The 39 Steps Play Guide For AQA GCSE Drama

SECTION B STUDY OF A SET PLAY: THE 39 STEPS 43 Sound When creating a sound design, you might consider: 4 Live or recorded sound 4 Sound effects or music 4 Volume/amplification 4 Sources of sound and the direction of sound. CHECK IT OUT See pages 240–243 of AQA GCSE Drama to learn more about sound, including advice from a sound designer. CHECK IT OUT See pages 95 and 253–256 in AQA GCSE Drama for more about puppetry, including an interview with a designer. Task B19 Here are some effects a sound designer wants to achieve. How could they create these effects to reflect the context of The 39 Steps ? An example has been suggested to start you off. Puppet design Some productions of The 39 Steps employ puppets in various scenes. In order to use puppets to reveal the play’s context, designs you could consider might include: 4 Creating a music hall audience of life- sized puppets for Scene 2 4 A small marionette of Hannay in 1930s clothing to show his escape from the train and hanging from the Forth Bridge in Scenes 9 and 10 4 Shadow puppets of 1930s aeroplanes for Scene 15. KEY TERM Marionette: A puppet worked by strings. In Scene 21, I want to show Hannay’s growing belief in his speech and how enthusiastically the audience responds to him. It is important to contribute to the creation of the car through the use of sound effects, as well as capturing that it is a dangerous night-time location in Scene 23. This is the climax of the play and I want sound design to establish the theatre setting and contribute to the excitement of the scene. Before Hannay enters Pamela’s carriage, I will have recorded noise of a fast-travelling train. One of the Policemen will blow his whistle, with a loud, piercing noise. When Hannay enters the carriage, a recording of romantic music of the period, such as an instrumental version of ‘Isn’t It Romantic?’, will snap on and become louder when the pair kiss. It will continue until the Policeman enters, when it will suddenly snap off, as if a spell has been broken. I want to highlight the immediate attraction between Hannay and Pamela in Scene 9, as well as to mark the sudden change from danger to romance. Shadow puppets designed by Peter McKintosh 3