Abstract
In February 2008 the Atrium Theatre in Cardiff presented a stage adaptation Sam Rami’s horror films ‘The Evil Dead’ and its sequel ‘The Evil Dead II’. Rami’s films features an evil presence that is represented through a series of low dolly shots which give the audience a demons-eye-view of the malicious force approaching and withdrawing from its unwitting victims. This visual motif was combined with rapid edits, innovative camera angles, frenetic tilted panning amongst other innovative filming techniques to create a disorienting cinematic rollercoaster ride for the audience. As such any director faced with adapting these films into a theatrical production must firstly find alternative means to convey these atmospheric moments without employing any of theses cinematic techniques. We achieved this goal by creating a sound environment which consisted of three main elements: • Live sound effects which included percussion instruments such as a guiro, a ratchet, a stirring drum and a number of spring drums • A live ‘deadite’ choir which vocally underscored the dialogue of possessed characters with a series of distorted chants in various pitches that consisted of vowels, consonants, or short combinations of letters. • Electronic Sound ….. As such this paper will discuss the sonic techniques adopted in order to transpose the same sensations of tension, movement, relentlessness, menace and danger in a live performance.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | N/A |
Publication status | Accepted/In press - 1 Jan 1990 |
Event | Theatre Noise - Location unknown - please update Duration: 1 Jan 2009 → 1 Jan 2009 |
Conference
Conference | Theatre Noise |
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Period | 1/01/09 → 1/01/09 |
Keywords
- live theatre sound
- adaptation
- horror