Into the World Within is the new radio drama series by Moonfish Theatre Company, made for Baboró International Arts Festival for Children. And they thought they'd let you in on the secrets behind the sound effects!
Into the World Within is being showcased all this week on the RTÉjr Podcast HERE
Or you can listen each night at 6.30 to catch a new installment.
The whole series is magical and one of the most interesting things about it is that all of the sound effects you hear were made live on stage while the play was performed!
Foley is the art of creating sound to match a performance, either in a film or on stage. It was first done in radio broadcasts of the 1920s, with metal sheets shaking to make the sound of thunder, rice falling to mimic rain and a whole host of wondrous tricks that convince the listener that they are in a bigger and noisier world than just a sound studio.
Well, Zita, from the Moonfish Theatre Company lets you into the Sound Secrets behind some of the greatest films and stage plays ever made. The five videos below an all-in-one course on how to make your own radio plays, using objects you'd find in your house!
If you are a teacher or parent, the accompanying worksheets will help you make best use of the videos and tell you a bit more about how to make sound magic in a matter of minutes.
Teachers can download your resource packs here:
And now watch the video series to get making some noise!
Episode 1
In this video, Zita from Moonfish Theatre opens a door into the wonderful world of foley – the art of reproducing everyday sound to add to a project, like a video or radio play for example, to bring it to life.
It is named after Jack Foley who began working with Universal Studios in 1914 creating sound design for early films when the microphones couldn't pick up a lot of the background noise needed to bring a realistic feel.
Sound art can be added after a project is created and recorded or it can be done live, which Moonfish Theatre like to do during some of their performances. Viewers also get a chance to create their own foley to bring colour to two very different film clips.
Episode 2
In this episode, Zita walks us through how to create a short story and accompanying soundscape. A soundscape is a way of creating a story for the ears and bringing your project to life using various types of sound effects.
Foley lets you create worlds with sound so your audience can feel the project taking shape around them through the power of sound and their imagination. Then, it’s over to you – Zita talks us through how to create a short story with a setting, characters and a plot that you can create foley art for and gives top tips on the everyday objects Moonfish Theatre uses to create their own.
Episode 3
Now it’s time to use what you’ve learned to take the next step and create foley art for a real radio play with a script provided by Moonfish Theatre. Listen to the lines the characters are saying and decide what sounds would really bring meaning to the words. Zita demonstrates how Moonfish Theatre used simple household objects to create the atmosphere for their own project.
What noises will you find that tell the audience where the scene is happening, who the characters are and what the action is?
Episode 4
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for – time to record your very own sound effects! There’s no need for fancy equipment, you can use whatever recording device you have to hand like a smart phone, tablet or computer, but a quiet space is essential, you don’t want those expertly designed effects to be interrupted by a barking dog or a noisy washing machine!
Think about the radio scripts you’re working with and what sounds would really help to give the story colour and a sense of motion. Find the objects you need and have them to hand to make your sound effect at the perfect moment.
Episode 5
With the hard work done, it’s time to listen back to the stories and soundscapes you’ve created. Your teacher will play back all the scenes you’ve recorded for your radio drama along with the foley art you made. Once you’ve heard your work, you can have a group discussion asking questions like:
What are the most vivid images?
Are there any parts with too much or too little foley?
