COMPLETE - Favourite Scenes From Shakespeare - rap

[Elizabby]

Hi Tony, don't change it for this file, but usually subsequent versions should have the SAME filename as the first one - the new file goes to the top of the stack, and becomes the one linked in the MW. The MC can dig out the older version if required, but otherwise it just sits there in reserve.

[jburlinson]

Sonia is right about the LV disclaimer - only the narrator needs to say it, and I think the format needs to be changed so please wait for John to adjust the first post before recording any narrations. The roles just need a voice credit "Juliet read by..."

Sonia and Beth make good points. For a role, please follow Beth's advice above -- "[Role] read by [...]. End with "End of [role].

If you've already recorded something and didn't do it this way, don't worry and please don't re-upload. As long as you said "[Role] read by [...]", we're good.

The narrator should read the intro, the outro and essential stage directions. By essential, I mean descriptions of physical action that clarify the discourse; e.g. "Othello smothers Desdemona". Things like [aside], or [she weeps], would not be essential, IMO, if they can be conveyed by the voice. Similarly, exits or entrances of subsidiary characters who do not speak would not be essential.

If in doubt about what's essential, go ahead and read it and let the editor make the final call.

Also -- if you're the narrator and you also read a character -- please include both parts in the same file. Be sure to start the file with "[Role] read by [...]" AND "Narrated by [...]." If you intersperse narration/stage directions with your character's lines, that would be great -- one less thing for the editor to deal with. If it's easier for you to separate the two parts, that's OK too, as far as I'm concerned. Michele are you all right with that?

I'll change the MW to reflect this.

I'm learning on the job!

[wib66]

Thanks John I am happy with that.

[Kitty]

Ok I have read all your notes now. Of course I took the texts in the MW to read from. I know we should all have the same texts.

For the narrator in R&J, I read everything now, but it wasn't too much, if anything is unimportant, just leave it out.

I also finished Portia, so the main characters from Section 11 are now finished.
https://librivox.org/uploads/rapunzelina/favouritescenes_11_portia.mp3
Recording time: 4:49 min.

I left out the Librivox disclaimer this time. Good we can leave it out Much simpler that way.

That's all for me for tonight I guess. Good night, all.

Sonia

[jburlinson]

Here's a small contribution for Julius Caesar. I hope I made my poet suitably over-dramatic/poetic (as poets should be) LOL

Perfect! Although it's a brief role, it's a telling one -- since it's one of those moments when Shakespeare drastically changes the emotional temperature of a scene within the twinkling of an eye, as it were.

PL OK!

[Elizabby]

Ok I have read all your notes now. Of course I took the texts in the MW to read from. I know we should all have the same texts.

That's a relief! I've worked on a project where the readers were using different texts and it created a LOT of confusion! It took literally MONTHS to sort it out, so I thought better to mention it in the first week of the project rather than risk any misunderstanding!

John, did you get my PM about the intros and outros? That decision needs to be made early, before too many Narrator files come in.

[jburlinson]

Ok here is my first contribution. It's the Witch scene from Macbeth. I had fun doing it, but afterwards my voice was a bit scratchy.

For the "double double toil and trouble..." we need to somehow speak it about the same length, since it will be spoken together. How is this usually handled ? Are the other two checking out the length of how I said it ? So that it won't become too much of a cacophony ?

The Apparition I first spoke normal and then again with the reverb effect. You can listen to both and choose the one you think fits best. I think I managed to speak a bit of an echo even in the one without special effects LOL don't know how I did it.

https://librivox.org/uploads/rapunzelina/favouritescenes_41_first_witch_third_apparition.mp3
Recording time: 3:40 min.

So John will PL my files, correct ? Have fun.

Sonia

Wonderful! Scary -- very scary! I'll have to sleep with the lights on tonight.

I really like the reverb effect. Perfect for this scene.

As to length -- I think there's a way that the editor can manipulate voice tracks to match the length. Is that right Michele?

Regardless, if it's not perfectly in sync, that's OK -- in fact, preferable, IMO. Cacophony can heighten the weirdness.

PL OK.

[Elizabby]

There are two solutions to the "synching" issue. One is for the subsequent readers to have a quick listen to the first person who recorded (I think this works really well). If the lines are too far out, the editor can adjust a bit, either by inserting spaces at the ends of lines, usually or by stretching or contracting the total length - usually up to about 5% is OK, beyond that I think it sounds distorted.

For only three voices it might not be necessary at all - it will probably be understandable even if slightly off-tempo. (For the Iolanthe project we have times when up to ten people are speaking at once! That needs to be coordinated or no-one can understand a word!)

[jburlinson]

John, did you get my PM about the intros and outros? That decision needs to be made early, before too many Narrator files come in.

This is a good procedure -- I agree with you. I've changed the MW accordingly. Please take a look and see if it will work.

Narrator should start: "Act [number], Scene [number] from [Title of Play] by William Shakespeare. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit: librivox DOT org"

and end: "End of Act [number], Scene [number] from [Title of Play]. This recording is in the public domain."

Will this work?

I like this best, since it will give us a chance to order the scenes as we wish when we compile the scenes for publication. At the moment, I'm thinking that chronological might be the most interesting way -- so we'd start with Taming of the Shrew and finish with The Tempest. But I'm open to alternatives.

Thanks.

[jburlinson]

(For the Iolanthe project we have times when up to ten people are speaking at once! That needs to be coordinated or no-one can understand a word!)

I may have contributed to some sleepless nights for you and Kristin (is that right? Is it Kristin who's doing the editing) -- since I read my "chorus" part very slowly and my partner read it quite quickly. And this problem was compounded when the chorus of fairies joined in.

All part of the learning process, I guess.

Whatever, the editor is making them sound great.

[Elizabby]

That looks good - I agree it is best not to read the section numbers into the audio. We don't need the disclaimer in the outro if we have the full version in the intro - that's only for the short poems.

EDIT: I would probably leave the plays in alphabetical order, if I were doing it. This is because I don't think people actually listen through the whole lot from start to finish. I think most people look for what they know and like first - "MacBeth" and "Romeo and Juliet" or "Othello" etc. It is easier to find stuff if the project is in alphabetical order. Anyone who knows enough about Shakespeare to want to listen in chronological order probably already knows what that is, and can then look for the plays more easily if they are in alphabetical order. I (for example) wouldn't have a clue when "Merchant of Venice" was written, I just know I like that scene!

Iolanthe is coming together beautifully! Kristin did a brilliant job! I like your Peer voice - it gives a bit of bass to anchor the chorus, especially on the Tzing BOOM! By the time we add the tenor and baritone principals, plus the Lord Chancellor it gives a nice group feel. The problem is when we add the male and female chorus together - that creates a bit of a headache in editing, it's true. The women generally have read faster than the men - not sure why, but it seems that way.

[jburlinson]

And here is Nurse/Narrator from Romeo and Juliet. John, in the Worksheet you had yourself put down as narrator, in the MW I see my name. Maybe an oversight. I recorded the Narrator, but if you want to do it nevertheless, I don't mind if you delete my part again.

You're right -- my error. I will be the narrator, since I have nothing else to contribute to this scene.

No need to change your reading though.

This does solve a mystery, though. When I finished the magic window, I had one line left over -- it should have been 103 lines, but I only used 102. I had obviously left something out; but darned if I could figure out what it was. This was it -- me as narrator for R&J.

I'll correct that now.

Sorry you had to worry with this.

[jburlinson]

I think we're all good on the file naming convention, but, just as a review, to satisfy my OCD side:

when uploading a file, please include the scene number and the role.

favouritescenes_##_[role].mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is the scene number (e.g. favouritescenes_01_cleopatra.mp3)

Scene numbers are as follows:

01 -- Antony and Cleopatra
02 -- As You Like It
03 -- Hamlet
04 -- Henry IV (Pt 1)
05 -- Julius Caesar
06 -- King Lear
07 -- MacBeth Act 1, Scene 7
08 -- MacBeth Act 2, scenes 1 - 3
09 -- MacBeth Act 4, Scene 1
10 -- Merchant of Venice Act 1, Scene 2
11 -- Merchant of Venice Act 3, scene 2
12 -- Midsummer Night's Dream Act 2, Scene 1
13 -- Midsummer Night's Dream Act 3, Scene 2
14 -- Much Ado About Nothing
15 -- Othello Act 3, scene 3
16 -- Othello Act 5, Scene 2
17 -- Richard III
18 -- Romeo and Juliet
19 -- Taming of the Shrew
20 -- The Tempest
21 -- Twelfth Night

I've added this to the project homepage, for reference purposes.

[jburlinson]

OK. Here's my first scene -- making good progress on The Merchant of Venice

Narrator & Gratiano


https://librivox.org/uploads/rapunzelina/favouritescenes_11_narrator_gratiano.mp3

2:54

[jburlinson]

The women generally have read faster than the men - not sure why, but it seems that way.

That's easy to explain. Women are smarter than men -- on the whole.