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    Sound Design Manual, invaluable for audio engineering and producers

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    235 views136 pages

    SONNENSCHEIN, David. Sound Design

    Uploaded by

    Jonathas Majerkowski
    Sound Design Manual, invaluable for audio engineering and producers

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 136
    nt very impressed wich the brosd range of well-researched information and David’ fascinating reflections akour the emotional power of sound ard mu His “Try This’ sidebars are clever, stimulating exercises, ‘The need tor suc book indeed, fulfilled in this obviously heardielt project” = Gary Rydstrom Award-winning Seund Designer Fiat, ora Par, i Swing Privaze Ryew GFE he “Beyond mare technic jatzen, in accessible and elaquent language the author opens creative gateway storytelling through the potent and inventive use ofsoumd, Here is a book of enormous merit that shoul pave usoful notenly sorundeiors bt nines ee font OG i) 6 ing Dept estes fia erwennseiting Si New Hotiyiceed and frerwisrdting: #Be clr, Crag, and Enstnew of Taba and Setevision MEviteag “A.comprehensive guide that any sound professions! can't live with research ispenecracing and tharough, with cetailed commentary on aie oF the least unslerstood areas Davids valysis inl straightforward filmmaking.” ‘eorge Watters I Supervising Sounil Edivoc, Pere? Flerhor, The Huns for Red Oitsber, The Rock, Nike Grn 2 aster swore “The scopes scriowness and depth of tis hook give i ‘Sonnenschein has articulately aasernbled a great deal of thou about the deeper aspects af'the saund design erat unique value. hand infacmstion — Dane Davis Academy Avand-winaing Sound Designer, Te Muacris, Boogie Mighe, The Hend thar Rocky He WALITY TW CNG SOUND DESIGN ‘The Expressive Power of Music, Voice, and Sound Effects in Cinema by David Sonnensehein SOUND DESIGN Seameuscheia Published by Michael Wiese Productions 12400 Ventura Bled #1111 Studio Ciry) CA 9164 tel (B18) 379-8799 fax (818) 985-3408 ar Boe uum amep con Cover Design: Alevander Atkin Book Layout: Cina Mansfield Printed by MeNonghton & Gunn, [ne., Saline, Michigan Manufsetured in Uke United States of Ametiea ©2001 David Somnenschsin All rights reserved. No parc of this book may be repraduced in any fora ar by any means without permission i writing from the publisher, exeepe for the inclusion ef brie quacetions in & review. ISBN 978-1-941 188-2¢ Library af Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Dats Sonnenschein, David Sound design: che expressive poner of wise, voiee, an imeinemar by David Sonnenschein leas bibiographiclveorences 4 TLB8-26-4 1. Sound motion pictures. 2 3, Motion pictures—Sourel | sound efiects ound —Recanting and reproducing, L Title, TRAV S66 2001 778.5! 20nt3 3804 ce ‘TABLE OF CONTENTS. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS soccer POREWORD -coccscseestanestssi PREFACE... sto THE CREATION OF A SOUND DESIC ae wi PRODUCTION oo. xix HOW TO USE THIS BOOK a NOTATIONAL SYSTEMS .. sai SOUND ENERGY TRANSFORMATION wsejienss ne ere }OUND DESIGN STEP-BY-STEP... “THE FIRST SCRIPT RE 2 WHT "'TO LISTEN FOR. sccsenestce 2 Objects, actions, envieoneents, emotions, and transitions 2 Expliit sonal 5 BAVC sess 5 {Clues 10 tb8 SBM escnnse cress - 6 Physical or aamarie teaasttion oie 9 GROUPING THE Val riiegneresiptieies C10 DRAWING VISUAL, MAPS session : n MEETING WITH THE DIRECLOR idweii 1 'THESOUND MAP — DRAFT T : - Is CONSULTING BEFORE AND DURING THE SHOQT vessuenssneee 24 ACCOMPANYING THE PICTURE EDIT 25 \NALYZING THE FINAL PICTURE EDIT sss ih a8 THE SOUND MAP— DRAPT 2 sisccssescesesncne Ey DEWINING VOICE SOURCES AND MODIFICATIONS 2 DEWINING SOUND PFFRE-TS AND AMBIENCE SOURCES, 5 COORDINATING WITH THE MUSIC SCORE .... a EXPERIMEN TATION AND OPEN OPTIONS ...0.0 4s EXHIBITION CONSIDERATIONS, 46 THESOUND MAP — DRAFT $ 4 PRE-MIX DECISIONS -... ‘ THEIFINAL MIX AND PRINTMASTER wssrcssneesiseenimeccniicees 52 CHAPTER 2 EXPANDING CREATIVITY 53 NTO THE DREAMSCAPE fe 56 SOUND DESIGN f Seieashere INVENTING ORIGINAL SOUNDS prigom aad foley nn Musique coerite 4 “Revonting ecipes oo Sind spi ao 0 Enostonal impact. 6 CHAPTER 1 FROMWIERALION TO SENSATION 63 THE SOURCE oreo ; “ CHE MEDIUM esse s “4 SOUND QUALITIES ee “5 Rie 7 “ Intensity 6 Pitch a Thunbve a Spee. os ‘Shape . Organisation nave PHYSICAL ERFECTS OF SOUND... THE EAR easscnineneee Hearing develope. Ohter cnr pirenatear coal) fee fear drumrlesidey Timer ene (eocblen) Sensitivity Masking. CHINPTER 4 FROM SENSATION TO PERCEPTION LISTENING MODES Redced : Cans Sema ssn 1 Referential 8 Less more m GBSTALD PRINCIPLES AND ILLUSION, 3 igure ont groaond 80 Complereest, good vonsnuation, aad claus rites Prowinsty ana siritrity. al Common fite end belongingviers 8 basi soo ae oa 8 cn 8 Sines dstonee, wid perspective Be Esho and reser ation. BS Divetionattey sores 2 85 Siwhjecrivedema 86 MoBenteut nmin Sree 87 TIME races 3 : 89 Temporal resolute nd integration 89 Std son 99 Subjective tre © TONE — si Fregteney perception a Loudest é 2 Recognition a “Hisbinestiow ana hearing tse ” Tonal center oF (nf tune wn toot phenome % Histor perspec ; 96 ENTRAINMENT seo eee ae TER 5 MUSIC ‘TO OUR EARS ORIGINS OF MUSIC FEELINGSVS, ORDER FMOTIONAL SIGNIFIER. Emotional faventory so GENRES STRUCTUREAND Wovtd nse Feminine forne Viola form TE CASE OF THE SONATA, RHYTHM AND ANTICIPATION . lbh of the Bea cscs Meter amd phrasing ‘ Ropertiveness Perception of shyetirn Antieipation SOUND DESIGN f Somneasdbeia MELODY HARMONY AND DI “TONAL CENTER: SILENCE... CONTRAST CHAPTER 6 THE HUMAN VOICE os recueesseinen enn THE VOCAL INSTRUMENT ' DEVELOPMENT OF SPEECHL.. SPEECH RECOGNITION AND ¥ BELING... PRC [MELODY AND EMOTION. MANTRAS, NONSENSE, ANB BEYOND. VOICE PERSONALITIES ALIEN LANGUAGE os CHAPTER 7 SOUND AND IMAG EYES AND EARS serena (OW SCREEN, OFF SCREEN, AND QUTSIDE THE! Ore screen Off screen Nowdiegesle IN FILM serene Earotinal signifier sso Continntsy oo Narrative eneing ae! 188 Niarrnive bey ono Prograoimsatic susie Auemparbetic wswsic DIALOGUE IN FILAE Theatrical speved ‘Testa speech Emtanation speech Eliminate Ae isc proliferation. Meirilingnatione end foreiga tangwage Diilogue recording. ed postproduction SPATIAL DIMENSIONS « FD space ee tf pre Sloe tasnireo eer Paint ef nitions Skat ad testire~ TEMPORAL DIMENSIONS... Rythme Linearity. Native cueing scone nrnnnnee ni RIDGING AND BREAKS wes cscenonnsen SYNCHRONIZATION «0. Point of syechrization : : ADDED VALUE AND MULTIPLE AIEANINGS se CHAPTER 8 SOUND AND NARRATIVE. NARRATIVE ANALYSIS MUSIC AND STORY : GHARAGTER IDENTIFICATION Objective aueemee perspective Sibjestve character experience Nombitera sound Eimesiomat sob Hi eens PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EMO'TIONS sero ENVIRONMENTS AND THE “SOUNDSCAPE”. INVENTING SOUND GEIECIS Mone ideas ain techiguer AUDIPORY HIERARCHY DRAMATIC. EVOLUTION... Earibquake effect o. PRODUCTION DESIGN AND [MAGE ANALYSIS ~ : PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS SOUND REFERENCES: Universal Coltarat Wlsirivat Fld specific son enti chetey ieee PURIFIER. — CASE STUDY INTEGRATING STORY AND MUSIC HAPTER 9 THE FUTURE OF SOUND DESIGN «... 25 A WORD ON SOUND POLITICS — WHEN CAN WE START? 215 INTERNET AND INTERACTIVE MEDIA... 27 APPENDIX... 219 CLASSIFICATION OF SOUNDS , 2 TALMOGRAPHY ... 2s BIBLIOGRAPHY ..... Rr INDEX .. 238 DAVID SONNENSCHEIN 24s ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ‘This book is the fruit of influence from many masters in many disciplines Thave been fortunate to be able to apply their knowledge and eveativity inthe area of film sound, Some of the industry's most innovative ancl prolific sound designers whe contributed actively by sharing theit experiences with me were Gary Rydstrom, Dane Davis, George Waters I, Ben Burtt, and Frank Serafine, while Walter Murch has served as & longtime inspiration through his teachings, writings, anc groundbreaking films. ‘The Bravilian musical genius Hermeto P2scoal showed ime how w create symphonies with baby tes, a. swimming pool, ane! the voice af the Pope — mixing these unexpectedly with his folklare, classical, and jae taditions, John Cage certainly cleserves high honors in this area of avant garde sound composition as well, inspiring a whole yenerstian, Pioneers in sound healing, music therapy, and the influenee of saund on our well-being, Dr. Mitchell! Gaynos, Don Campbell, Dr. Alfred A. ‘Tomatis, Rabert Jourdain, Dr. Pecer Ostwald, and Joachin-Ernst Berende have shown how we can expand our human potential with the use of sound, Mickel Chion and Chudia ian have been instrumental in codifying the use of saund and music in film, so that we may have a theoretical language to share, stucly, and create in the audiovisual form, Tam grateful ax well to those who have encouraged me directly and fered feedback during the years of preparation of this book, including Anna Penida, Steve Capellini, Marcelo “Taranto, Richard Ollis, Midge Costin, and. Ralph Sonneosehein, andl finally to Michael Wiese ane Ken Lee, who recognized the value of this book since its carly stages af gestation, FOREWORD | first knew of David Sonnenschein when we were both graduate stu- dents at USC Schoel of Ginema~Television and his thesis film won the MIPSE (Motion Piecure Sound Editors) Golden Reel award for Best Sound, It was almost twenty years later that we crossed paths and L Found myself having an enlightening and spirited discussion about the creative potential of sound in visual media, In the intervening years, David had developed a career as writer, praducer, and dircetor of films, and Thad become a sound editor in Hollywood (Crinacau Fide, The Rock, Armageddon) ancl head of the sound department at USC, Tam cheilled that David has written dawn his wonderfully creative practices and ecleetic theories on sound, Both the serious student and professionals alike ean benefit from David's personal experience as musician and filmmaker, a well as huis extensive research in he areas of psyeboacousties, the human voice, and Gestalt psychology, As a feature film sound editor [ have had the good fartune of working on ane of the best sound editing erews in Hollywood, However, my frustration grew as E became painfully aware of how infrequently xaund is used 10 its full creative potential, When USG approached me to teach, [jumped atthe change, Here was an epporiunity te teach future directors, praducers, writers, ete, how to use sound sell. At the School of Cinema~Television we pravide cutting-edge technology and facilities for the students anal set them om the course of “learning by doing.” Anyone em pick up a piece of equipment or 1 manual to learn “how to," So the mose impartant resource isin fact she faculty with their experience in the field and their ability wo tap into the students? creative skills, Many af the bese sound designers in film today are graduates of USC: Walter Murch, Ben Burtt, Gary Rydstrom, te mention a few, They’ attribute their success to being encourages to explore, experiment, and foreate by the then faculty head, Kee Miura, Students come co me all the time with a script or copy of thei film in thinking about sound. ‘This is where Davial’s “reader clown the path of creativity SOUND DESIGN ¢ Stunensebete and experimentation with sound ina way no other text has done before Yo me, it's a eross between Michael Chion’s wark andl The strviss Wy for sound, Soutud Devig really leads the reader inta the explotazion sound in a navrative approach, gising a way to creace a sounckmek which is specifically designed for his ar her file, Davidls step-by-step methods of creating a sound design are seimewhat outside the nozm for the film industry, bue that’s what makes them so fresh and creative, One of the parts I fourel mast enjoyable and enlightening ‘were the interviews of sound designers I know and respect. I discovered | Tradl marked the pages for most of those interviews so T coukl pass the information om tomy students. So dive in and start creating and designing! “Midge Costin, MISE. Assaciate Professor/E lead of the Sound Department USC School of Cinema-Teler PREFACE ‘The creation of sound designer Woharateracts someone w hecome a sound designer? Musicians fascinated by the potential of playing with images... earton SwHis-tungs™ affecting a vender young amine. a solitary techie finding a ereative outlet... The routes are many, and each brings its avr fertile seeds of expression. ‘My story may shed some light on how different experiences meld into 4 synergy toward sound design. I began studying elarinec at eight: performing in symphony orchestras and chamber groups, them took up the flute wich the conscious choice nar vo read musie, but to jars developing my ear's sensitivity and sponcan As 9 neurobiclogy undergraduate at UG San Dieyo, my interests in physiology, psychology, and creams were united by research in a sleep laboratory. Fascinated by the mind-body interfiee, 1 published several studies relating brainwaves to mental states and biachythms, and developed insight imu the physialugival and perceprual processes that serve as foundacions for the ereatian of sound design. My: inusical exploration continued when [lived in Indonesia ancl ‘Thailand, listening to, collecting, and playing lacal instruments made al bamboo, palm fronds, and gourds. Returning to the US. to direes “Litle Red Riding Hood: A Balinese-Oregon Adaptation,” | niivored the form of che Balinese mask dance, playing bamboo inseruenents with the clarinet and fore, and composing a nooverlal soundtraek by assign ine w each character a theme and instrument in the style af Prokofiev’ "Peter and the Wall.” Iivthe M.FA, progeam at USG Cinema School [ found a healthy: were to continue exploring sound design, inspixed by west lecturers like master sound designer Wale he My thesis film Tbe Qul$ olumbian ceramic instruments, abimal were, and a wariety of fire effects to bout a Mexican [nian shaman and SOUND DESIGN # Sonmensciris the batile over his sacred healing mask, wlich garnered an award from the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE), Relocating to Rio de Janeiro, Ldireeted the feature Sper Nien Wizeee of Gn-like fantasy streing Nuxa Meneghel, the popular kids" TV shave host andl singer. “This gave me the opportunity to introduce a sound sign coneept to an industry which in the past has not paid much attention to audio quality, collaborating with Brazilian producers and directors to develop their sounderacks while adininistering workshops chroughout Brazil and Cuba. Finding-a gap in the liserature regseding the narrative Lise of the souncirack, andl recognizing that my sound design methodology is quite unique, sputted me eo write this hook, With digital teshnology upon us, [ am also exploring the expanding possibilities of sound design for interactive media and have formed’ Sone Strategies —a company dedicated toeducatian, cansultation, and development in this growing arena. ‘The concepts presented within this ook are fundamental to all audiovisual work, and so are heneticial to New Media developers, as well as filmmakers, As you read, [ hope you become as inspired as L have, i evil INTRODUCTION Giving meaning to noise, scund becomes communication. Humans have used sound for cons to alert one another, organize activities, exchange messages, entertain, love, and battle, “Through sound we ear trace the evolution of religion, music, langvage, weapaney, medicine, archirecture, andl psychology, not to mention cinema “The ancients atteibuted acoustic phenomena to divine origins as a sect of powerful and indesemetible sudstanee animating everything that moves. For then the thud of a spear piercing an animal contained a death-iealing power, and che roar of a waterfall caused the earth vo tremble, Egyptian generals excited their men with trumpec calls and Grumbeats to improve cheir morale and stinulate greed for carmbat. During the Renaissance, sounds were devisei! ta deceive authorities with hidden meanings inside chramatic intervals, & secret communication of contralmand ideas and religions cantraversy, Storytelling has used sounul to invoke mych, suspend reality, and ereace jum sinue abe unwes of fire circles in peoreedve caves, Sound designers in che 21st cencury have the same job — co combine sight snd sound for enapturing their aueliences, Bath the shaman of old and the sound designer of today must develop cheir perceptive abilicy, meaning the two sides of creative intelligence: impression and expression Vocal reproduction of either sound effects (compare a shovel digging into sand, geavel, clay, then snow) or human voices (impersonating friends or famous people) can enhance our ability to bear what is happening and knoyr chat itis indeed! registering in the brain, ‘The true sound designer must be immersed in the story, charaeters, emotions, environments, and genre of the film. With their contribus linn the audience will be led down che path in an integrated, yet mast often suliconsciows manner toward an experience that is authentic and Human, @ metaphor for the life experience itself, Using all the tools of Music, psychology, acoustics artaf orchestration comes play, selecting the right sound for the right moment, "The sownd. SOUND DESIGN / Saweeanbein designer performs a balincing act between making the best aesthetic chaices and the techtical parameters of completing the fil: an the, in budget, and with the tools ancl personnel at hand. Bor for all the rules offered in this book or anywhere else, storytelling should aksays come first. Yes, learn the basies, then you gan know when to break the rules, Mistakes ean also become the genius of ertor, so have no hesitation about trying things out. If it works, use it! Rather chan consistendy following a formula, experimentation within form is a way thac art, energy, and draiia eat be created, Te may sent like an exalved goal, buc the path from sound “janitor” ta sound designer can evolve from being a “techie,” to an “artiste,” and finally a storyteller How 10 nse this book his book pulls together theory and background on sound generation, psychoacoustics, music, voice, image, and narrative, “The sources are Wide and sometimes very techaieal or esoteric, but the purpose of this textisto be user-friendly and practical, [ryan want to get more in-depth, mang resources are listed in the Appendix, andl can offer you remarkable journeys in themselves. Serger the film examples listed if you ean, as there are usually many mare ineredible moments of sound than have heen cited here, Even if you've seen them before, itis likely that you didn't focus all your attention on the sound elements. “The creativity of each of those sound. inspire your own ideas, so don't be shy about saturating y inspiration of yor p When [say TRY THIS, go for it! The root of all your creativity is in having experience and sharing it, Get all that theory, file it where it belongs; then get into doing the act of listening and making. sands, he incubation period #s necessary as you study and receive explanation purpose to all the structure, “Then first-hanc! abservation of the real and you world is invaluable, learning to separate anc distinguish elen will he able to more keenly tecognize relationships both between soxinch, and hetween environments. By sensing psychoacoustic phenomena directly, you will be more prepared 10 sanipulare the sonic Ivreonucray according to your personal world view of the real work! of sound, not jnse repeat what others bave done inside films. You will diseover what you like or dislike, and how open you are to new experiences whieh you can then share with the audience. You'll also find where your personal strengths lie (physical, psychological, ereative, vechnical) and what you might want to develop further to became a master sound designer, | Go listen, record, snl make sounds where no one has gone before, ‘The suggestions in this book ate the tip of the iceberg, only the beginning of where you might vernare., Experi ce with your creative vac. pent, explore, an report back co the With the audiovisual warkd maving into inceractiviey and the Interne this is also the perfect medium for us to create a forum of ideas with sound design, T encourage you to be in contact with me directly sith any questions, discoveries, or fascinating insights which can chen be sharei wich all heaugh a Website thar wil be developed. Keep in touch through my email: donudickarterner (if there are any changes in email, please check with the publisher at wiwre.mecypcom). Tm looking forward to hearing from you, Haye a fantastic journe; Notetfonal systems ‘The taolsand language for the sound desi to be able to orchesu siier require natational systems ymnmunicate co oneself and others while developing the jon of the sounderack, Some useful anes shat are covered in detail in this book include: }) Chronological — what activities and focus are needed to create each stage of the sound design (see Chaprer |, Creating the Sound Design Step-by-Step) YA (oy, dura the mechar freguer Al properties of sound as can be measured i yy intensity, chythm, reverb, se Giinpeen3, Prom Vibration to Sensation) se 8) Perceptual — how che human ear and brain absorb andl incerpret sound (jee Chapcer 4, From Sensation to Perception) A) Musical representation of any sounds that possess “musical” Teatures (ee Chapter 5, Music to Qur Ears) ant SOUND DESIGN / Smnonscbrin 5) Phonetic — human speech that gives messing t weal sounds (see Chapter 6, The Human Voice} 6) Audiovisual — lm theory invalving perveption and the we of sound with visual informatian (see Chapter ?,Sound and Image) 7) motional — how a sound affects the interprecation of a charset’ emotional state, or the avdiences reaction ésce Chapter 8, Sound and Narrative} a) Descriptive — categorization of sound effects, ebjects, animals, ambienees, ote, see Appendix, Classification of souitsy Sound energy trasformuntion ‘Another perspective on how sound wer is based oa looking at the telationship herween the film, che theater, anc) the aurlicnee. In other “onds, what sounds are coming from where, how are they transiitted gnu what effect do they have upon sensation and perception? (These three sesmaential stiges are uni-directional in the traditiomal rmovie theater, tur within the new interactive media there will be a bi-directional flow blossoming more and more.) ‘hen we have the different parallel levels of what qualities the sound is tansmitting to the audien , technical aspeess interacting. 1) Physical — the mechanical, eteerroni with our bodily, biological funetions 2) Emotional — story, emotional identification with the charactors and sheit goals, ereating empathetic reactions (like laughing ar ering 3) Intellectual —— structural, sesthetie considarations that are most alien comeeyed! vetbally in the: eontext-of human interaction 4} Moral — ethical ar spicitual perspectives and dilemmas, alering us vo-paasible choices beyond our os personal fulfillment or survival ‘These all provide parameters to help define the funetion of the sownd dlesign in telling the story atthe film, As characters and the auliene transformed, so is the sound, In this relationship, there exists a resonance that makes the film work on many levels. “This book explores all these levels throughout each chapter: oxbol Deropucaross SOUND ENERGY TRANSFORMATION — CHART a TS] SCREEN uDENGE TSTkCES Parallel LEVELS. PHYSICAL blatogicst TNOTIONAL | prchalosical ‘ramatie. Jecund sourees, tecnica, uechanical, acoustic eranment, recordings editing, ransfers stor, characters, goa, cons, ae of voice, music, iin sour ply ack ye, faery aystens, sate space thse slience presence eternal wlience reaction ie baghten, serous, eins INTELEECTEAL structural, aesthetic oasie vemos vert idea aoc applet icgbuened ausreness, confusion, mystery, urpense, honor Monal. spiritual, ethical usresolved dilensos, acubiguous relation ships, search fa resolution unk (ootapplieable) [choice of dentifeation, inner questioning ‘CHAPTER 1 CREAT! sol D -BY-STEP ‘With an eye and ear on practical applications, this chapter starts right off with che mucs and bolss ef developing the souexltrack: from seript tc © final mix. “Phese are the stages: + The first soript reading * Whaat ta listen for — objects, actions, erctrounents, emimtins, suaesitions ® Grouping the voices » Drawing visteal naps 4 Mecting sith the dircetor * The sound map — draft + Consulting before auc eluriny the shoot + Accompanying the picture edit * Aualysiang the firad picture eitic © The sanaed map — drafe 2 © Defining voice sonerces aand rmadifications Defining sound effects and ambience sources Coordinating with the miusie scare Experimentation and open options + Exbibitiow consideractioses + The sound map — draft 3 * Pre-mix decisions # The final mix and prine master he onder af steps in the design of the soundseack proposed hete is a ikely seenario that allows. your greatest pasticipatian in the creative s, but you may not alsays have control of the scheduling. Fach luction will have its own cirewmstaneest the moment when you are ted, with whom you will he meeting, whac elements you will hand or what really works for your personal style, as well as ipal callabacators — the dineccor, soursd edlitar, anal SOUND DESIGN / Semensieis and imaginacion (Le., perceiving without an eusside stimulus) chat may ‘einphasize the verbal, visual, aural, logical, emotional, ar kinesthetic ‘capacities of brain processing, So the rechniques and exercises suggested ‘throughout this book should serve as guives for yon to find and utilize the mast effective methods that tap into your evn expanded awareness anul creativity “The first sevipe reading “The written scrips skouldl be the first “listening you will have of your soundcrack. Even if the film has been shot, or edited, don’t Iet your eagerness to jump into the visuals spoil this unique opportunity, Regardless of the difference between the writer's words and what has been shor, read the script first. Your impressions of whar will transmit the story through sound will be virgin, and may very well draw more ‘upon your inner ear if the input is from the page rather chan the filmed image, Once you've seen the image, itis almost impossible w go back ve the mare primary stage wichout being influenced by the impressien that the visual vill hewe made When reading the seript for the firs rime, you'll get.a lot mare aut of it if'you du this hum beginning to end »with no interruptions and at a pace ax clase as possible to the final film pace {uswally a minute per page). If you can do this, you'll get a more accurate feeling of the storytelling pace and the rhythms inherent in the drama, and it will be your smdv opportunity to get it like a first-time viewer, Afr this reading you'll be digging into individval elements, pulling things apart and pacting then Inack together while consciously searctring for creative solutions, So close the door, turn off the phone, and get into it for a few hears nonstop, 8 if you were sitting in the movie theater, But leave the lights on anud bawe 1 pencil in hand, You will use the pencil like a conductor's baton, nity ‘marking the script as your eyes dance down the lines, What to listen for Objects, actions, environments, emotions, and transitions On the frst reading yau'l be leaking far key words and iateas that immic dliwely impress you. Ti subsequent readings, especially after meeting, Cenmnnc rin Souxn Desian SremsnSrer with the director and other restive colleagues, these same eas and more key words should be treked down in much greater detail, while you note the development auc transformacion of these sounds th:augh- out the story, “Techniques for clarifying the developmental Tines far the sounds will be given below. ‘There are several different “vaices" to listen for within the following: categories: 1} sounds linked to people, objects, and aetions on sereen that are explicitly deseribed 2) environments that can be fleshed out with sonic ambiance 3) key words in both scene description and dialogue chat give clues to the emotions af the scene (hoch of the character and of the spectator) 4) moments of physical or dramatic transition, When you notice these-on the pare, circle, use-checkmarks or any other fmpid notation to mark the word or plorase. Tf you fee! the urge to write an observation, ccanomize by using a word or two ac most, just enough to later cue the memory of yaur entire thought, You ean invent a code (e.g. “evr” for erie win repetition or development of a pertain sound or theme thar cartips throughone the film. Bur keep ing forvard without losing the pace of the swry, getting it all marked aut on the first read-through: dl alon't worry about Tsplicie sounds Scriptwriting convention pays a certain homage to the pawer of audia iy Me Pp by requesting that each sound be eapitalized in the bady of the seene deseription: Whe oncoming truck's KORN BLASTS aa the out-of-con. trol car swerves violently, its WEEELS SCRE3CH7NG. ntkes for a bit more exciting reading — andl a good writer ean create a shyt on the page that ean aid in establishing rhythm on the sereen bo the major purpose is to help the productian’ manager identify, le, and budget the production of these sounds, In fet, ater the SOUND DESIGN # Seraeantoin sound designer has completed the seript analysis-and created the sowacd thap, the production manager will have a mach more accurate doeeanent for basing his budgeting. ‘The sound designer’ development of the audio crack is more extensive and subile than the screenwriter’, and forgood reason. ‘The page simply shoul nat and cannot hold the depth of infermation thae wall be on the audio teack, assimilarly a seript should not detail eamera angles nor all production design elements. Dut within every character, object, and action on screen there can be {generated a pocential sound that may gine farther drastic inapact to the seene and story, and this sonie coloring isthe challenge for you to coves, the Lizzie boy tiptoes along the epiky tops of the rotten picket fence, trying in vain te ignore the menacing bulldog chained just below hin. As the mad doa lunges against its restraints, the boy’s hands spaszically flap to maintain balence, his sneaker losirg grip. So here we see tw ehnracters, 4 protagonist and ansagonict, the boy and the dog, What kind of sounds would each be eliiting in this circumstance? ‘The boy would try co be as silent and invisible as possible, but he can’t avoid breaching, which might very well be ievegular, forced, and anudible due to his steess in holding everyching else so controllably, especially ‘shen he slips. Eeseems that the dog would be growling at the very least, perhaps in a crescendo toward an aggressive bark The objects include a ehain, which holds double intent in the scene, ihe wild clinking forms part of the aural attack against the boy, bur as ivclangs taucit serves as the oly thing protecting hit, QSetice how this audio analysis could conseibuce to the storyboarding anel bloeking of the actian if deme before theshoot.) The conaet of the boy's shoes with the untrustworthy fence could surely generate nerve-racking, splintering creaks, and. the slip itself may be accentuated with the weakness af a slippery rubber sole “CebAPEG THE SoRND Desien STEM aESTEP ‘Both characters and objeets are linked tw the action verbs, which create an etmotional contest to the scene, Find motion, directionality, and moments of impact, Sound qualities that might aecent each af the verhs in the above seene could be: *tiptoes” — dainty tap-tap-capping; “lunges” — acacking, explosive, growing closes; and “spastically Nap” —arthythmie whooshing. Environments Information about the environment fist appears in the secne headings, which aze as succinct as possible to help the production manager do the breakdown, and which denote three items: EXTERIOR ar INTERI- OR, LOCATION (vith perhaps HISTORICAL PERIOD) and TLME. OF DAY. Then there usually is 4 modest amoune of detail given in the first paragraph afscene description, appearing: something like shis: EXT. CORNFIELD - NIGET The vows of cornstalks bathe woticnlesaly ia the moonlight, In the middle of the field, a single stalk begina to shake, slowly at fizet, then pessessed with @ nervous energy that spreads contaglously to ite neighbors Part af your job will be vo create the reality of these explicit locations and times, but for now you should look for the subtext that these environments may lend te the development of the story and eharacters, ‘The above scene could helong to a terror or eomedy film, and may Whi the genres to have an even greater impactat the moment of tension ul turning point in the narrative, Lets assume this is a pure tercor film, introducing since the beginning of the seript twith an appropriate tle) a supernatural, malevalent force. ‘words "Night," “morionlessly," and “moontighe" tell us this would quiet place, but what migiht be the type of silence that would contrast ‘with the first break of that silenee hy the rusiling of che comstalk? hhear the cornstalk's shaking, whieh vill be a random mixture of ‘high frequencies, the contrasting background *silenee” could be ccroaking tn a lower register with a defines perioxlicity, — ; SOUND DESIGN f Sommeaseia Attention will be heightened when the sounds of “silence” noncon- petitively fill in the tonal and rhythmic spectrums, with eur brains more readily registering the sural contrast, ‘The distance or intimacy of the sounds ein transmit a dramatic intent hy telling us where we are and what might be a threatening noise to be noticed, We can decrease the frog's immediacy by filtering out the higher frequencies in its eroak and giving a tiny reverb to [end a sense of eulinness, distance, and surrounding space. By accenting the high frequencies of the cornstalk shaking we create a greacer presence, Ife choose to make the envirenment claustrophobically collapse, the frog croak can gain on the high frequencies, while we tnultiply the eroaks to have frogs sucround us from all sides, Or we ean do the oppasive, as the cornstalls? movement spreads menacingly, by adding reverb and increasing the voluiuie to the point of filling up the whole environment, anel thus our subjective head space as well Clues to the emotions Adjectives and adverbs give flavor co the scene descriptions, hinting to the director, actors, produesion designer, DP {director of photogeaphy and saund designer what feeling should prevail, One can imagine a thousand kinds of “LIVING ROOM —— DAY" if.no emotional dei! given to the scene description and only bloeking of the actors’ movernent is inlicatedl (hich is pretty bad sereenusriting Ceebsrique, since this aspect should be left miostly for the director and actors to determine daring rehearsals}, But if a word or two of colorful portrayal is interjected, it thrusts our eves and cars into a specific reality: whandowred, rainbrig-cafored, awaedte-coloned, Uoa-ctained, od ews, ete. You may see a word that seems so cut of context with the rest of the description thavit could serve as a sound elue, (Mark it For special atren= tion, For example, the location could be a very dark alley, with sinister tensinn built iato the movement and dialogue, Tfsuddenly there appears 4 “luminous ethereal ball," che contrast should be wade that much greacer iy characteriging the environment’s negative, antagonistic feel ing with a sonicambiance thas will allow the arrival of the good-xuy ball in the most apposite of sounds to those af the threatening alley, You ean imost effectively use pitel, timlre, and attack in counterpoint pny tits SOUND Basten SranursSrar Description ofa scene can give you a sense of energy and direction of eination, During heese race, for example, bettors have gambled not only their money but their hopes, and these can be exposed through the action and reaction in the soundtrack, [t can also give hints to che characters’ personalities and whst we can expect to accentuate in che audio curing their dramatic journey throughout che Films. ‘The chanting crowd rises head into che hone stretch, its feet as the horses Hooves pound, Frank's boree Supper Time audges ahead of Pecer's horse Zip Drive. Frank bounces like a suparball, hyena. HOOTING Like 3 Peter GROWL like a bear, punching the air in sv hocks. “Assuming these two fellows will be competing not amly at the racetrack hue throughout the story, their forms ofeommunication and temperament will have nuances in acting style, costume, eamera angle, andl enind. ‘The sound treatment will searesrith the use af voice (each actar’ interpretation, how it is recorded {type and placement of mizraphone, location, or studi recording) ane! postproduction sweetening diters, omltitracking ‘Then the conditions af the ambient sannds and rmusic will be added 10 Follect, support, and/or contrast with each character, Following the Jnciples of psychoaeousties (outlined in the later chapters). Te all hs with the emotion shat jumps off ehe paye. the abowe case, what the twe characters are feeling st that monvent is Jcloredl 4 primary emotion, in contrast to a scene deseription that tes a reaction from the auulience (ar reader}, which is denoted as wry emotion, An example of this is clear in a scene in which the 6 wembling with ansiety, but she audience is ralling in Lamhe: fi ever the bubbling industrial cooking pots, Wem for the third time to lift the slippery SOUND DESIGN f Sonnenschein hard-boiled egg between his two big toes. As he folds on for dear life to the drooping coa: hang- er, he manages to pinch the egg with his extra Long toenails, Slowly, slowly, he raises che eaged hie mouth... gut slowly, alowly the egg begins to exagk and dis:acegrate Tina soene that has a conirast between primary and secondary emorions, wwe havea choice 10 employ the sound purely with one emotion, or ta use spatial or remnpotal counterpoint tx heighten the cension. In the following examples, [arm taking liberty to use my own definitions for the various types of coniedy and the rules they may follow — for the sake of shawing the binds of chaices thac can be made in sound design, ‘A satire would most likely carry us into Harold's world as the chosen paint of view, focusing on che primary emotion by exaggerating the seriousness of his plight, This could be dane by exploiting the cliché sunds of an action thriller i, threatening low frequencies in the boii, ‘vats below, nerve-reeking dissanant metal bending of the caat hanger, Harold’ audible itrogular breaching, and the ominous eracking of the egg reverberating in the tied kitchen. Li a slapstick comedy, the cone would also be exaggerated abel even less subtle, with a silliness in recognition that we are the delighted observers participating in the sccondary emotian, prockling usciteetly to the point wich a more cartoonish style of sounds, ‘The bubbles would sound with more melodie pappings, sliding the tones in a circus-organclike clows dance. ‘The bending hanger would be a springy divrdng-dosaiing, Haroks breath would probably not be heard at all, so-as to help fous us on our avn laughing breath even more. ‘The cracking of the egg vould have a stutcering: but intelligent rhythm, a kind of tease to dese out the tension to the fullest extent ‘Ina comedy that alternates between the primary and secondary © -ve have the opportunity for a sophistication of shitting point af view and palling the audience off guarel more than they expect from either pure satire or a slapstick comedy, By mixing the conventions, a mew rhythin can he established, a kinel of “beat frequency” phenomenan between the Caninive rie Sou Desa Seem ine Sr two points of view, primary and secondary, that tickles the audience's fancy so that they feel like their own heads are being tossed atone on an emotional rollercoaster, Intersecting planes of reality conspire co heighten the humor, and in this case the sounds eam he selected from both paiats of view eo mske this counterpoint. For example, the threatening voleanic-Tike bubbles From below will contrast greatly with the exrtoanish springy hanger from above, Harold strugyling leach could be heant in hyper-claseness, then completely disappear when the gy: cracking is eved to enter in full attention-getting intensity, ; i : Physieal or dramatic transition “The flow of deama leads us to turning points in the story that evoke shifts in physical space, intent, emotion, and in general « new diteetion for the characters and plot, When teading the seript, note where these occur, 2s they will serve as signposts for changes in the soundurack as well ‘The most obvious shifis of physical space occur at the change from one seenc location to anather, Certainly this is motivation to change the ambient souncts to help orient the auslience to the new space, but rarely is this change a dramatic turning point in itself, More likely: you ‘il rs ta dig forthe poychotogical transition thar ean be escreed with a { Sul on the physical plane, » common tansition element is a door. "This ‘ean be leading the character into a new space, unknown adventure, or ive twist, Tn thrillers che cliché of an attack upon the entering acter continues to elicit ansiety, often accentnated wich the low-Folume il that suddenly is broken by the loud, contrasting thrust of the inusler, ‘There are also moments of a sudden, unexpeeted entry into a by a foreign element thay is accompanied by a definite shitt in the lunce, Imagine, for example, a dog kennel late at night when « eat ww sneaks in chrougb a wineow crack, wakening the snuflling into a barking fervor. Soa window, deawer, eabiner, claset, deain, manhole, elevator; car trunk, cave, siviemming pool serface, wave; and shadow can all serve as “doors” into other realities, Afabout the predominant feeling before and after this transition, the characters be hearing because their atrention would be a 10 — lt SOUND DESIGN # SoarowsBetin ore prone to one aspect of the envirezment than to another? How would the audience participate more in the world af a character with respect toa shift aFsouncs? Some bipolar extremes could be: * closed-open © loud-soft © dry-eeho. # Low pitch-high piech # pear-far # canpty-full + harmony-lissenance + friendlly-menaeing The choices made should be based on an analysis of the ares and dramatic turning points of the characters and plot, consciously emphasizing, suggesting, ar even contradicting what is occurring in the subtext af the script Looking beyand the physical cues, there are usually many moments that echibit profound transitions indicated by either a charseter’ actian om dia~ logue. One example io Ae Gee! cy tt Gets occurs in the rescnorant scene when Jack Nicholson i courting Helen Huntin his very ungainly fishion. As hig is dravring towards decisive revelation and shist in bis character, the natural seonels of the restaurant (nurmur af wiber diners, silkerware, glasses, ote.) fale aviay, leaving a kind of magical vacuum for the two characters to sink into with their emotional teetl and hearts, When the scene tensian is resolved with a burmocous shit, dhe sounds of the sestanrant return ta their previous levels, “The maggie moment has passed. Grouping the voices Upon completing your first reading af the script and having marked the different “eoines? that stcuck you as significant, take a rapid rereading ind note these words on a separate page. Find a logic to group them by type: action, abject, emosion, ete. Naw skim aver each group and let the words begin to take sides. Do you find very similar words? Opposing ‘words? What is the opposition thatis being created? Ts there » sirail oppusition in the different groups of words? Casarnig rig SoumD Desies Seman Some If the film is fainly simple in structure, it may have only one bipolar contrast, But most films have at least two levels of storytelling — th more consciously obvious goal and conflict, and the more subconscious subtext, Be awate thar che list of bipolar pairs may need to he separated into more than one thematic candlics. . [An example of this kind of separation is ilusursted sith the script snalyvis tof Bravilian Gilt called Neyoetega Moria! (Deadly Negotiation} ox which Lereated the sound design. “Tixe-distinct bipolar lists were derived from the script, which included development of musical aspects such as rhythm and frequencies that tollowed these bipell DEATH mechanical organic lock thigh pitch, veurt flow pitch, constant) speed up-slos down} scream oF OFAN breathing ‘woman — real life nan — Tittle bay WEAKNESS ore cee earned] sound lists for Negoririn Moetiad the eave with any film that is toultilayered in its tones, symbols, and ra, this film has exeeptions to these bipolaritics, wl SOUND DESIGN / Seancastent for tich counterpaints anc! unexpected plot teists. So be aware of the relative nature of such charts; they sre guidelines, not necessarily eternal iruths (ever for the wo hours oF the Hin). ‘There rnuy be cripalar relationships ay well. “Chese can fall into basically v0 types: 1) Left-Center-Right, a linear relaticnship in which the “left” and right are two extremes dbipolstities) with a neutral, combination, or hhalf-oray element that is distinct from either extreme, This usually encompasses a smaller spectrum of all che Bow possibilities than the 3-way Pie (deseribed helaw) can obtain, Examples of this might be: ishue, child-teenageradult, hunger satisfaction shu bored. -way Pie Division, « angular relationship in sebich the three sleinents are all equally sweighted andl each shares boundaries ancl relationships with the othes two, with a maximum of flow possbilicies encompassing complete eyele or spectrum. Examples of this would lhe: rei-lue-yellow,life-death-rebirth, seed-tree-flower, intellectual- emotional-physical, If the sereenplay you are working on begs to be supported by ch t cor elements, this can be a useful paradigm to apply to the sound design as well, extrapolating the same tools as wsed with the bipolar relaianships Deming visual ups Now with this understanding af the deeper resonating elements of the script, yon ean look for patterns that will give you elues for building the sourel design structure, ‘Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the micelle in the long direction, Mark points along the ling tepresentimgs te significant plot paints, moments af transition and beightened conflict. Tt here are certain repeated elements oF scenes that are important to the phic symbol where they appear along che chronningical line you have drawn, [f you have drawn in peel it would he helpful to ink over after you've got everything laid ant, or make a pho: tocopy, so that when. you hegin the next phase of drawing you can erase the overlaying design without disturbing the basic structure. story, give therm some iv Ces.rnise ati SooxD Desiar Sra. Refer back ww the bipolar charts that you anade of yo select the wo most representative words for cach bipolarit life, power-weakiess, success-failure, mak money-love, etc. Leoking at the dlramatieally high paints of the stary, ask yourself whatis happening inthe bipelarconilict? Most stories have 3 centtal character who will be experiencing these conflicts, so put yoursell in that character's shoes and see what he ar she is feeling at this moment. Lets take the example of death-life to illustrate this teehnign ‘Negoetoiso Moe! the main charac stho laser is revealed 1 be Death, the She predicis his death in seven years’ time, leaving him to ‘enorgies 4s he wishes neil then. As the sto dil date, Maria finals that his world of sue suddenly thrown out of his control when he is kidnapped, hooded handeulfed, and whisked off t0 an isokated cabin. “The events unfold as Death reveals herself in theeabin amd begins a final sesluetion te climax the Film. ‘The major bipolar contrast revolves araund Matio's attempt to eemeeol all chat is living arouse him and bis inability to control his ultimate destiny with Death, graphic representation of the time line cl bipolar units (usually done wieh an erasable calored pencil) would © thie In py thwels a mysterious woman im reaper in a seductive fort west his Phe Rac Mid-Polot loc Pos DEATH KIDNAPPING © SCHIEMM-TO FAILED. ESCAPE FSCAPE Wigure 1-2. visual map A SOUND DESIGN / Saicinbeia A second bipular unit of power-eakness overlaid on the sume cme Line will have a different curve than the first (done with a different colored pencil}, at moments crossing, eouncerpointing, and finally resol mutual climax, Like this: CO Poe Heine 7+, Chanax TAILED INA ENGQUNTER| TSCA WITNDI Figure 1-3 visual map B What do these graphics reveal for the sound design? As the basic dramatic elements are put into opposition, we cut visualize a kind of emotional scoring of the entire film. We ean see when one theme ere: and becomes dominant or suppressed, as wall as bow che rmuliple theres bounce off one another, Each of these themes will continue t0 be expanded in the treatment of voice, sound effects, ambiance, and music {as they may have alsa been expressed in the production design). Any ‘associations with sounds an the diegesis (story world of she filo) cin serve asa starting point to ive direction to these themes. In the example hete, Death is linked tea clock that is described in the script — ticking, with « high-pitched, mechanically eonstane 4/4 eat. Nowhere is a heart or heartbeat deseribed in the seripe, bur 1 fourul it ay an intuitive opposite so the elock in the death-life hipolariny, generating aather opposites such 3s alow-pitched, organically varying 3M4 Ica that by sensed as the natural rhythm af the heartbeat. (In fact, the physialogiel! ub Cresaesc THe SoD Des STREETER beat lies between 3:4 and 44 shythins,) These elements then spawn parameters for two of the musical themes thet will counterpoint throughout the fil, based on the overall graphic ine that was drawn on the visual map, Meetisrg: wish the elivector Assuming thar you are not the direewr doing your own sound design (in Which case you mighe try some of the following approaches wich your sound editor and music composer), all of what you have created! up te this point must he shared with the director, Depending an both a personalities and experiences, there will be a greater or lesser degree of “collaboration on the speeitie steps of the sound design process. But At remains absolucely imperative that the direetor hears your ideas, uid absorbs vehac you have tw offer, and that you stew #0 the direweor, who will probably be the only one to have a camplece vision of the res somic, structural, information to How through you in two directions, both ning and speaking, Walter Murch refers to this as “dreaming in * where esch takes tums proposing alternate scenarios to the other provoke the dream imagery or subconscious ereaciviy in the listener: memory or intuition af the listener rises ¢0 its evn defense when it fivelf bein challenged, revealing the hidden intent and sppropsiae af sound making the visual maps, you may choose tn do this side hy siele the director, and! find that this process becomes more like a dance, Seision, and/or communal art piece, Ideas flow spontaneously like iided piana improvisation, “The real-time aspect ean generate al shythims on the page, For example, if one of'yeu draws in surchitectural bl ry rhychmie, exacting, and is ean create a very surprising, counterpoint to another iv mare anatomically based — with eurves, ovals, branching, . Where do they intersect? What thied farrns result fram What dialogue of ideas, links, and new insights surfaces and logical proces SOUND DESIGN f Samvenschein you find yourselves stuck on a particular point, ery handing over the colared pencil to the other persan to do the drswing, or if you've hoth Ineen doing it, try exchanging colored pencils andl themes. TF the directar is not sure about your suggestion or just plain loesiv' like it, explore this opportunity and ask about exactly what aspect does not fit in, Ts it chat che director alseady has a sound in mind and ean't get used to a diflerent idea, or is there something intrinsically out of place with your propose? Finding what is ous of balance ean very well reveal swhatis needed to put things in balsnee, just asa string on a guitar blares out when it needs tuning up ar down; and you should hope that your director will have the perspective with which ta judge this. Most likely you have been hived as a sound designer because the dinector understands the benelits and is eager to collaborate with you, Pven so, you may have a director who is tremendously igmarine of the fall potential, language, and process of sound designing. In this case, you should havea title chat 98 to wha extent you will be aiven the authotity and deeiston-making powers in ereating the sound design, Some directors (ony feel uncorafortable with their lack af experience in chisarea, and you have to watch out for the Gap of taking advantage ef this hy hecoming a one-man hand. ‘That is net what film production is about funless this is an auteur film, whish means that the diceetor would protably be doing the sound dlesiga anyway}, and you may be jeopardizing the final movie if you don't make the effort to become as intimate with the direetor’ views as the direetor is with yours, Yau very well may have co seek different cammunication techniques to become the most effective witheach inclvidual director, justas you might with different students, lovers, or bosses, If one analytic style or graphic exercise worked with one director, but claesn’t seem wo generate a rapport with another, rather than being insistent, eyperiment with a nev modality, Soane will piefer hours of dialoguing with you, athers may like weitten wards, ar charts, or diagrams; and others will wane to Rear the sounds themselves before commenting. Find our what is the best language for comrani ceation with your directoe, ana translate vourown fluency and sty tha will resonate wich the dinector’ away ‘You may receive from the director very specific indications of haw to heat the file, or agertain sony o- instrumental recording thatthe slirector either ‘wants tg incorporate as iso to use a a guide For an original composition, 16 Crminive vee Seuxn Besiey Sera Srae Soutadertnacr Darae Davis bs Bad a sory eter sollaboraian with Bir dlvectore “The directors of The Muorix were watching thilies, arn talks with mney and would be unconsciously making vocal moises like: Kamy-Auirg rebugrerebuerranel sometimes it was very key to dhe sens, One example is ina scene with a baby in apod andits filling up, and its hortifing, ob my God! ‘There was 2 valve chas ‘op, aad in the dailies when that shot exme up, ene af the directars msde a f-rioné struncl and ie sick in my heal, No matcer wheat 1 ith with oy releases, valves, rubber things, sections of pipe, tires, reverse tice hits andl stl eo take this machine svork, I knew thst ultimately it would still have to go fbxcchont underall che acher text mnusic, T knew they wall Love itand shey did. ‘They would rarely define sands ia that movie with ceamples of realistic sounds, whieh same other directors mii ‘They would say they wanted it ta be felectsiea! anid depp ‘gta,’ kine! of contradictory, bue very enol ane something far ae wo work out, Tadkled that it should have a respiratory system, a cirenl Lory system, and hearcbeat, and chey liked that. Also chat ie should be mae af spare parts. ‘That was the only discussion we hal, be hhad a really good intuitive lock on whut they were Tooking fan” l-this suggestion fits ike a glove with your own ideas for the soured nach, this will he easy to intogeate, But che eballenge comes when the ‘idea seenns {at least at first) quite autside your imagined design. Ifyou dan't woderstand! why, or dotvt Feel attracted ta what the director has seTected, ask ‘bout the mosivation, emetional inks, ar other references. 1de-this ina ‘ous, nonthreacening way, like an investigative reporter seeking the story, rather than as a proseeuring atwomey looking w win a case in 1. To this dialoygue you may find some of che richest fuits of enllaboratin, there lies the possbility of truly new idea being generate shroxugh the ‘of thesis-antithesis-synthesis, once played for me a very haunting, melancholic piane solo as a for the main theme, but my initial reaetion (which | kept internal} tad nothing to dla with either the main character’ personal ‘wore narcissistic, ruthless, and power-hungry), [ questioned SOUND DESIGN J Siwecanbae the director as to how be heard this amsic in che film and find that he sensed) sn uyge tw pull out from the character something shat wis indessL covert and realy couniexpoint ca his external appearances. Now amployieg this nation, we developed a sound design that worked specifically on the dissonaerce ancl counterpoint between these two aspects of his character, the overt-esternal ard the eavert-internal, ‘The final result was much more rewardingly ambiguous and allowed for many variations on a theme as the filiy progressed through the different stages of the character's conftontatian with his ianer fears and longings. The sound map — draft 1 icianally, a sound map, known as a cue sheet, is generated by the sound editor at the eid of his editing job as a guide for the rereconling miser to follow the differene racks of dialogue, effects, and music, indicated along a time frame of mirtes and seconds, with image landmarks and cues for entrances, dissolves, fades, ete. What Tn referring ta as the first draft of the sound map isa raugh sketch of what the editor and inixer will eventually use, but based on a time frame af dramatic seyjueroes with notations of sonic elements that may enhance the story- telling-aspects ofthe film, with no regued for the physical or electronic er separation of clocely ovcutting sound that must take place before the mix Although the filen eam always benefit from having a preliminary sound ‘map before shooting, in most eases the sound designer is called anto the picture only after the flln has keen shot. Earthe sake of representing the ideal, L will eescrtbe here the frst draft of the sound map asif it we to be done before shooting, In fact, the end result will be sisnilar 10 8 imap initiated alter viewing either the dailies ar a first ext af the Ble, when the input will come alse from the iinages shot, as well as from the seript and the director's vision, “The sound map bs twa axes, vertical for time, horizontal for sound elements. ‘The time axis should be separated inco sequences with certain binding drarmate, plysical,and temporal clements, Most often this will he denared by the shegline in the seript, with interior-or exterior, name of location, and time of day, However, it may be more useful te join al scenes into ascquenee (eg, EXT. PARKIN LOT - IN. CAR . SIDEWALS) or even to separate a single long 18 = Cairne rite Sun Dastey Sie scene inio more than ene sequence, i’ several different plat twists or mood changes accur in the same location that may require punctuation: and modulation in the soundirack, ‘The nomenclature of these sequences should be coordinated by the director or prochucer so as te remain consistent with the arher production departments! breakdowns, ‘The headings on the horizontal axis at this stage are a much mare subjective choice than the cuscomary division between dialogue, effects and musie; you may separate and Like using the following discrimivations:” concrete sounds, rmusical sounds, music, and voice, One 1 this categorizing is Mexible, as ‘one particular sound may fi into more than one possible division or may fall berveen the enseks, Your chaiee shauld be based ors srhae helps you ereate the overall design and transtnit es to the diteetor, sound edita and musie composer, since ultimately the audience will have an undivided sonic experience with no labeling whatsoever Lhe types of sounds in Av the frst draft stage, itis not necessary to get every single sound written ‘on the map, and in fact too much detail will clutter it But the essence of the seene ean also he reflected in some of the most muusane sound events, if properly placed, So look for whar helps tell the story, referring to the conie evente that vou initial analysis (as mentioned earlier in this chapter under Was to listen for ‘Whe map can laok something like this ae ‘concrete sonnds ates cling onc fees Doreathing hooves pouring: Tas SEQ, 24 STOCK MARKET FLOOR ‘tonerete sounds a eee clock ticking — | mectay 474 beat aggressive shouting, SOUND DESIGN # Soaneewbers Thave dencted conerete sounds as those that appear to be connected with the image. In general, these would be considered ta belong te the dieyesis, pertaining to the reality within che film and the enviroament a the characters, whese point of view would incarponite these. sounds More often these would fall into the category of sound effects, rather than ambient sounds, Examples then they appear on sereen with a corresponding image-er induce a reaction from a character) woul be: decr SLAM, audience APPLAUS3, telephone RING, horse GALLOP, ax SHOP, paper TEAR, clock TICK, gun FIZ3, tive SCRHECH, balloon BURST, Baby CRY. Any of the above sounds might also fall into the caregory of musical soundsif they become dissociated from the diegesis and turn into a kind of sensorial or emotional element inclependent rom the chatserers” space-time reality within the story. For example, the sound of ticking shen we see a clock in che room or on someone's wrist remsins a concrete sound, but as soon asthis sume sound that is naw unlinked co the image pervades a scene with its emotianal effect of urgency or relentlessness as the underlying tone, ic then falls inco the area of musical sound Ambient sounds can also be consicered in this division, especially when they are not creating a reaction in the characters, but rather setting a general mecd, Examples would ke: WYZTSTLING WIND, ais conditioner HUM, distant HOWLING COYOTES, POUNDING SURF, playground LAUGHTBR, etholag SONAR BEZPS, CRACKLING FIRE. Any sound that might serve ss inspiration for the music composet should be nored here, For example, a rhythm like « heartbeat is broken naturally by its valve-pumping action into triplets falmast, but not exactly with a real heart), with an accent on the First two eats: 1-2-3-1-2-3- 1-2-3, ‘This, along with its mutfled, Low-frequency piteh, can generate the basis for a musical theme that will be linked through a dramatic clement by associavinn with the character’ heart, “The category of music] use for both nating diegetie music (singers oF inusicians on sereen, radia, record player, etc), anel making, suggestions to the musie composer, which inchude structural ideas (like the triplets of the heartbeat}, emotional parameters, orchestration possibilities, atl Churn Tire SUN Dasrey eeu SIR the develapment of motifs. "The visual map that you made earlier serves now for inspiration to spat relationships, patterns, and macrerhythms in. the whole film to help line up the musical matils, “Taking advantage off the psychcacoustic principle of our brain's ability to beiver discern simultancous sounds when there exists a separation of frequencies, your observations can ineicate what range af pitch will be most appropriate fo use in eonjunetion with the other sounds occurring in the same scene Tike to use the word vaice rather than dialogue because this encompass all souneds emicced through che mouth, including same very telling tpressions: urcontrollable YAWN, wet SNEEZE, unexpected Hiecur, SLOWS cigareste smoke, SMACKS a kiss, hoarse cou angry BOOIN, dexisive LAUGH, embarrassed STSALE, Dialogue may also be noted if there will be rither special teeatmeng by the actor (whispering, drunk, foreign accent) or some kind af postproduetion manipukuian Cecho, increase of buss frequencies, telephone voice). Although it will be essential co hear the logue clearly in the final mix, this is not the moment co-warry shout the content of the words tbeyond how they serveas guieleposts for your treativity). What you should be looking for are the nonverbal elements Ahat can contribute to the storytelling and emotional aspects of the iniltvack, while generating further motifs and links with the ather ja categories on the sound nap, his stage of filling in che details of ee sound map, let yourself dell tach sequence, saturating. your consciousness with several readings if ary, and viewing the sequence again in your mind. with all the inch thatare suggested in the script and that crmanate fram your inner Write them down on a big piece of seratch paper. Yow can close ‘eves if you find this helps stimulate your auxlitory sense, Don't any seemingly bizarve or out-af-context sound that accurs to ‘You can always eross it off tater, but it may also lead to a valonble tion that you haven’e yee perceived! ‘tine you'll need to-do this sequence-by-sequence development ‘will undoubtedly be longer than the running time af the film is, more than the customary one minute per Feature format- » You den’t need to do this all at one sittings in face F Sonnenstecte SOUND DESIG? ‘TRY THIS A listening meditation ‘if your mind is wandering or it just seems very silent anside your virtaal auditociumn, ty listening toa piece of muse that you feel has some con- nection to the tone ar genre of the story. Instrumental music has the salvantage of keeping you 3 4 more intuitive, nonvecbal state, wl ‘vties may give you some cultural inspiration, ar awaken a memery oF unexpected word synchrony, You can da thisas alice break from your concentration, eelaxing with your eyes closed, or you can wy it with the | seript and sound map in front of you, allowing the story tw interact directly with the rhythms, melodies, harmonics, and emotions of the music. Ifa more obvious musical genre doesn’t bring anything new ta the inner images, you may be surptised to find out howr a elassial of Beethoven, Pehussy, ot Bartok may counterpoint a very urban sex aan! characters, or hes jazz oF reek may infuse a period piece with new sonic insights thys you had never before considered, you might find that on different days or times of day you may have different inspirations, Be aware of your own chychny af focus and day dirosrning states, as there usually exists an ultradian eyele of approximately 90-120 minutes within your attention span, Let this be as saturating: a process as the production scheshule will allow, When you reach the end of the sound map, take a breather in another environment, even if its for only a few mimates. You will be switching gears into another process and it helps co nmke a clean break out of this detail-oriented thinking, and Drawing visual uraps and refamiliarize yourself sath che pat terns that you discovered, Skim over them quickly and nate what can readily be superimposed aver the detailed work yau did on the sound nap. Line up all the pages of the sound map ona long table or the floor so that there is 4 single time line from top to bottom, just there is in your visual maps, ‘Take the same colored pencils that Niow gov back to the results of your wark with Groping the vofcer Ganinive rie SouND Desens Sram arS rai “used on the visual map, and circle or underline the sounds you have listed on che sound map that correspond to these evlored theaes on ‘your visual nia. Look for the patteens emerging on the sound map as well, Are there yes that de not correspond between the visual ancl che sound maps? IF | this may bean indication for the need ta inserca sound that would nor cssorily be in che diegesis (a comerete sound in my nomenclature), boc |d work very well as a subjective, nondiegetic adtlition ew the track (1 jcal sound). Or it may he a hint for the composer to return to 2 cer= theme or variation of a theme at this poine in the drama. Ina more al ease, this lack of synchrony between the two maps may hativate {o Penta vertain sounds that souk nonally play in the seene, using forced oe unnatural silence as a conmeesing emotianal fiber. eeneeeeee review the steps up to this paine: * The first seripe reading — Inomerse yourself in the written ckseription of the scenes and. let your inner ear come alive * What to listen for — objects, actions, environments, emotions, and transitions — Key words and ideas will serve as basic slements: to construct the sound design. * Grouping the voices — Find the polarities between these elemenss to dlevelop balanee and counterpoint. * Drawing visnal maps — Use graphic representation oF the flow of the story with the sonic structure to reveal an overall compesition for the sound design. & Meeting with the dircctor — Present year work-in-progress confinm thestyle, tone, ane choices, listening eatetully fr feedback vl global perspective, The sound map — draft 1 — Separate the script into sequences, list the sounds in categories of conerere sounds, musical ds, music, and voice Consulting before and during the shoot that arise from the seript ean help the producer lower jund ensure more consistency with the narrative direction SOUND DESIGN / Se ‘of the fil ‘The soured designer will seldom be hired before post- production, but ifthe opportunisy arises early enough in prepreduction, you can offer extremely beneficial advice ta the proslucer,cireetor, anal production sound recortst, Possible helpful hints and economies ean be found in: + Reducing or removing shots that might be expensive or sime- consmiting, by substisuting with sounds. This requires ereative af what dramatic elements ace needed to move the story forgrand and develop character. « Assisting in seleetion of locations by eonsidering acoustic factors. “The most beautifal spot for a Leh-century period piece could be tovally inadequate because oFunnoxiced trafficsourds Unit cannot he removed froan the production track without costly dubbing. + hulieating proper equipment and materials for specific sound recording situations, Estes micraphanes and an adequate mixer might be necded for 4 complex dialogue sequence, or sound- absorbent materials like foam or blankers could help eliminate tunsyanted reverb in a hare -sealed location. «# Planninggta record wile sounds on a location shoot can sive time ani money in postproduction. Scheduling nms:be done conscientiously 60 2s not to slow down the rest of the crew, preferably recording ‘yefore or after che shaoting hours. During the shoot wey t0 take « look at the dais, which may raise some creative suggestions Far recording isolated wild sounds in that parciewkar Jocarion, “Through observation of what is already happening on screen you may imagine at additional useful close-up of 1 sound-anaking object or ation not originally phnned fa the shor list, bue that eoald successfully reinforce an autal thei. ‘This is particularly applicable iFany montage sequence is anticipated that can break free from a strictly Linear, dialogue riven script, Sounds and images ean have asubjective, dreamlike von nection to che emotional or intelleeral Ting; frequently the ideas echo between sousids andl images, each generating a reflection or variation in the other Pickup shots alter principle photography are another jrosibly less-expensive solution, but it eight be mare cost-effective co get these newly inspired inserts immediately, before moving away froona haril-to get-to location. Carimive re Soup Dries: SrepanSram Goege Watters, supervising soueet editor on SeacTrek EH, wad VI, Ina somac advice about sct eonstenction: “On the sets of the Enterprise, the plywood was creaking every time Commaneler Kink walked I “That was ons of my big gripes in Sear Trot V1. When sets are built, shey should mish sure they ave solid so there is no creaking from plyward, because we then: hive that aise under all che voices on the production tracks, and vou have ta being the actors buck for looping. 11 will cost more tw ger the getors back to Fi it than it would to build it right in the frst place, You don't want to rephice closs-up

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