Sound

Sound rarely draws a great deal of attention from audience members even though it is crucial to our experience of televisual media◦It just ‘is’

However, it is crucial to the realism, emotional impact, and meaning of the narrative

The role of sound

Diegetic sound is all audio that is part of the story—at least one character is able to hear it◦ Objective: available to all characters◦ Subjective: internal to a few or only one character

Nondiegetic sound is the sound that the audience can hear but the characters cannot◦ Orchestration◦ Voice-over from heterodiegetic narrator

Sound and the diegesis

Perhaps the most compelling impact of sound is its role in generating emotion

Voice Music

Tempo/Timbre/Volume Sound effects

Functions of sound: Emotion

Radio commercials http://www.babble-on-recording.com/sample

s.html http://www.clioawards.com/winners/ http://www.radiomercuryawards.com/rma20

09/audiolibrary.cfm

Though we rarely pay much attention, we are used to a vast array of sounds in our environment◦ Their absence or inappropriateness will lessen the

feeling of realism generated by a film, TV show, or even videogame

Offscreen sounds and noises, etc. provide an imaginary environment appropriate to certain characters, actions, etc.◦ Sells the setting◦ Provides information unavailable visually

Functions of sound: Realism

◦The co-occurrence of sounds and visual action hides the construction of both from view Sounds sell visual effects

Star Wars◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0WJ-8B6aUM◦ Lightsabre (Ben Burtt)◦ Sounds

Wall-E (Ben Burtt)◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ghwbcgby6E

&feature=related

Sound effects

The meaning of certain actions or phenomena is unclear without sound◦ Music, etc. that has prior meaning may ‘explain’

onscreen action 2001: A Space Odyssey http://www.youtube.com/user/hetfield1984#p/u

◦ The juxtaposition of incompatible sound and video may indicate irony, satire, etc. Dr. Strangelove

Functions of sound: Providing meaning

Sound may be the main source of enjoyment◦Video complements the sound rather

than vice versa Musicals Music videos

Functions of sound: Entertainment

Sound effects, narration, dialogue, orchestration carry over from shot to shot or even scene to scene

The musical score or signature sounds may be reintroduced from episode to episode or throughout a series of independent but linked episodes

Functions of sound: Continuity

Recorded during production◦Mostly dialogue Boom microphone v. Lavalier v. close-

miking◦Especially difficult on location (ambient

sounds)

Production Sound

Megan Silverstein:http://www.domgee.com/findresume.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y15eNbHg8Uc

Production Sound Designer

Dubbing◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSm9DDxQv8E&fea

ture=related Automatic Dialogue Replacement (ADR)

or ‘looping’◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwZwTP52aIc&fe

ature=related Sound Effects

◦ Gathering sounds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCpFtGCAgfI

◦ Prerecorded/libraries◦ Foley process◦ Specially constructed

Postproduction sound

Music◦Orchestration◦Popular music Brings important meaning/allusions with it

Postproduction sound

Postproduction mixing◦ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C1rNqdblMs&

feature=related

Mixing and editing