Post by catgut on Jan 23, 2007 3:35:17 GMT -5
What a strange night. I just saw the play Vigil by Morris Panych at the Vancouver Playhouse, and was shocked to hear a whole lot of Final Fantasy in the sound design.
The play is a series of sort of short scenes, with a blackout and sound cue of about 10 to 20-ish seconds between each one. Pretty much all the cues in the first act, and some in the second act, were samples from Final Fantasy songs (several different songs, mostly from He Poos Clouds but some from Has a Good Home too, and from "The Sea" as well, if I'm not mistaken)--instrumental bits cut and spliced together and looped. (Yes, loops of the loops).
Obviously hearing any Final Fantasy where one never expected it is like a lovely, warm handshake, but the whole thing raises odd issues. I was distracted just because I was aware of where the music had been diced and stitched together with a different part of the song, or the little hitch where they cut it just before the vocals start. It also really bothered me that there was absolutely no acknowledgment of musical sources in the program.
I don't know, I would personally love to create a really hugely FF-centred soundtrack for one of my plays, but there is something about the way this was done that doesn't seem quite right to me--chopping out and dicing the memorable and beautiful instrumental bits in a way that inevitably makes the music seem, to those unfamiliar with it, like an original score. And usually, when a director is largely influenced by one particular (living or dead) musician, they will acknowledge it somewhere.
That said, I do have to say that the play was wonderful. I love love love Morris Panych, and this play is one of his best. Has anyone else seen this yet?
Catharine:)
The play is a series of sort of short scenes, with a blackout and sound cue of about 10 to 20-ish seconds between each one. Pretty much all the cues in the first act, and some in the second act, were samples from Final Fantasy songs (several different songs, mostly from He Poos Clouds but some from Has a Good Home too, and from "The Sea" as well, if I'm not mistaken)--instrumental bits cut and spliced together and looped. (Yes, loops of the loops).
Obviously hearing any Final Fantasy where one never expected it is like a lovely, warm handshake, but the whole thing raises odd issues. I was distracted just because I was aware of where the music had been diced and stitched together with a different part of the song, or the little hitch where they cut it just before the vocals start. It also really bothered me that there was absolutely no acknowledgment of musical sources in the program.
I don't know, I would personally love to create a really hugely FF-centred soundtrack for one of my plays, but there is something about the way this was done that doesn't seem quite right to me--chopping out and dicing the memorable and beautiful instrumental bits in a way that inevitably makes the music seem, to those unfamiliar with it, like an original score. And usually, when a director is largely influenced by one particular (living or dead) musician, they will acknowledge it somewhere.
That said, I do have to say that the play was wonderful. I love love love Morris Panych, and this play is one of his best. Has anyone else seen this yet?
Catharine:)