Unrealized Design:
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Concept Statement
Long Day's Journey Into Night, by Eugene O'Neill, is a production about how blame can be shifted around without being self-aware and the consequences that follow. In regards to sound in this show, because of the unusual circumstances this show has with location, being that the entire plot takes place in a living room in a Connecticut summer cottage, sound has to be the element to bring in the world around the center of attention. Along with this, sound also expands the complex characters and as the characters complexity continue to increase throughout the show, so does the tone, intensity, and volume of the elements in the world around them.
Sound Cue List
For this unrealized sound design, I created a sound cue sheet that consisted of 55 executable sound cues. Due to the nature of this production taking place in only one room, sound helps provide context for different sounds we may hear that takes place outside of the room. From sounds of different types of doors opening and closing, sounds that happen in the house itself like phones ringing and light switches being flipped, sounds that may mimic the actors outside of the room like laughter and coughing, and different types of ambiences throughout the day that contribute to the time of day and help visualize that for the audience. Music also has a large component into the sound design, originally starting with music to establish 1912 Connecticut but later to establish that the tone and view of the show all together has shifted, specifically on the character Mary. This list of cues collectively help shape the soundscape the world of the show lives in, interacts with, and guide the audience into noticing subtle differences in what they hear and how it's reflected back on stage.
For the morning ambience, necessary for the start of the show after the intro music, I layered 3 sounds to create an evening soundscape described in the script. In the layered cue itself are birds chirping, waves crashing, and wind being blown.
For the evening ambience, necessary for the start of Act 3 after the transition music, I layered 5 sounds to create an evening soundscape described in the script. In the layered cue itself are waves crashing, wind being blown, a distant whale making noise, a bell from a yacht being rung, and a lighthouse foghorn.
For the midnight ambience, necessary for the start of Act 4 after the transition music, I layered 6 sounds to create an evening soundscape described in the script. In the layered cue itself are waves crashing, wind being blown, crickets chirping, frogs croaking, a bell from a yacht being rung, and a lighthouse foghorn.
For this first part of Intermission music, I took note of the 1912 time period along with the action happening on stage. Right before Intermission, one of the main characters, Mary, is having a breakdown and her unhinged nature is revealed for the first time in the show. To bring this uneasiness into the intermission time frame, I took the top of show song and slowed a portion of it down and made it distort through reverb. To add another element to compliment the new direction of tone I added a glitch sound to show that Mary is putting on a mask for her family and the glitch is her unmasking herself when she's finally alone.