Introduction to Film Music and Sound

History 1926, Don Juan 1927, The Jazz Singer First movie that came out with a record of sound effects and music. Industry laughed since silent films were so easy to follow. 1927, The Jazz Singer First full length movie where songs and speech synched with the action. Al Jolson’s “You ain’t heard nothing yet.” “Talkies” were born.

History 1929 – Over 300 sound films. 1931 – Last silent film is made. Impact of sound in films Comedy became less slapstick and more dialogue Some actors with accents lost their jobs No more organs in theaters

Musical Score Early on most music made from existing songs. 1933, King Kong First score written entirely for film. Leitmotif – theme for different characters and situations Jaws example

Songs Musicals Animations Dramas Singing in the Rain Moulin Rouge Chicago Animations Toy Story Beauty and the Beast Dramas Gangs of New York Titanic

Sounds Almost all sound effects are created for the shot Independence Day Space ship engines – baboons screaming Saving Private Ryan Bullets entering water – fly lines being cast in water Raiders of the Lost Ark Punches – combo of leather jacket hitting a truck and ripe fruit being dropped on floor

Foley Artist Named after Jack Foley Artist who records live sound effects in synchronization with the picture. Footsteps Rustle of clothes Breathing Weapon noises

Wilhelm Scream The most famous sound effect you’ve all heard and didn’t know about. Has been used in over 150 films, plus numerous TV shows and video games. The Wilhelm scream is a frequently-used film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums.[1] The effect gained new popularity (its use often becoming an in-joke) after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games.[2] The scream is often used when someone is either falling to their death from great height or from an explosion. The Wilhelm scream has become a well-known cinematic sound cliché, and is claimed to have been used in over 149 films.[3] The sound is named for Private Wilhelm, a character in The Charge at Feather River, a 1953 western where the character is shot with an arrow. This was believed to be the second movie to use the sound effect and its first use from the Warner Brothers stock sound library.[4]