Worked example · Drama · Year 8

Planning Digital Sound and Projection Cues for a Mine Scene

DCF: Producing → Creating digital content · LNF: Numeracy → Learning about geometry helps us understand shape, space and position, and learning about measurement helps us quantify in the real world → Measurement

What this is

A complete Year 8 answer key and worked example annotated against the success criteria. All 5 cues run consecutively to total exactly 200 seconds (03:20). Share or display this after pupils have completed their own cue sheets.

Step 1: match digital assets to the 5 dramatic moments

Scene moment Audio ID Image ID Why these assets fit the mood, dialogue level and 1910 period
Cue 1: Pithead yard at dawn SFX-01 IMG-01 Sets the 1910 pithead location at dawn with steam winding gear and hooter.
Cue 2: Rapid descent in the cage SFX-02 IMG-02 Loud (80%) rattling chains and upward motion-blur graphic of wet shaft brickwork create the sensation of dropping rapidly underground.
Cue 3: Creaking East Drift tunnel SFX-03 IMG-04 Quiet 50% volume lets the audience hear Idris’s whispered line over dripping water and creaking timber, while 4K IMG-04 fits the 16:9 screen sharply.
Cue 4: Roof split and rockfall SFX-04 IMG-05 95% volume timber crack and rockfall paired with the 25% brightness charcoal-dust blackout frame matches the sudden collapse.
Cue 5: Rescue signal bell and lamp SFX-06 IMG-06 Three iron signal-bell strikes and warm male-voice hum with the amber miner’s lamp beam create relief and hope for the ending.

Rejected audio file: SFX-05 was rejected because a modern two-tone electronic police siren and diesel traffic are completely anachronistic for a 1910 underground coal mine.

Every cue matches both period accuracy and practical stage balance (keeping Cue 3 at 50% so whispered dialogue is audible). Evidences criterion 1.

Step 2: calculate exact start, fade-out and end timestamps

Cue Start time Duration Fade-out length Fade-out starts at Cue ends at
Cue 1 0 s (00:00) 35 s 5 s 30 s (00:30) 35 s (00:35)
Cue 2 35 s (00:35) 40 s 4 s 71 s (01:11) 75 s (01:15)
Cue 3 75 s (01:15) 55 s 5 s 125 s (02:05) 130 s (02:10)
Cue 4 130 s (02:10) 25 s 3 s 152 s (02:32) 155 s (02:35)
Cue 5 155 s (02:35) 45 s 6 s 194 s (03:14) 200 s (03:20)

Check total: 35 + 40 + 55 + 25 + 45 = 200 seconds = 3 minutes 20 seconds.

Conversions between total seconds and mm:ss are accurate across minute boundaries (75 s = 01:15, 130 s = 02:10, 155 s = 02:35, 200 s = 03:20). Evidences criterion 2.

Step 3: check image resolution and aspect ratio for the 1920 × 1080 projector

Image ID Pixel dimensions Aspect ratio Suitable? What will happen on the 1920 × 1080 stage screen?
IMG-01 1920 × 1080 16:9 Yes Fits the widescreen projector exactly with crisp detail.
IMG-03 800 × 800 1:1 (square) No Too low in resolution (800 px wide vs 1920 px needed, so it will pixelate) and square, so it will stretch sideways or leave wide side bars.
IMG-04 3840 × 2160 16:9 Yes Exactly double 1920 × 1080 in both width and height (4K 16:9), so it scales down cleanly without distortion or blur.
IMG-07 1080 × 1920 9:16 (vertical) No Portrait smartphone shape leaves huge black pillars on both sides of the stage screen, and shows modern plastic gear in a 1910 play.

Identifies both pixel resolution limits and aspect-ratio mismatches (1:1 and 9:16 vs 16:9). Evidences criterion 3.

Step 4: technical cue instructions for the desk operator

Cue 2 (00:35 to 01:15): At 00:35, on Gwyn’s line “Hold tight to the rail, boy, she drops fast!”, cut projection to IMG-02 (100% brightness) and trigger audio SFX-02 at 80% volume. At 01:11 (71 s), start a 4-second fade-out on SFX-02 so it finishes at 01:15 (75 s).

Cue 3 (01:15 to 02:10): At 01:15, on Idris’s whispered line “Listen to the roof posts groaning above us”, crossfade projection to IMG-04 and bring in audio SFX-03 at 50% volume (keep low under whispered dialogue). At 02:05 (125 s), begin a 5-second fade-out ending at 02:10 (130 s).

Cue 4 (02:10 to 02:35): At 02:10, instantly on Gwyn’s shout “Back against the coalface! Down!”, snap projection to IMG-05 at 25% brightness and fire audio SFX-04 at 95% volume. At 02:32 (152 s), start a 3-second fade-out on the rumble so it ends at 02:35 (155 s).

Cue 5 (02:35 to 03:20): At 02:35, on Idris’s line “Hear that? The deputy’s bell at the main road. We’re found”, fade in projection IMG-06 over 3 seconds and play audio SFX-06 at 65% volume. At 03:14 (194 s), begin a 6-second fade-out on both sound and projection to reach complete blackout and silence at 03:20 (200 s).

Each operator instruction gives the exact timestamp, dialogue trigger, asset IDs, sound/light levels and fade-out timing. Evidences criterion 4.

If you finish early: answers

Crossfade calculation: If Cue 3 starts 2 seconds before Cue 2 ends at 01:15 (75 s), Cue 3 starts at 01:13 (73 s). Because the two cues overlap by 2 seconds, the total running time of the scene decreases by 2 seconds to 198 seconds (03:18).

Audio file size: 200 seconds = 200 ÷ 60 = 3.333... minutes (or 3 and 1/3 minutes). File size = 10.5 MB × (200 ÷ 60) = 35 MB in total.

Why this response is secure