Author: Chloe Rose Denby

As a sound designer, I want to make sure that every piece of audio which is used within the show related in some way shape or form to sleep, even if the track was instrumental. I want to make sure that all of the audio tracks correlate and provides a clear thread throughout the show itself, from the intro dance sequence to the bows.

 

For the role of technical designer I have started researching and listening to a variety of songs/sounds which relate to sleeping/dreaming. Furthermore, the show structure correlates to a sleep cycle which requires sound effects to distinguish between each stage. The stages of sleep are “characterized by a reduction in physiological activity. As sleep deepens, a person’s brain waves slow down and gain amplitude, both breathing and the heart rate slow down, and the individual’s blood pressure drops” (National Sleep Foundation, 2018). Therefore, I took audio which is supposed to help you sleep and edited that same audio for the five stages of sleep. I slowed stages two, three and four down and made stage five (REM) quick to match the ‘rapid’ eye movement of that stage. Below is the audio of the different stages of sleep, which represents the deceleration of brain waves through the sleep cycle.

 

– Transition for stage 2

– Transition stage 3

– Transition stage 4

– Transition for stage 5 (REM)

(MacLeod, 2014)

 

I also edited a song which is about night terrors for our night terrors scene. I made the audio disorientated in order to represent the ‘giant’ (which is told in the night terrors verbatim), by embodying the creature’s breathing and ‘growling’ and therefore manifesting the giant. This was used for the background audio within that scene, however, when hearing the subtle growls and groans it leaves you feeling eerie while being fed the description of the night terror. Below is the final edit of the night terrors audio:

(LilyPichu, 2012)

 

All sound effects and songs are edited through the use of iMovie. Within this, I am experimenting with effects on the audio which deepen the audio and also speed it up. The box in the screenshot below shows the different effects I am experimenting with.

(Apple, 2018)

 

C.D.

 

 

Works Cited

Apple (2018) iMovie [software]. Apple. Available from https://www.apple.com/uk/imovie/ [accessed February 12 2018].

 

LilyPichu (2012) Slendy’s Lullaby [ video]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSLz6Vhl6Rs [accessed 12 February 2018].

 

MacLeod, K. (2014) Music to sleep in 5 MIN [ video]. Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1ldGvNwRiQ [accessed 15 February 2018].

 

National Sleep Foundation (2018) Stages of Human Sleep. National Sleep Foundation. Available from http://sleepdisorders.sleepfoundation.org/chapter-1-normal-sleep/stages-of-human-sleep/ [accessed 12 February 2018].