The Long and the Short and the Tall: Sound design (direction, amplification, music, sound effects)

The Long and the Short and the Tall: Sound design (direction, amplification, music, sound effects)

General Themes in Sound Design

  • Sound design plays an important role in the overall atmosphere and tension of the play.
  • Emerges as a device to increase anxiety and unease, notably through the jungle sounds and the droning of approaching aircrafts.
  • The silence within the jungle hut often amplifies the distant and dangerous realities of war contrasted with the relative safety inside.

Use of Diegetic (Realistic) Sound

  • Integral use of diegetic sounds that contribute to the realism and urgency of the play.
  • Machine gun fire, aircraft engines, jungle sounds, and the disturbingly cheerful tunes from a Japanese transistor radio intensifies the situation’s seriousness.
  • The sound of the hand-cranked generator is used to heighten dramatic tension.

Use of Music and Radio

  • Japanese songs from the transistor radio are used to showcase the proximity of the enemy. It also serves as a stark contrast to the soldiers’ desolate scenario.
  • The music brought through the radio also brings out differences between culture and language, symbolising how alien the Japanese seem to the British soldiers.
  • Bits of dialogue are lost over the sound of the radio, representing the disruption and disorientation caused by war.

Direction and Amplification

  • The offstage sounds should be realistic and loud enough to give the impression that they originate from a believable distance.
  • Amplification of sounds such as gunfire or airplanes can increase tension and denote impending danger.
  • The audio cues of the approaching Japanese forces serve as critical transitions or turning points within the story, directing the narrative and defining its pace.

Sound Effects

  • The play’s final gunshot symbolises the tragic and ruthless reality of war.
  • The opening sequence of jungle sounds sets the scene for the audience, immersing them in the hostile and alien environment the soldiers find themselves trapped in.
  • The radio static serves as a crucial signifier of the communication breakdown among the soldiers.