Sound in Film
From MediaStudies
A discussion of sound in film. Rob and Will teach. Under Construction.
Contents |
Sound in Film
Leaders
Homework
Visit http://www.filmsound.org/. Please watch a video or read and article and look through the glossary.
Watch the shower scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLJ2qv_Wcug) from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho
Discussion
Basic Concepts
Marvin M. Kerner's Three Functions of Sound Effects (taken from The Art of the Sound Effects Editor)
- Simulating Reality
A fake punch thrown during a fight does not seem real until sound effects are later added during editing. Fake theatrics are given an added measure of reality through sound effects.
- Creating Illusion
If a couple is talking in a restaurant, the sound can create the illusion of a busy restaurant through Walla (the sound of many indistinguishable voices talking at once) without the director having to hire a bunch of extras to sit around and talk during the couple's conversation.
- Mood
A man drives up to a house. The sound of a small yapping dog does not indicate any danger. Whoever is inside the house is probably harmless. The sound of a Rottweiler, on the other hand, changes the mood to one of fear and peril.
Internal vs. External Logic
Internal logic involves continuous modifications in sound that correspond to the character's feelings, perceptions, or behaviors. External logic makes us of the effects of discontinuity as non-diegetic interventions. This could involve breaks in sound or sudden changes in tempo. Action films often use external logic to reinforce tension.
The Introduction of Sound in the Cinema
Sound has always been present in film. Silent movies almost always featured live music at their showings to give the audience emotional cues and to create an ambiance for each scene. Small town theaters usually featured a pianist, while larger city theaters often had organists or even entire orchestras. Special theatrical organs such as the Wurlitzer could simulate orchestral sounds, percussion, and sound effects. Early silent films used improvised music, but eventually movie studios started sending specially composed scores cue sheets along with the film prints, starting with Birth of a Nation in 1915. At the height of the silent era, movies were the single largest source of employment for American musicians. The first feature length sound film (or "talkie") was 1927's The Jazz Singer. By the early 1930s, talkies had replaced silent film entirely, despite Jack Warner's early prediction that talking movies would never be profitable because "They fail to take into account the international language of the silent pictures, and the unconscious share of each onlooker in creating the play, the action, the plot, and the imagined dialogue for himself."
