An Introduction to Film Sound A lecture in three parts: 1. The key role of film sound 2. Different layers of film sound 3. The process of assembling film sound

King Kong (Merian Cooper, 1933) King Kong (Peter Jackson, 2005)

Giving King Kong (2005) the ‘silent treatment’ 1. We are going to watch a short excerpt from the film – first without sound, then with sound. 2. After the second viewing, ask yourself the key question: What does film sound do? Kong climbs The Empire State Building (1933)1933 King Kong Battle of the airplanes (2005)2005

What can sound do? 1. Create a mood 2. Create a sense of rhythm or pace 3. Provide a sense of space and place 4. Accentuate the action 5. Punctuate the scene 6. Draw our attention to certain things or people 7. Smooth transitions from one scene to another 8. Refer to something or someone out of frame 9. Act in opposition to what we see

Sound is 50% of the movie-going experience. Film producer and director George Lucas

Sound designer Randy Thom says: “I'm always amused when I'm introduced to somebody as a sound person. They often say something like, ‘Well, sound is so important to film.’ Saying that tells me that they don't really think sound is important at all, because they would never, if they were introduced to the director of photography, say, ‘You know, visual images are so important to film.’ Clearly somebody who says that doesn't understand how important sound really is.”

Michel Chion explains that sound provides the image with added value: “a sound enriches a given image so as to create the definite impression… that this information or expression ‘naturally’ comes from what is seen, and is already contained in the image itself.”

Film music and added value

The contribution of film sound “Added value is what gives the (eminently incorrect) impression that sound is unnecessary, that sound merely duplicates a meaning which in reality it brings about, either all on its own or by discrepancies between it and the image.” (Michel Chion)

Some misconceptions about film sound Film sound is more than simply just dialogue and music. There are several common misconceptions about film sound. First, that the sound is recorded along with the image. Second, that the sound is simply ‘captured’ and simply paired with the image. And third, that sound requires much less work than the tedious labour undertaken for the presentation of the visuals.

Some misconceptions Film sound is more than simply just dialogue and music. There are several common misconceptions about film sound. There is no single, magical microphone which records the dialogue, sound effects, and music, on-set in perfect balance.

Where does film sound come from?

Ronin (1998) Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) re=related re=related

THE ART OF FOLEY Foley effects are physical movement sounds made by Foley artists that are later matched up with visuals. kEOPIJcB4&feature=related

Use of sound effects Sound effects help to: Give weight to a giant boulder that may be only made from Styrofoam Give life to objects made up of millions of tiny pixels animated through CGI Give dimensionality to a huge spaceship that is really a tiny model

1. Much of film sound is recorded separately from the image – including a significant percentage of dialogue. 2. Film sound is constructed and painstakingly synchronised with the cinematic visuals. 3. The production and postproduction of sounds calls for a lot of work that, if successful, reinforces the apparent seamlessness of the sound-image event.

Just as every visual component in a film is designed and executed by the writer, director, cinematographer, and design team, each single sound in a film is carefully conceived, chosen, recorded, edited, and mixed by an array of sound artists and technicians.

Categories of film sound Music Dialogue Sound effects

Production soundtrack Production dialogue Ambient backgrounds ADR (and group Walla) Foley effects Sound effects Music (diegetic and non-diegetic)

Sound production crew Production mixer Boom operator Cable man Effects recordist

Sound designer Frank Serafine: “A sound designer is very much like the film composer. A composer sits down and writes a score out. Then he gives it to the conductor and orchestra who plays it. As a sound designer, you first sit down and design and write out what you think everything is going to be.”

Sound postproduction crew Supervising sound editor Dialogue editor Effects recordist Effects mixer Effects editor Foley artist Foley mixer ADR editor ADR mixer Composer Music mixer Music supervisor Music editor Rerecording mixer

Sound design of King Kong Excerpt from the postproduction diary of King Kong (2005, directed by Peter Jackson).

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