Assignment 1 questions

Sound Designer/Technician 

• Who is this person most likely to be in contact with the most and why?
• The sound designer and technician is most likely to be in contact with the director the most.  This is because the director will share their vision with the sound designer and technician and they will then have to create what the director wants.  There will most likely be quite a few different drafts of these sounds and the sound designer and technician will work together with the director until it is all up to standards and portrays the message the director is trying to make come across.

Set and Props Designer

• Why must this person read the script in detail and do contextual research before beginning a job? In a larger scale production, can you tell me 3 different roles in the props team and what they do?
• The set and props designer must read the script in detail and do contextual research before beginning a job to make sure that they are prepared.  The script will usually give a large amount of clues to the set and props used within the play.  Doing other contextual research will help make it more factually correct and/or accurate.  For example, if a play is set in the Victorian times, the set and props designer would need to do a lot of research on the items used in Victorian times and what houses looked like, otherwise the audience wouldn't be immersed in the experience.  In a larger scale production, in the props team there will be a prop master, prop maker and prop storeman.  The prop master is responsible for purchasing, acquiring, manufacturing, properly placing and/or overseeing any props needed.  The prop maker physically makes each prop and they make a large variety of different props from jewellery to furniture.  They also may alter already existing props, such as distressing an object to make it look older or worn.  The prop storeman deals with organising the delivery, transport and storage of all hired and bought props for the production.  They must also organise the the props storage area in accordance with the production schedule. 

Director

• List 3 people that the director needs to collaborate with pre-production and what needs to be said.
• The director must schedule rehearsals with the actors to make their acting/tone/objective/movement completely portray what the director had envisioned.  The director will give the actors advice and different exercises to help them create the piece of work that the director wants to convey to the audience.  They will also collaborate with the sound designer and/or technician.  The director and sound designer/technician will discuss the sounds that the director wants throughout the play.  The sound designer/technician will then go off and make these sounds in creative and practical ways.  If the director doesn't like what the sound designer has come up with, the director will arrange another meeting and discuss the areas to improve on and give constructive criticism.  The director will also meet with the lighting designer/technician for the same reason, however, this time with lights instead of sound.