luck.
• Sheer number of people aspiring to do this work.
• Exploitation by commissioners of music services, limited budget assigned to music.
• Poor production and script quality of large amounts of TV, film.
• Low pay

Positive

• Creative collaboration particularly with those more skilled in visual, dramatic areas.
• Challenge and intellectual stimulation from working under time constraints and the struggle to get the right music.
• Recording and conducting live sessions with orchestra.
• Involvement in the glamourous world of mass entertainment.
• Potential for high status, financial and social success.

Some threats/opportunities/challenges to working in the field.

Threats

• Massive volume of cheap library music
• Devaluation of music, cheap, disposable
• Lack of adequate musical education. Poverty in critical discernment i.e. what is good and what is actually fairly poor.

Opportunities

• Vast increase in Games requiring film-like music scores.
• Web becoming greater commercial environment as well as popular choice for accessing content like film, music, TV.
• Increase in online worldwide community leading to opportunities to deliver to wider audience.
• Greater possibilities for TV and film to be made on lower budgets, even by non-pro individuals.

Challenges

• Staying mentally positive over several years of low income and lack of opportunities.

Recent technical innovations that may impact positively or negatively on the profession.

• Virtual instruments and samples have greatly increased the quality of what can be achieved with a computer and soundcard.
• However the ease by which music can be now created, almost without any music theory knowledge or skill in orchestration, means that almost anyone can do it. Long gone are the days when you had to be able to write out music notes on score paper and imagine the sound of the orchestra in your head.

Patrick Johnson 10S1

Unit 2.1: Brecht and Stanislavski Homework

BRECHT and STANISLAVSKI

Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright and theatre director born 10^th February 1898.

His view of acting is that, instead of impersonating other people, actors should act as narrators, quoting facial expressions and movements. He wanted the audience to think for themselves, and not focus too much on emotions. He also believed strongly in promoting epic styles and simplicity.

Brecht wished his audience to successfully identify with his characters, and recognise the plot as realistic, with similarities to real life circumstances, so his viewers themselves can help change their own lives to become better people. Although Brecht himself was middle class, he believed that everyone should be equal in society, and faked a lower class life/ studied one.

He believed that actors should be far from their characters, and developed a type of drama known as “epic theatre”, where large placards emphasised the character’s obvious emotions. Brecht also wasn’t a massive fan of props, and used minimal scenery, or the use of one item as different objects, encouraging the audience to use their imagination.

He hated the idea of acting exercise, where painful, old memories are recollected, and loved ideas such as after show workshops and audience participation.

He tried to shatter the emotional involvement of the audience with various visual techniques, including expressionless and emotionless acting.

Konstantin Sergeyevich Alexeyev Stanislavski is rather different to Brecht, mainly because he prefers a more natural style of acting, which involves character development techniques including a sense of reality and the merger between both the actor and the character he/she is playing.

His parents were very rich, and he even had his own private theatre, which only furthered his interests in that aspect. Stanislavski used techniques, which enabled actors to completely transform themselves into character. He believed in attention to detail and invented his own methods of teaching actors to perform naturally on stage.

Stanislavski viewed professional acting as non educational to apprentices, as it mainly consisted of the apprentices watching actors on stage, and so he tried to improve this by inventing greater educational methods. Unlike Brecht, Stanislavski wished to focus on actor’s emotions, and so invented “the system”, which consisted of a variety of exercises to revive emotions. These include:

Fourth Wall- creates the illusion of natural activities (eg in a home).

The Magic If- uses imagination to create realism on stage.

Circles of Attention- achieves solitude.

Method Acting- when an actor experiences the personality of the character he/ she is playing.

Emotion Memory- when past thoughts/ emotions resurface.

Subtext- supplies to the actor by inner vision through action and imagination.

Super Objective- the main plot/ objective, which continues throughout the play.

Given Circumstance- actor is given a situation to abide by to create a certain scene.

Method acting was one of Stanislavski’s most famous techniques in which actors attempted to portray their character’s roles as they would actually have been in real life. Natural or non- acting was considered a breakthrough in the acting world. Stanislavski created a formal guide line an actor should follow in order to successfully become their chosen role.

He became known as the father of modern theatre, and particularly paid attention to detail and the way audiences were enthralled by true to life acting on stage. He is famous for instructing actors to “live the part” during performances.

Stanislavski’s methods and theories still play a massive part in theatre, acting education and television even today.

My Own Opinion

I personally think that both methods of acting are inventive, ingenious and have equally compelling positive aspects. I very much enjoy acting out in both styles, as Brecht’s may seem rather pointless and silly, but is equally enjoyable as Stanislavski’s.

Using your imagination is a wonderful thing, and Brecht captures that uniquely by using simple objects to portray more than one thing. The actors are very natural and realistic, but convey these techniques with emotionless actions.

Stanislavski, on the other hand, encourages emotional acting as if the actor is actually in the shoes of the character he/ she has been assigned. This truly is very life like and realistic and interesting to know that the actors on stage have made an outstanding effort to base themselves upon real life people.

Patrick Johnson 10S1