Notes on Perspective:
Figure(thing you are supposed to be listening)focus of attention
If a sound or group of sounds is positioned as Figure, it is thereby treated as the most important sound, the sound which the listener must identif)r wirh, and/or react to and/or act upon.
Ground (less involved, less prominent, creates the listeners social world, context) giving a sense of where we are
Its a sound or group ofsounds is positioned as Ground, it is thereby treated as still part of the listener’s social world, but only in a minor and less involved way. We are to treat it as we treat the familiar faces we see every day and the familiar places we move through every day. in other words, as a context we take for granted and only notice when it is not there any longer.
Field (provides spacial volume most distance, sounds you can’t really decipher )
If a sound or group of sounds is positioned as Field, it is thereby treated as existing, not in the listener’s social, but in his or her physical world. We are to treat it as we would treat the people that crowd the streets through which we walk, or the trees that populate the forest past which we drive.
Perspective is realized by the relative loudne~s of the simultaneous sounds, regardless of whether chis results from the levels of the sounds themselves, from the relative distance of the people or objects thar produce chem, or from the way a soundtrack is mixed.
Intimate distance
The relation benveen the sound and the listener is one of real or imaginary-intimaq-what is presented or represenced by the sound
is regarded as one would regard someone with whom one is intimate. In speech, intimate distance is realized by whispering or maximaJly soft voices.
Personal distance
The relacion between the sound arrd the listener is a real or imaginary personal relation – what is pre.sented or represenced by the sound is regarded as one would regard a friend with whom one can discuss highly personal matters. In speech it is realized by a so Ft, relaxed voice at low pitch and volume.
Informal distance
The relation between the sound and the listener is a real or imaginary informal relation – what is presented or represemed by the sound is regarded as one would regard someone with whom one has a businesslike but nevertheless informal encounter. In speech it is rea)ized by a full voice at somewhat higher pitch and volume.
Formal distance
The relation between the sound afld the listener is a real or imaginary formal relation – what is presented or represented by the sound is regarded as one would regard people to whom one speaks in a formal or public concexr. In speech it is realized by an overloud, higher and tenser, ‘projected’ voice.
Public distance
The relation between the sound and the listener ‘stretches che limits’ and is regarded as one would regard someone who can only just be reached when one shours at the top of one’s voice – hence it is realized br the maximally loud sound.
We listened to a podcast about Lobotomies. They used to call lobotomies “surgery of the soul for people who were mentally ill.” I think the subject of the podcast combined with the audio piece makes it really strong and engaging. I think this has made me think about how to layer your sound pieces in creating not only a podcast but an actual sound piece. If your subject isn’t good I feel like no matter what you do it’ll be boring but if you have an interesting angle then it becomes interesting. For example when they talk about lobotomies they talk about how messed up they were, not exactly an original perspective but their hook was that they interviewed the son of the person who pioneered lobotomies so there is a hook there, and hearing the stories of so many people who were victims of this. I thought the sound was personal because of the way the piece was formed they want to win you over to their side of the story they don’t want you to be a neutral spectator they want to win you over to their side.
Figure: the main character was the narrator
Ground: Hospital background noises
Field: some at the hospital some at the old peoples home, some in closed rooms
