Film Sound Chapter 8: Sound Effects and Dialogue

3D Sound in Film  Citizen Kane Considered the first modern sound film due to influence of Orson Wells and his background in radio. Varied sound quality Volume, clarity, reverberation and tonal qualities Changed position of sound effects relative to the camera.  Development of Cinerama and six-track stereophonic sound. 1950’s Cinerama Developed followed by Cinemascope

3D Sound in Film  Dolby Sound was developed in the 70’s and continues to be refined. Achieves a 360 degree sound environment. Clockwork Orange was the first film to use Dolby-NR  SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound) introduced in 1990’s supports 7.1 surround sound environment. Uses both edges of the film track. With redundant optical track.

Diegetic Sound vs. Non-Diegetic Sound  Diegetic Sound is sound that has a source within the story world of the film. Dialogue, Sounds made by objects seen in the story world, and music created by instruments within the story world.  Non-Diegetic sound is represented as coming from outside of the story world. Omniscient Narrator or Music added to heighten the emotional impact of the story,

Notice how the filmmaker (Brooks) fools the audience by flipping from “apparent” non- diegetic to diegetic sound in the middle of this clip from Blazing Saddles

Layered Sound  Contemporary Films today use layered sound to achieve a realistic depth in the sound environment.  Sound can actively shape how we perceive and interpret the image. Its ability to connect emotionally is often very powerful Film sound can direct our attention to a specific event. A creaking floor or the slow, squeaky turn of a door knob. Sound can cue us to form expectations. A siren approaching, Footsteps on a path Sound can give new value to silence. Clarice in the Darkness being stalked by Hannibal Lecter

The Sound Mix Dialogue ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement – Dubbing) Foley Original Music Soundtrack (diegetic and non-diegetic) Sound effects

The Four Dimensions of Film Sound  Rhythm  Fidelity  Space  Time

Rhythm in Film Sound  Because sound occupies a duration, it has a Rhythm.  Rhythm involves, minimally: 1. A beat, or pulse; 2. A tempo, or pace; 3. A pattern of accents, or stronger and weaker beats.

Notice the rhythm of music in the following scene. What kind of feelings does it convey or provoke? How would you describe the rhythm?

Now listen to this next scene. Again, notice the rhythm of the music. How are the feelings evoked different than those of the previous scene? How would you describe this rhythm?

Fidelity  Fidelity refers to the extent to which the sound is faithful to the source as we conceive it.  Fidelity has nothing to do with what originally made the sound in production.  Fidelity is purely a matter of expectation.  Fidelity can be applied to all three types of sound (Speech, Music, and Sound Fx)

Sound Space  Sound has a spatial dimension because it comes from a source.  Sound creates the sense of space or a three-dimensional environment through the use of Diegetic and Nondiegetic sound.

Notice how the Diegetic Sound that happens within this clip from Cold Mountain helps to shape the space

Sound & Time  Sound takes place in time and can be used to manipulate time or represent time in a variety of ways. Simultaneous sound is sound that takes place at the same time as the image in terms of story events (most sounds fall into this category) Non-simultaneous sound describes sound that we hear at the same time as the present image, but that represents a moment from the past or from the future.

Notice how the voice-over dialogue in this sequence of scenes from The English Patient originates in one time frame (the present), while the images show another time frame (the past).

Special Effects in Sound  Using sound to tell the inner story To reinforce the emotional struggle of the character Pile Driver and mechanical waterfront sounds to support the inner struggle that Terry Malloy faces in confession of a murder.  Distortion of Sound – Subjective POV Sound reflect the inner psychosis of a character.  Slow-Motion Sound The power of a single punch in Raging Bull.

Texture in Dialogue  Robert Altman is most noted for his use of layered dialogue in films like M*A*S*H, Nashville, and Gosford Park. Layered dialogue appears more natural Blending of ambient sounds with dialogue Altman weaves visual and aural elements together into a equal blend that creates a unique texture in film.

Listen to the layers of dialogue and ambient sound that are blended together in this clip from Robert Altman’s Gosford Park

The Sound Bridge  A split edit essentially bridges two shots with sound. the audio track transitions at a different time than the video. The sound from the first of the two clips may continue several seconds after the visual transition has taken place, or the sound from the second clip may begin several seconds before the visual transition takes place. In either case, sound is used to bridge the two shots.

Sound Bridge: Audio Leads Video Sound Bridge: Audio Leads Video  In this scene, a Vietnam veteran opens up to a friend about the war.  The scene is a two-shot of the two men.  As the vet recounts what the nights were like in the jungle, the shot zooms to a close-up of his face. Sweat is visible on his brow and upper lip.  As we see him talk, we begin to hear the sound of machine gun fire, mortars, people yelling and loud explosions. (Sound Bridge)  As we see him talk, we hear what his mind hears and slowly, the video dissolves to a war scene and we are inside his head, experiencing the terror and chaos of war.

Sound Bridge: Video Leads Audio  Again the two men talk about the war. We see the anguished face of the Vietnam vet as he begins to tell his story.  The video slowly dissolves to a black-and-white shot of a platoon of men, including the vet himself, as they come under fire in the jungle. We see the war, but continue to hear the vet as he describes what he remembers. (Sound Bridge)  Guns blaze and dirt flies as mortars explode, but the sounds of the explosions and machine guns are secondary to the voice of the vet.

Foley  Sound Effects developed by human activity within the film frame. Created by a Foley Artist Comes from the first Foley Artist: Jack Foley  Short film on Foley work:

Terms  Rhythm  Fidelity  Sound Space  Time & Sound  Simultaneous Sound  Non-Simultaneous Sound  Voice Over  Dolby Surround Sound  Diegetic Sound  Non-Diegetic Sound  ADR  Foley  Sound Effects  Layered or Textured Sound

Assignment: Visual Soundscape  Translate a picture or a group of related pictures into a “Visual Soundscape”.  Imagine what sounds would accompany this picture(s) (e.g.: a moon rising over a foggy wetland forest-what movement do we hear? A taxi cab rushing through a busy intersection-who’s talking in the back seat? An old woman sitting in a rocker on her front porch-what does she see?). Create a soundscape to support the implied mood of the picture or series of pictures.

 IMPORTANT: The image doesn't have to be yours, but if you do go to a location to capture an image (or group of images) then you can always gather audio to use as the bed for all the other sounds you add to create your soundscape.  If you use more than one picture all of them must be closely interrelated and cite your sources, even if the pictures and sounds are ones you created or captured.  The use of images available through Creative Commons Attribution is strongly encouraged.  Time limit for this project is approximately (+/-) 1 minute.