AUDIO-VISUAL

ARTS
Elements of the Audio-Visual Arts
 Music

• Music is the art of combining sounds of varying

pitch to produce a coherent composition that is
melodious, harmonious, intelligible, and
expressive of ideas and emotions. Similar to any
art form, music has its own elements. Because it
is an audio-visual art, it shares the same
elements possessed by dance and drama. Its
elements are listed in the following:
 PITCH THE RELATIVE HIGHNESS OR LOWNESS OF A TONE

Volume or the loudness or softness of a sound. It ranges from very soft

(pianissimo) and soft (piano) to very loud (fortissimo) and loud
(forte). The volume is louder when a singer belts out compared
intensity to the volume when he simply whispers.
Tempo or rate the speed of a composition or any of its sections. Ballads have a
slow tempo, whereas dance songs have a fast rate. Terms such
as allegro (fast), vivace (lively), moderato (moderate speed),
andante (moderately slow), adagio (slower than andante), lento
(slow), and largo (very slow) are related to tempo.
Duration the length of time during which a sound is produced. Some
sounds are longer than the others.
Timbre the quality of sound that makes it distinct from other sounds.
Thus, a listener can distinguish the voices of Regine Velasquez,
Jaya, Janno Gibbs, and Ogie Alcasid; likewise, he can recognize
the sounds of a flute, a guitar, a drum, and a piano.
Rhythm the consistent pattern or succession of identical or
similar sounds. This is illustrated by the succession of
similar sounds in a song, as follows: introduction, stanza
one, chorus, refrain, stanza two, chorus, refrain, coda,
and conclusion.
Mcloft the series of consecutive tones that vary in pitch and
duration but form a line of individual significance and
expressive value. It is an orderly succession of tones or
musical sounds. It is the one remembered by a listener
or the one he whistles or hums, especially so when he
does not know the lyrics.
Harmony the simultaneous sounding of two or more tones. When
three or more tones are sounded simultaneously, there
exists a chord.
Texture thenumber of tones expected to be arprehended
simultaneously. It is either monophonic (sounding
of a single melodic line without an accompaniment),
polyphonic (simultaneous sounding of two or
more melodic linesof relativelyequal interest),or
homophonic (sounding of one main melody supported by a
subordinate one, as in the performance of a folk singer with a
guitar accompaniment).

Form the overall organization of the composition. It is

associated with shape, structure, and coherence. All the musical
elements are put together to come up with the cohesive whole
called form. Jose Palma's lyrics of the Philippine National Anthem
titled "Lupang Hinirang" were arranged into a march by Julian
Felipe. All the notes and all the other components of the song
constitute its form.
 DANCE

• Dance is a form of art using rhythmic bodily movements

expressing ideas and emotions and accompanied by music.
As an art form, it may tell a story, set a mood, or express
an emotion. It is a form of exercise; a number of people
who want to be physically fit turn to dancing. Obese people
who want to lose weight do. the same. It is also a form of
recreation; dances are almost always a part of parties and
other social activities. It is also a form of socialization;
ballrooms and dance halls are venues where people
socialize, meet new friends, and form new associations.
• Music and dance are allied arts. As such, they
share many similarities. Among these
similarities are that they are both performing
arts, that they have a temporary or transient
nature, and that they are enjoyed by artists and
audience alike. They are also related to each
other in that music is an important element of
dance. The other elements of dance are listed
Dancer The dancer is the most important element of dance. Since he is the
performer, there won't be a dance without him. He executes the steps,
follows the instructions of the choreographer, wears the costumes, and
carries the props.
Choreography A choreographer is the dance director. He does the overall design of
the dance, assigns the steps to be executed by the dancer/s, selects the
costumes and
props that go with the dance, and determines the
set designed for the dance. Geleen Eugenio used to choreograph the
Universal Motion Dancers or UMD and the "Starstruck" finalists, and
Maribeth Bichara did the choreography for the VIP Dancers. The two are
not only good choreographers but also good dancers. To be a good
choreographer, one must be a good dancer.
Design Design is the planned organization or pattern of movements in time and
space. It involves the movements and the positioning of the dancers, and
thesteps executed by them. An outstanding dance performance is always
dependent on the design of the dance. Thus, the dancers of a dance troupe
discuss the design of the dance, together with the choreographer, before
they start their rehearsal.
Subject Subject is the message of the dance. Simply put, it tells what
the dance is about. For example, the theme of the lfugao war
dance is the rivalry between two tribes that leads to an
armed conflict. Subjects of the dances differ from one dance
to another.
 Movements Movements
rolls, are classified
and somersaults. into are
Gestures steps,
the gestures,
movements andof facial
their
expressions.
heads, Steps
hands, are the
feet, anddancers'
other movements
body parts;from one point
these on
include
stage to another;
swaying, head these include
shaking, leaps,
foot turns, and
stomping,
clapping. Facial expressions are the movements of their facial
parts, as exemplified by the raising of eyebrows, pouting of
lips, and crumpling of forehead.

Technique
Technique is thestyle or way of executing the
movements. For example, the grind may be done singly or
doubly or the twist may be done quickly or slowly.
Properties More commonly called props, properties are the things carried by
the dancers as they perform. These include the glasses with lighted
candles (pandanggo sa ilaw), sombreros (pandanggo sa sambalilo),
fans (fan dance),
umbrellas (umbrella dance), sticks (sakuting), pots
(banga), spears and shields (singkil), towels, torches, and so on.
Costumes Costumes are the things worn by the dancers during their
performance. These include the head gear, the upper garments, the
lower garments, and the footwear.
Hats, caps, fez,bonnets, helmets, crowns, turbans,
and hoods are among the head gear. Blouses, kimono, kimona,
baro't saya, malong, patadyong, traje, gowns. Maria Clara dresses,
skirts, bloomers, and the like are garments for female dancers,
while shirts, camisa de
chino, barong Tagalog, shorts, long pants, trousers,
G-strings, and the like are garments for male dancers. Their
footwear may be shoes, slippers, sandals. socks, and stockings.
Set design the setting or the background that indicates the
place of action for the dancers. Vintas are
placed as backdrop for singkil, a vintage
Spanish-inspired house for jota, and nipa huts
for tinikling.
Other theatrical Elements such as lighting effects, sound effects,
elements visual effects, and the like form part of a dance
performance when the dance is performed as
part of a musical play or when it is a theatrical
dance.
 DRAMA OR THEATER

• Drama is a form of art that depicts life's

experiences through the reenactment of events
that take place in the real world or happen in the
mind of the writer. More often than not, it mirrors
life. Derived from the Greek word dram meaning
to act or to do, drama is performed on stage or in
front of the camera by actors and actresses under
the supervision of the director.
• It serves to persuade because it can be used as
propaganda. It still has other purposes: to help
conserve a country's or society's legends, to
execute its laws, to explore its problems, to
demonstrate its codes, to ridicule its
weaknesses, and to extend its knowledge.
Direction Thedirector is the overall in charge of the dramatic
performance. He instructs the actors and all the people involved in
the production from the production assistants to the cameramen,
props men, effects men, designers,writers,
editors,cinematographers, and so on. He is always present from
the pre-production stage to the post-production stage of the play.
The internationally acclaimed
  Lino Brocka epitomizes a good director.
Acting The members of the cast perform the roles assigned to them by the
director. They read the script, memorize their lines, follow the
instructions given by the director, and give justice to their assigned
roles. Among the actors groomed into high-caliber performers by
Lino Brocka were Christopher de Leon ("Tinimbang Ka Ngunit
Kulang"), Bembol Roco
  ("Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag"), Hilda Koronel
Editing The editor sequences the scenes to be presented in such a way
that they make up a coherent whole. Like a newspaper editor who
deletes unnecessary words from a news article, he takes out
unnecessary scenes, particularly the obscene and offensive ones.

Set design The set designer does the layout of the set. He determines what
to place as backdrop and what to put on stage. For example, the
design for the set of the play
Production design Similar to the set designer for a stage play, the production
designer is tasked to do the overall design for a drama to be
shown on the small screen or the wide screen. Opposed to a set
designer, a production designer has a bigger responsibility. It
covers an area as wide as a small community or a large province.
At times, his work also involves designing costumes, determining
the props to be used, and collaborating with the
cinematographer. For example, the production designs of fantasy
movies such as "Exodus" and "Harry Potter" are elaborate.