Sound in Film & Sound in Film & TelevisionTelevision

“Sound is the input we take most for granted when watching a flick. We take the explosions, kisses, gunshots, and

thunderstorms as simple recordings when there is a whole set of technicians and technologies put in play to give you a

sense of what a Jedi light saber sounds like in action.”1

2

The Importance of Sound90% of a motion picture is

sound. Picture is far less important

than the sound. The audience can only look at

one picture at a time. Yet the audience can hear dozens of distinct sounds all at the same time and separate and process all that information... if it is done correctly.

Using Sound in FilmAs sound editor Marvin M. Kerner says in The Art of the Sound Effects Editor, "the function of sound is three-fold":

1. To simulate reality. The simulation of reality can be something as small but

distinctive as the sound of a door opening and closing on the Starship Enterprise, to the extremely complex creation of a language for the Star Wars series' Ewoks.

1. To add or create something off scene that is not really there.2. To help the director create a mood.

Besides setting the mood, sound can introduce important elements of the plot, or even intentionally confuse or mislead audiences.3

Types of Sound in TV & Film1. Dialogue2. Ambient or Natural Sound3. Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR)4. Narration5. Sound Effects (SFX)6. Score7. Soundtrack

DialogueThe sound of people talking while onscreen. Usually they are talking to each other.

Ambient aka Natural Sound Background noise in a scene.

One part of ambiance is room tone. This is the background noise on the movie set.

The sound of a background crowd is called Walla.

Additional Dialogue Recording (ADR)Dialogue recorded after the movie is done shooting.

This is done if something ruined the dialogue during shooting, such as the noise of a plane.

NarrationThe voice of a person heard speaking, but not seen on camera.

Usually the narrator is telling the story.

Sound Effects (SFX)Any sounds that are created for the movie, such as footsteps, alien sounds, wind, etc.

The Foley Process“The Foley artist creates sound effects on a Foley stage, which is simply a production room in which everything is a sound prop, including the floor, which can provide different kinds of footfalls. The film rolls on-screen, and the Foley artist matches the kind of sound the filmmaker wants to the image projected.”5

The Foley Process was created by Jack Foley.

The Foley Artist“Foley artists begin their work by watching the film to determine which sounds need to be replaced, which need to be enhanced, and which just simply need to be added. At this time, the sound on the film includes all of the dialogue and sound effects created during the actual production of the film. These sounds are recorded on a production track or guide track.”6

The Foley Stage“In a Foley studio, you'll find different surfaces for walking on, a splash tank, echo chambers, and a mixing booth where the sound engineers record and mix everything. Foley artists spend hours huddled around a microphone, reading cue sheet, and watching a huge screen as they meticulously synchronize their noises to the action.”7

Foley ExamplesBreaking Bones Slap or PunchSupplies: Very fresh carrots and celery

Technique: Break the carrots and celery in half in front of the microphone. Usually, you have to break the carrots separate from the celery and then combine the sounds on tape later. The combo makes a nice snapping-crack sound (the carrots and initial celery snap) and then a slight peeling-breaking away sound (the strands of celery tearing away) that finishes it off and adds to the "realism."

Notes: This trick can be used for a variety of sound effects, from toes being run over by a car, bones being crunched or broken, or even knuckle cracking.8

Supplies: Piece of raw steak.

Technique: To emulate a person getting slapped in the face, hold a somewhat thick (about 1") piece of raw steak with one hand and hit it with an open palm in the center of the meat. To simulate a person being punched (on a part of the body without clothing, such as a face, neck, naked arm, or naked chest) use the same basic method, but choose a thicker slice of steak depending on the part of body you are simulating being hit and punch the meat with a closed fist action.8

ScoreOriginal music that is created for the film and plays at different points throughout the movie.

SoundtrackMusic included in your film that wasn’t created specifically for the film (for example, a song by a popular artist).

Synchronous vs. AsynchronousSynchronous sound: Synchronous sound includes all noises whose origins can be seen on-screen.

Asynchronous sound: Asynchronous sound is any noise whose origin you can't see.

Mix it up!

“The edited dialogue and ADR, sound effects, Foley and Musical elements that will comprise the soundtrack are assembled.” 10

Now Add Some Sweetener“Sound Sweetening simply means enhancing a sound effect.

Create copies of the sound and apply various sound effects filters (reverb, echo, pitch shifting compression etc.) and then combine them all together until it sounds good.

You might have half a dozen different layers in a single sound effect. Total trial and error.”11

Rooster

With Echo

With Reverb

All three combined

Rooster

With Echo

With Reverb

All three combined

Terms to Know12

Cue sheet: a list of all the necessary sound effects, along with their "cues"--time code and/or film footage signals that indicate when the sound begins and ends

Echo chamber: a box or container used to create the illusion of distance and reverberation

Incidental: casual, everyday sounds. Special sound effects that aren't necessarily "special."

Mixing console: a machine capable of taking in several different sounds, then mixing them at different levels to create a single, unified sound

Reverberation: a reechoed sound which fades until it becomes inaudible Rough cut: the "first draft" of a film Score: the background music throughout a film Splash tank: a container filled with water for wet sound effects Walla: the film industry term for background crowd noises in a movie

Listen up!“From now on, when you exit the theater, you should not simply sing the theme song and promptly forget the rest of the sounds in the film. Rather, you should be asking what kind of theme music was used, what other use of music within the narrative, what sound effects were created for which situations, whether certain effects were synchronous or asynchronous, and why. So get out to the local multiplex and start listening with both ears!” 13

References 1 http://www.infoplease.com/cig/movies-flicks-film/film-sound-movies.html 2 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Movie_Making_Manual/Sound_Design 3 http://www.infoplease.com/cig/movies-flicks-film/sound-effects-functions.html 4 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Movie_Making_Manual/Sound_Design 5 http://www.infoplease.com/cig/movies-flicks-film/sound-effects-functions.html 6 http://filmsound.org/foley/newtons_apple/index.htm 7 http://filmsound.org/foley/newtons_apple/index.htm 8 http://www.creationguide.com/foley/ 9 http://www.infoplease.com/cig/movies-flicks-film/bring-da-noise-synchronous-nonsynchronous-sound.html 10 http://filmsound.org/AudiopostFAQ/audiopostfaq.htm 11 http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Movie_Making_Manual/Sound_Design 12 http://filmsound.org/foley/newtons_apple/index.htm 13 http://www.infoplease.com/cig/movies-flicks-film/musical-interlude.html