Sounds from the Comedy Laboratory

Created for a Comedy workshop I am running with Exiled Theatre and James Campbell next week.

Whispered Hopes Part 2 - Extract 1

Recording the whispered hopes of the community in Reading.

You are listening to an extract of the ongoing project "Whispered Hopes"

Recorded by students from Theale Green Community School and people from Reading.

These hopes for the future span what people want for themselves, for others, for the community and for the world.

The background sound is a soundscape extrapolated from one person's whisper. The tempo has been greatly lengthened, the noise removed and various other elements stretched and affected to create the ethereal atmosphere that you hear.

This will form part of a larger exhibit at Reading Minster as part of the Whitley Arts Festival 2011.

Whispered Hopes Part 1

Starting a new project for The Whitley Arts Festival.
Keep checking this page and click on the banner for updates!

Deadmans Lane 2 - The Priest becomes a Gargoyle - A Projection - Nightmares are Cool

A projection from earlier in the show. This played behind and over the priest transformation scene. The unfortunate Reverend is cursed by a witch (who he has buried alive in Aldermaston Cemetary, and finds him self turning into a flesheating gargoyle (or more correctly "grotesque" if I remember QI correctly!)
The video was created from many jpegs, during the filming process the actor was gradually made-up.
The video was then heavily manipulated in Adobe Elements.
The sound is created by Music for Zombies.
In the show we added in a further scream to help with cueing for the actor.
Enjoy and do have nightmares!
Nightmares are cool.

Deadmans Lane 1 - The Burning of the Woman in White with a Terrible Smile - A Projection

This was filmed on the Theale Green Community School Field.
It is part of the play "Deadmans Lane" which was based on local legends and ghost stories around Theale in Berkshire.

The play contained a mix of live action and film, inspired by Forkbeard Fantasy and their ideas of "Crossing the Celluloid Divide" this scene saw the actors leave the stage and simultaneously appear on screen. The reason for the three piano shrieks on the soundtrack is that they act as cues for action. The third strike cues the entrance of The Faceless Man and the Priest. This meant that we could do a witch burning on stage without contravening health and safety (we had to be careful when we filmed of course!)
The witch is put into the crate on stage and then the crate is burnt on screen!
The music is by Music for Zombies.
The play was produced by Exiled Theatre.

Night of the Living Dead - For Kids!

This is the next project I am working on with my school.
This is a page from the school brochure I am designing.
I have spent the last couple of days transcribing the text and redesigning it as a stage show.
I used the original text available on line but my goodness it's different!
It finishes with Barbara still alive (this isn't the 1990 version) and McClelland apologises for shooting Ben (who in the earlier version was a hick truckdriver not a suave black guy) - so all the radical racial politics must have come from Duane Jones' casting. Fascinating.
As part of the prep for this, I will also be working on a soundtrack which hopefully I will be able to perform as a unique show away from the stage production.