The sound in this piece seemed to fit very well with the theme of two separate worlds. The machine like tones and bird sounds emphasized the differences between the two environments. I was very satisfied when the noises started to overlap so that there were birds in the room and machine like noises outside. This blending of the sound in the two environments matched with the blending of the movement. The sound was well done and effectively portrayed the similarities as well as the differences between the the two dancers. It would have been interesting to blend the sounds even more so that the birds and machine tones were layered on top of one another.
What struck me the most was the emphasis on the inside noises and the outside noises, giving a large contrast not only with lighting and space, but with noise. It was an interesting choice in sound for it was more of an atmospheric sound, peaceful versus industrial. Perhaps sound levels could have been played with where outside was quieter and inside louder. I fully appreciated the blend of movement where the dancers would have the same movement to connect the two. I also enjoyed when both were sitting on the floor and the music began to blend into each other and one dancer was moving her leg and the other was just static.
The contrasting room humming and bird chirping highlight the inside and outiside of the two opposing environments. I was slowly allowed to view a development of the relationship between the two bodies. They were speaking to one another, separated by a thin ground layer of earth between them. As Ashley pressed her rolling head into the green grass, she could hear humming--and her chirping birds slowly chirped into Tina's space as well. Nice gradual meshing between the two environments.
I appreciate the use of contrast within this video and while the movement doesn't necessarily imply for me a duet separated, I definitely infer a sense of connection between the two dancers. I am struck by three sequences in particular: the one where they both back up or move suddenly in a direct pathway, the sequence where Ashley is sitting still looking the hill almost waiting patiently while Tina moves in this frantic fashion, and finally the rolling sequence.
The sound score....
The nature noises work for me in the Ashley scenes. I do not question the birds or crickets or whatever nature sounds are there. I assume that they are part of her surrounding. I am confused by Tina's sound score because it doesn't read as what was naturally in the environment (and of course I could be dead wrong and you maybe just used the in camera sound), but I hear a bustling factory or office scene. I almost want to see Tina dancing her movement on a crosswalk in NYC in rush hour, or simpler a conference room or an office space. The sound score makes me want to see a cog in a machine or her breaking from a cog's life into this dance sequence. When I see and recognize her environment as a dance studio it just doesn't work for me. Maybe generic warm up music sounds or something, but I feel that I would me more intrigued with a different location because the soundscore worked well with her movement and it contrasted the nature sounds effectively for my experience.
Sound used to accent the man-made world inside vs. the nature world outside. While I appreciated the sound track, I longed to hear more of a variety of inside and outside noises. Door slamming and doors chripping throughout. I enjoyed how the two worlds slowly seeped into each other and the silence. Silence made me think that the dancers were just imagining the noise and therefore made the entire piece more symbolic than literal for me.
The way you use sound to highlight the contrast between "in" and "out" works well for this video. I'm striked by the intensity of these two sounds at 1:05 (when the dance gets faster and stronger), especially how you treat the bird's singing to make a long squirky sound. However, I'm a bit confused by the intervening silence at the end of the video, particularly at 2:35 when the "inside" dancer's movements get wilder. Overall, I'm satisfied by your choice of sound, it's real and meaningful.
Comments
The sound score....
The nature noises work for me in the Ashley scenes. I do not question the birds or crickets or whatever nature sounds are there. I assume that they are part of her surrounding. I am confused by Tina's sound score because it doesn't read as what was naturally in the environment (and of course I could be dead wrong and you maybe just used the in camera sound), but I hear a bustling factory or office scene. I almost want to see Tina dancing her movement on a crosswalk in NYC in rush hour, or simpler a conference room or an office space. The sound score makes me want to see a cog in a machine or her breaking from a cog's life into this dance sequence. When I see and recognize her environment as a dance studio it just doesn't work for me. Maybe generic warm up music sounds or something, but I feel that I would me more intrigued with a different location because the soundscore worked well with her movement and it contrasted the nature sounds effectively for my experience.