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PRINCIPLES OF SOUND DESIGN

PRINCIPLES OF SOUND DESIGN. Sound Design. the expressive use of sound throughout a film in relation to its images and the contents of its narrative

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PRINCIPLES OF SOUND DESIGN

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  1. PRINCIPLES OF SOUND DESIGN

  2. Sound Design • the expressive use of sound throughout a film in relation to its images and the contents of its narrative • the “sound designer” executes this design, which became the name for this job during the production of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979). • Walter Murch’s brilliant work on that film elicited the credit for that term

  3. Basic types of sound • Realistic sound – derived from actual sources (footsteps, voices, cars, etc.) • Synthetic sound – invented and have no counterpart in real life (light sabers in Star Wars, for example)

  4. Differences between Sound and Image • 1) Perception of Image and Sound - Image edits can be seen; sound splices are inaudible - Less obvious to the viewer, with sound seeming as a support to the image 2) Structuring Time - Sound gives images that lack it a direction in time - George Stevens’ Shane (1953)

  5. Characteristics of Sound • Direct sound – sound that comes immediately from the source (spoken directly into the microphone) • Reflected sound – sound that is first reflected off surrounding surfaces in the environment to produce a slight reverberation. Does not come directly to the microphone • Ambient sound – generalized noises in the recording environment (plane flying overhead, for example)

  6. Codes of Sound Design • 1) The Sound Hierarchy - Dialogue – most important - Music – 2nd - Sound Effects – third Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975) plays with this hierarchy

  7. Codes of Sound Design • 2) Sound Perspective - Sound that embodies the properties of the physical spaces seen on screen - use of sound to convey information about physical space - often, but not always, correlates with visual perspective (long shot = sound farther away from audience)

  8. Codes of Sound Design • 3) Synchronous and Nonsynchronous Sound - Synchronous – matched with a clear source on screen - Non – does not match with any source

  9. Codes of Sound Design • 4) Sound Bridge - dialogue or sound effects are laid across, or bridge, two or more shots or scenes - shift of synchronous and non-synchronous in a way that establishes unities of action and time across the edit Alternative Sound Bridge • Switch to non-synchronous occurs before the cut, rather than after it • The Graduate (1967)

  10. Codes of Sound Design • 5) Off-screen Sound Space - the area just beyond the frame of the line whose existence is defined through sound - non-synchronous - Blade Runner (1982)

  11. Codes of Sound Design • 6) Sound Montage - editing of sounds into highly intricate and complex patterns that create meaning and emotion - Apocalypse Now (1979)

  12. Types of Sound (more specific) • 1) Dialogue – characters speaking - Voice over narration – monologue that accompanies images that may or may not be delivered by someone on screen - Character Speech - Consistent with characters - Hamlet (1996) vs. Dazed and Confused (1993)

  13. Types of Sound (more specific) • 2) Sound Effects - Falls into one of two categories: - Effects design – creative manipulation of sound sources (layering sounds in instead of a direct, live recording - Foley technique – direct recording of live sound effects that are performed in synchronization with the picture after filming is complete

  14. Types of Sound (more specific) • 3) Movie Music - Has always been a part of film, dating back to silent film era, however not original music was used - used to follow action on screen and to illustrate a character’s emotions

  15. Movie Music • The process: • spotting, preparing a cue sheet, composing, performance and recording, mixing • A composer will create the score using a copy of the film with a digital time code • Perform the score in conjunction with viewing the film • Mixing involves layering all aspects of the film’s sound design

  16. Movie Music • FUNCTIONS OF MOVIE MUSIC: 1) Setting the scene (using authentic instruments particular to a certain locale) 2) Adding emotional meaning 3) Background filler 4) Creating continuity (use of a leitmotif, a musical label that is assigned to a character, a place, an idea, or an emotion) 5) Emphasizing climaxes

  17. Contemporary Movie Music • The debate rages over the use of contemporary pop music vs. traditional symphonic soundtrack • Forrest Gump (1994) and Natural Born Killers (1994) vs. The Dark Knight (2008) and Star Trek (2009). • Robin Hood: Prince of Theives (1991) – “Everything I Do…”

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