Blog #6: The Power of Sound Design
In Randy Thom’s “Designing A Movie for Sound”, he states that the biggest myth about composing and sound designing is that they’re about creating great sounds. The actual term sound design was coined by Ben Burtt and Walter Murch, and they understood that sound shaped a picture at times as much as the picture shaped the sound. A film that works will almost seem alive, and it’s important to be thinking about sound at the beginning of the film making process. Writers in pre-production should figure out how to use point of view, acoustic space, and elements of time. In post-production, a composer is given 4–5 weeks to produce 70–90 minutes of great music. The supervising sound editor is given 10–15 weeks to smooth out production dialogue and wedge in specific sounds. This text really makes a point of making sound a bigger priority in the film process, because filmmakers can really create a complex world with sounds, and the space a film takes place in can become a character of its own. Characters and people watching the film need to be given the opportunity to listen, which means incorporating scenes that use dialogue sparsely. This technique creates ambiguity and provokes questions from film watchers. Thom emphasizes that sound has way more purpose than we think, and it’s important to put sound at the same level as picture to create a well-rounded film.
In Sonnenschein: ”Sound and Image”, we take a deep dive into the differences between our eyes and ears and how we take in sound vs. visuals. He makes the juxtaposition of on-screen and off-screen sounds in the film. On-screen sounds are usually accompanied by visual cues, whereas off-screen sounds are those we hear without the source, although the source is implied. Active sounds raise questions and curiosity, whereas passive creates atmosphere and environment. Music in film can be a great tool for signifying emotion, continuity and filling the gap, and narrative unity to help in the formal unity of a film using repetition, variation, and counterpoint. Programmatic music is dramatic and represents some action or event in a word. Anempathetic music deliberately takes an indifferent stand to drama, and this creates juxtaposition. Dialogue in film can take many forms such as theatrical, textual, emanation, or elimination speech. Sonnenschein outlines many ways you can use sound to conceal information and evoke questions in viewers. Sound adds value and multiple meanings to any piece.
Sound talents, and examples
1. Smooth otherwise abrupt changes between shots or scenes
In the film Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese, Travis (played by Robert De Niro) is seen performing exercises in his room, then seen at a movie theater, indoor shooting range, and back in his room. This scene called “Training” is meant to show Travis getting prepared to attempt to assassinate Senator Palantine. The way the film smooths the scenes that are clearly in different locations is by bringing the sound in early before we see the scene, the music is the same all the way through, and the narration by the main character serves to tie the scenes together.
2. Exaggerate action or mediate
In this iconic scene of Lord of The Rings, Gandalf is seen fighting this dragon in a big cave. We hear the sound of the dragon, the fire, and the characters screaming. Gandalf takes down the dragon, but he is left hanging on the edge of the walkway and if he lets go, he will fall to his death. All the characters must get out of the cave before it collapses and they are torn whether or not to go back and save their friend. We then get a close-up of Gandalf, the music gets quieter, and he says “Run, you fools” to his friends. Then with almost no music, we hear him let go of the rock and grunt as he falls into the dark below. This definitely exaggerates the action since we are forced, as viewers, to focus on him falling since nothing else is going on.
3. Indicate a geographical locale
In this scene of The Walking Dead, we see Rick in this zombie-infested city trying to get away. There is no dialogue so we really only get a sense of the space through visuals, of course, but also the sound. The sound of Rick panting and grunting, the sound of his gun going off, and the groan of zombies trying to get their fix. This could also be a way of clarifying the plot.
4. Indicate changes in time
In this scene of the movie Forrest Gump shows the main character doing his long run. It is quite absurd because we know as viewers that he started running simply because he felt like it and didn’t stop for a very long time. We can tell there is a progression in time because he is telling the story to someone, we hear news anchors talking about his great feat at length, we hear reporters trying to stop him on the road as he runs to ask why he’s been running so long.
Works Cited
Thom, Randy. “Randy Thom: Designing a Movie for Sound.” A Sound Effect, 23 Feb. 2018, https://www.asoundeffect.com/designing-a-movie-for-sound/.