The first week of course served as an introduction to Audio Tech, we covered three main things:
1. Handbook and Assessments
As per usual our first step into the paper was to look at the handbook and get a glimpse at the planned year and our upcoming assessments.
The first of which is a PowerPoint presentation about the use of music in film. This is due in Week 6 which gives us plenty of time to research, write and prepare the proposal.
Description
Marking Schedule
I am looking forward to the presentation, the challenge will come from keeping it concise. We have a large class and not a lot of time, the aim is to do a good presentation, but not overstay my welcome.
My first step is to start researching the subject, after which I will choose the film I wish to study. We will require multiple references, especially books, so my first step is to visit the two libraries I have access to as well as the SIT online database.
I have until Week 6 so my plan is to spend the first three weeks thoroughly researching the subject, give two weeks for writing and designing and then a week for practice.
2. Sound Design
We learned some important terms this week:
Production Dialogue = Sound recorded on set or location
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) = Actors record lines in sync with the picture, used when the production audio is unusable. Also used for animation.
NOTE: Some directors also like to replace lines during post-production that are not in line with the vision they have. Recent examples I noticed was in Pacific Rim and Crimson Peak.
Foley = The sounds created when a person moves or interacts with their environment (clothes rustling, footsteps)
Music = Three kinds - Score (Underscore that is made by the composer, non-diegetic music), Source Music (Sounds we hear coming from something on screen e.g. radio or band playing, diegetic music)
3. Clichés
We looked at some common cliches related to sound design and music often seen in movies, some of those that stood out to me were:
- All bicycles have bells
The clip used was from Back to the Future (1985) - Timestamp = 2:44 - what surprised me about it was that the illogical nature of the situation didn't bother me at all. Usually these kinds of things make a movie worse, but it works so well here with the editing and movement of the camera.
It's important to the plot in the moment, while Marty McFly's father doesn't have to ring the bell - and by the looks of it isn't - it works extremely well in catching the attention of both the character and audience. When this played it was so seamless I was actually taken aback - something as odd as this should stand out way more than it does.
I think it must be so ingrained into the cinematic language, and we are so used to it, that the thought never even crosses our mind. It's interesting because this is the case with most of these cliches, it's become so normal - and works so well - that we hardly, if at all, notice it.
Cliches aren't always looked upon in a positive light, I myself can't usually stand a film that is too predictable or generic. Even before seeing this clip I had my expectations set to be disappointed in the laziness of the filmmakers. How surprising that I not only didn't mind the use of it here, but I actually think it was a necessary addition.
- Explosions are always in sync no matter how far away they are, and thunder is in sync with lightning
I cherry picked this one because I think it would be interesting to see a film buck this trend. It's a small detail, and something very few people would think twice about, but it could add to the overall tone of a film. If explosions were represented realistically it would ground the film more in our reality and I think people would notice this attention to detail. It must already exist, and I've probably seen it done differently in tons of movies, but I can't name one of the top of my head.
What interests me is how the smallest details of a film - like the sound design - can add or detract so much to it. If everything in a movie is intentional - which it should be - then syncing up audio exactly with the explosions or thunder places a film more in a realm of fantasy. It admits it's a fictional universe, the world of the movies. If the audio is delayed like it would be in real life, then the film is saying it's more realistic, closer to home.
I think it would be interesting to see these two audio editing techniques used in the same film, Here's how I think it could be done:
- Sound synced exactly with explosion gives the scene a sense of immediate terror and urgency - the protagonist is experiencing the unfolding events quickly and in the moment.
- Later in the film the sound is delayed, it gives the scene a sense of dawning horror and reflection. the protagonist feels more removed and like an onlooker.
- Car tires always screech (even on dirt roads)
I liked this one purely because of it's illogical nature. It's something I would never have thought of but definitely adds to the cinematic language. These are things that wouldn't even be thought of in another medium, there is no reason to make tires screech on a dirt road in a book. Movies need that added element to support what's happening on the screen. Maybe it's just a holdover from radio, but the two elements (visual of a car and sound of screeching tires) are so conjoined in our minds that it doesn't even bother us.
- Storms start instantly
This is an example very similar to the explosions and their audio not being delayed. The logic here is flawed, but very much part of the movie world and I think it can be used differently to represent different tones. I think it would be really cool (and once again something many people have probably already done) if the storm slowly built up over the course of a film. It would give a different air to the proceedings. A storm suddenly breaking out can represent one thing, I think a storm building and then breaking reflects how the characters are slowly moving towards a purging of emotion.
I think this is cliche is most common in rom-coms, so doing it differently in that genre can be very interesting. How do you keep a movie light and comedic with the overlying threat of a growing storm? I think exploring this idea can produce a very interesting, and different film, where the storm breaking is a release for both the characters (like the intention with this technique usually is), but where it will have more weight to it and probably be clearer to the audience.
Of course this is where I realized how much audio can affect the production of a film. Here I worked back from a cliche to a place where everything surrounding the production of the film, and the story itself, has to be altered. I think with film audio always comes second, it can have a great change on the film itself, but is always dependent on what's already there. It is after all post-production.
- Airplane tires always screech on landing
This one is something that has been so ingrained in my head because of film that I haven't ever thought it was weird in real life that they don't always screech. I honestly thought planes always do this, and I've never had a reason to think they don't.
- When a character pulls out a knife or weapon, even from his pants or a leather pouch, it will make the sound of metal brushing against metal
This is another one that I actually really like, it is such a good way to sub-textually represent what is happening on screen to the audience. It tells us more what the weapon represents over it's realistic attributes, and honestly this is one I feel doesn't need changing at all. It works well.
- When people speak into a microphone there is always mic feedback when they first start talking
This is another one that stood out to me because of the fact that I never made the connection that it happens so regularly. It's interesting that audio is one of the few areas in film where the cliches are familiar, but which I've never thought about. Usually with story beats or visual techniques the cliches are obvious to me, it's exciting and yet concerning that I haven't made these connections with sound in the past. Even now looking a movie clips I find audio to be the thing I pay the least attention to - I never realized how much I missed.
It's exciting because it's a new world to me, something to really dive in to, it's concerning because it's obvious not a natural talent of mine. I've talked to some classmates and they do notice sound design where I don't.
- People can hear each other just fine at discos and nightclubs, also when there is a helicopter taking off right next to them
This is one of the few cliches I was aware of before this class, and the reason for this is probably mostly because of the film The Social Network (2011), which made an effort to represent this realistically. It encourages me that defying some other cliches might make for interesting scenes in films.
- Explosions in space make noise
Again I know about this cliche because it's been defied in the past, specifically Gravity (2013):
The sound design in Gravity adds a lot to the way the film feels to watch. It's a very immersive film, every aspect of it encourages that including the sound design which is from the subjective viewpoint of the main character. Every instance of contact sounds dull, as if you have headphones in your ear. The only sound comes from within the suit - because there is no sound in space - so the only sound that comes from explosions in this film is when the vibrations can be felt by the character. It's extremely effective and no wonder that this film won three Academy Awards for it's Sound.
We also looked at the Wilhelm Scream:
This is a sound effect that I think most people interested in film become very familiar with very quickly, the problem I have with it is that it is used in all movies - no matter the tone or placement in the story. The reason I find issue here is simply because it does take me out of the movie, it's something I've wondered a lot about - would I use it in my films? All the great directors seem to, but I think it's become too obvious, and too much of an interruption.
Admittedly it's a pretty funny sound effect to use, it's a unique scream that would make anyone look twice. Seeing it pop up in so many straight films is pretty cool and a rare thing for serious artists to do.
Unfortunately these compilations are terrible quality, so I just attached the one that we watched in class:
Dies Irae:
Since our focus this year is music and not sound effects, I thought it would be relevant to mention Dies Irae here, which serves as kind of a Wilhelm scream for musical scoring.
This Latin Hymn that dates back to the thirteenth century and has been adopted by many a composer over the years. The name translates to "Day of Wrath", it's subject matter being the book of revelation. Because of this many writers like to quote it to represent death or rampant destruction - it's also made it's way into film scores:
The video below is what originally made me aware of this trend, myself not being classically trained in music I would probably never have come across it. Luckily this channel deals mostly with video game and movie music, the creator also provides a very good explanation as to what Dies Irae is and breaks down how it is use in movies (timstamp: 6:02).
- Channel: "Sideways" -
I really like this one because, as the person in the video says, it's more serious and I think it has more range because of that. It can be used in any kind of film and tweaked enough to fit perfectly with the pre-established tone - whether that be a comedy, horror or action movie.
What I also really like about this one is that it has a reason to be used, it's a universal leit-motif.
Speaking of Giacchino he is one of the composers I consider looking at for my presentation, he is most well known for his work with Pixar (Ratatouille, Up) and revitalizing old franchises (Speed Racer, Star Trek).
What I like about his method is that he draws from those who came before him (like incorporating the 60's Spider-man theme into his score for Homecoming or pulling from Williams' work in Rogue One), something a lot of movies fail to do (e.g. the Transformers movies or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles remake).
As mentioned in the video he also likes to get one chord or sound to inform the entire soundtrack, something that captures the film for him completely - this is something I think is very interesting and would like to explore further.
Danny Elfman is also one of my favourite composers, although I think it would be hard to choose any one movie from a composer to explore. The best film score ever, in my opinion, is for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, written by Howard Shore. I would choose this but I feel like it will be a very popular choice in class.
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