DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

FACULTY OF ARTS AND DESIGN

DEPARTMENT OF VIDEO TECHNOLOGY
BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCREEN ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY: BASAT1

COURSE DETAILS
Module Name Video Production Theory 2A

Module Code VPRT201

Theory Component Sound

Name of Lecturer/s Sicelo Nxumalo

Assessment type Group Assignment

Due Date 17 April 2023

STUDENT DETAILS

Student Name Student Number Contact Number

Vuyolwethu Xaba 22261617 0677390929
Nduduzo Ndiyane 22110574 0658473925
Samkelo Mndawe 22268514 0607095754
Wilson Mzelemu 22253465 0817886421

I declare that:
• I have read and am familiar with the University’s policy on plagiarism;
Plagiarism-Policy.pdf (dut.ac.za)
• I have checked this assignment to ensure that it contains no instances of
plagiarism;
• Where the work of others has been relied upon in this assignment, it has been
duly acknowledged and clearly referenced.

SIGNATURE (Group Leader) _________________ Date _________________

Sound is the silent backbone of any Film, which gives a film its emotional attachment
to the audience or the exciting scar. From the use of sound effects to cover up the
use of visual effects in a movie or the use of dialogue to bring the characters to life,
sound plays a very crucial role in the film industry. However, it hasn’t always been
that way; diving back into the 1800s when silent films were watched, as years went
by, the sound was slowly incorporated into films which began in the 1900s, and ever
since then, it has been a major key factor in the film industry and is only going to get
better.

HISTORY OF SOUND TRENDS BY REGIONS

• Global
“If photography could capture fleeting images with lenses modeled on the eye,
might not a replica of the ear similarly capture spoken words”. These were the
words of Frenchman, Édouard Leon Scott de Martinville as he based the
invention of the phonautograph on the sole purpose of synchronizing sound
with moving pictures which we now in the 21st-century call movies. He
invented the Phonautograph in 1857 which was 20 years before Thomas
Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. From using a pane of glass that
records only a snippet of sound, he then improves his invention by using a
rotating cylinder to record twenty seconds of sound.

With the help of Rudolph Koenig who studied acoustics and was a scientific
instrument precisionist, they were able to record poems and music by the year
1860. Thomas Edison invents the phonograph as he was inspired by Scott’s
belief and invention. This had a huge impact on American cinema as sound
was not used in the era of silent films. Many inventors in the USA worked on
sound systems that would accompany pictures but since this is the first time
working on such it was accompanied by flaws in the system. The invention of
the photocell did make a breakthrough in 1887 by Hertz then later by De
Forest with the invention of the ‘Audion’ valve in 1907 did reinforce the idea of
perfectly synchronizing film and sound. Two former Danish classmates, Axel
Petersen and Arnold Poulsen who majored in technical engineering were
given the task of also developing a sound system that can perfectly
synchronize sounds with motion pictures in 1918. Five years later they did a
demonstration of a film that ran for 20 minutes. It was successful as it was
perfectly synchronized with the motion pictures.

It was clear that Scott’s influence and beliefs of sound accompanying moving
pictures were being practiced by many inventors around the world. However,
Hollywood in particular which was the famous capital of movies was still not
interested in sound in films no matter how many demonstrations were being
carried out. Phonographs were also being sold to them at an expensive price
which led them to also be stubborn about including sound in films. It wasn’t
until the Warner brothers decided to be involved in the evolution of sound in
films did it catch the attention of the public. They slowly introduced sound in
films by using the Vitaphone in their film called Don Juan in 1926 which was
three years after Peterson and Poulsen’s successful demonstration. A year
later they released “The Jazz Singer”, which caused a stir in the public about
sound films.

The more people realized how popular sound films were, the more technical
and film companies wanted to develop their own. Years later stereos were
developed in America and showed the television industry that there was going
to be tough competition. The influence of sound film inspired filmmakers to
find ways to captivate the audience with not just sound but also visuals as the
two now went hand in hand. This led the Warner brothers to come up with 3D
images in cinema. Stereos were becoming a common trend and demand in
cinemas and Dolby Laboratories dominated that sector with their Dolby Stereo
optical system. The system was successfully debuted with the classic movie
‘Star Wars’. Paramount took sound effects to the next level by mimicking
sounds of earthquakes and crashes but it was a bit too powerful in cinemas
as their stereo was a bit of a safety hazard for the audience in the cinemas.

Hong Kong was going through a huge shift in the entertainment industry
which was known as the ‘New Wave’ in the period from 1970 to the early
2000s. Hong Kong was known as the only industry that was able to go against
 Hollywood’s wittier action movies. The citizens of the country could not afford
to have television therefore the Hong Kong Movie industry had the upper
hand. Sound films were introduced by students who studied in the West and
as a result, the industry made huge profits, unlike China film industry. The
difference between the two countries was that China used film as a chance to
reinforce propaganda however Hong Kong used it as purely a source of
entertainment for the audience. In Italy, sound films were also introduced but
the music was used to build more depth and suspense as well as reinforce
the situation that the character was facing in the film. It was also used as an
element of ‘Slice of life’ to reflect the sounds and chaos of the world.

Decades passed and phonographs turned into CDs where film and sound
meshed perfectly and the idea of sound films became a success due to the
perseverance and practice of all filmmakers and technicians as well as the
approval from the public towards the end of the 20th century.

• Africa
White filmmakers in the colonized regions used to portray Africa as
uncivilized, barbaric, and inferior beings in their films to the world. This was to
reinforce the idea of colonialism as a necessary action. Africans were limited
in terms of producing their films as some of the colonies either banned them
or put certain restrictions on African films. After the colonized countries
became independent they now had the freedom to express themselves and
their African culture in films using sound. In the 1960s in African cinema,
sound was not something that was considered as vital as they often used
narration and live music.

This mindset changed in the 1960s as technology advanced and African

filmmakers used sound to enhance the visual narrative of their films.
Ousmane Sembene who was a Senegalese writer, director, and producer
released a film in 1975 that successfully paved the way for Sound films in
Africa. He used traditional music which emphasized the environment in his
country and his culture. Later on, more African filmmakers included local
traditional music, chants, and oral traditions of Africa. In the 1980s onwards
 African filmmakers started using sounds around them to provide not only an
atmospheric feeling but also to give the world the true perspective of Africa
that the West had been demonizing over the past decades.

We do see films including local music according to which area or country

they’re in to enhance their visuals and make them look realistic. It can be said
that the African filmmakers provided the path which filmmakers now use to not
only properly represent the setting but also its culture as well as its beauty.
Using ambient sounds, sound effects, and modern design methods were the
trending techniques used amongst African filmmakers. They also include
voice-over narration, improvised sounds, and noises from the natural
environment.

• South Africa
The first synchronized sound film, ‘The Symbol of Sacrifice’, was produced by
African Film Production in Cape Town in 1929. This was a historical moment
in South Africa as it was the first African film with synchronized sound. Over
the years when the National Party took over and placed the Apartheid
government, films were only targeted to the white audience and theatres
allowed whites only. Afrikaans films were more popular as they were
enforcing Afrikaner nationalism as well as Apartheid being the utopia for white
citizens. The black citizens wanted to produce their films however due to
heavy censorship by the government, these films were banned due to their
content consisting of anti-apartheid rule or reflecting the harsh reality faced by
the marginalized groups of South Africa.

This did not stop the Anti-Apartheid citizens from using sound films to express
their dissatisfaction. The filmmakers would watch their films in churches or
community halls. On the other hand, the Afrikaans film audience declined due
to the introduction of television in the 1980s. Films such as Sarafina and Cry
Freedom blatantly challenged the Apartheid regime. They used the sounds of
war cries during protests, the sounds of dogs barking, women screaming,
men crying, bullets being fired, batons hitting flesh, and doors being violently
knocked to reflect the cruel suppression that black citizens faced. Sarafina
especially caught the attention of the world and was also performed on
Broadway due to its authenticity in portraying life in Apartheid by using sound,
storytelling, and visuals.

South African Composers have greatly contributed to sound films. Lebo M

was involved in the composition of the Lion King Film Soundtrack that was
released in 1994. He’s popular for his Zulu introduction in Circle of Life. Many
people hold up their cats in the air and put red paint or tomato sauce and sing
the iconic introduction despite not knowing the words of the song. Babes
Wodumo, Mampintsha, Sjava, Saudi, DBN Gogo, Young Stunna, and Uncle
Waffles who are South African artists were involved in the soundtrack of Black
Panther 2 in November 2022. The movie where the main characters tribe is
from South Africa as well as the spoken language in the movie, isiXhosa.
Lastly the iconic visual album – Black is King produced by Beyonce had
artists such as Busiswa, Moonchild Sanelly, and Anatii. Using local genres
such as Gqom, Amapiano, and Kwaito to provide authenticity in their films.

With our technology, talent as well ethnic traditions that are used in South
African films, we have improved greatly and it has made our industry unique.
Thanks to oral traditions and traditional songs passed down to us were able to
be great storytellers and sound makers that helped us be able to keep up with
the world.

GENERAL AND COMMON PERTINENT FACTOR

Technologically the development of sound enabled filmmakers to be able to

enhance their films and make visuals and audio go hand in hand. Thanks to
the constantly changing technology, sound systems went from complex and
heavy systems to portable technology that enables filmmakers to be able to
record and synchronize sound easily. Sound systems as mentioned before
were expensive and drove away the interest in combining sound and visuals
in films. Luckily and thankfully, inventors were able to make the systems much
more sustainable and affordable enough for entertainment industries to invest
in. Culturally and socially, Filmmakers can express their visuals with voice-
over storytelling, local music as well as their environment by using ambient
sounds. It also helps enhance the beauty of their culture or the setting as well.
Economically, businesses can promote their products in sound films and
provide funding for production. Businesses such as Audi and BMW are very
famous for collaborating with Marvel Cinematic Universe and leave no chance
to let the audience hear the engine as well as have music to make the product
more desirable. The development of sound has had a positive impact on the
industry. These factors can change due to the development of AI and robots.

FUTURE PREDICTIONS
From the research as well as the fact that we’re now in the 4th industrial
revolution, one can’t help but fear good and bad changes in the future. The
bad changes would be that people such as foley artists who provide vital
background and ambient sounds in the film could be replaced by Artificial
Intelligence. This could lead to a decrease in job opportunities in the sound
sector. Humans are going to have to work hard in proving why they are more
useful than robots to survive in this industry. It can be said that sound systems
are being constantly improved in a good way. For example, Dolby now
provides spatial audio on Apple Music to bring theatre-like sound from the
music you’re listening to. Theatres now have 4DX that’s more sensory than
3D therefore we may expect more developments in sound film in the future.
The African industry is going to flourish more due to its authentic sounds and
visuals that never cease to amaze the world and emphasize its uniqueness.
Also looking at developments in the Asian film industry Hollywood is about to
have intense competition as the audience leans towards more to non-English
and non-dubbed movies and series.

RECOMMENDATIONS

In this research, there hasn’t been any indication of inventors coming up with
ways the deaf can also experience what we can when watching movies. If the
inventors and sound engineers could experience the use of vibrations in
sound systems that would not cause safety hazards to them then that would
be a great game changer as well. Producers need to also work on using
music that matches the mood or situation. Nothing is more distracting and
frustrating than noticing the wrong song choice in a situation the character is
facing. For example, the character could be crying and then ‘Juice Back’ by
Nasty C is playing in the background. The song is about confidence and
bragging, the character is certainly not thinking about such during that
situation. They should carry on in the footsteps of African filmmakers in terms
of using ambient sounds and local music depending on the setting, mood, or
what they’re trying to express to the audience.

Music and sound are known as the greatest tool of expression whenever
words fail. Sometimes words are not enough to do the job. Sound has proven
over and over again the impact and role it played in cinema in terms of
provoking the audience’s emotions and perspectives. If Producers and
inventors keep that in mind when it comes to sound films, they will be able to
successfully be able to have the audience come back. The use of
Soundtracks for films is a creative concept for films that some movies should
also work on as they have a positive impact on promoting the film.

CONCLUSION
Overall, we have seen the beautiful transformations and inventions made by
man throughout history so that we can now have the best quality sound in
films. It’s bizarre how it all started, from the phonograph, which had to be
done live while actors would act, to our pre-recorded sound
effects/tracks, that we can drag and drop into our timeline, and we are good to
go. However, I don’t think this is the end of the enhancement of sound, it’ll
only get better and easier as time goes by, and with the rapid growth of AI,
this should be in no time.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Works Cited
Aug 5, and 2014 · Essay. The Role of Music in African Cinema | African Film
Festival, Inc. 5 Aug. 2014, africanfilmny.org/articles/the-role-of-music-in-
african-cinema-2/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.
Grainger, Ewan. “A Brief History of Sound in Film.” National Science and
Media Museum Blog, 13 Sept. 2021,

blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/brief-history-of-sound-in-film/.
“MoMA | Experimentation with Sound.” Www.moma.org,
www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/film/experimentation-with-
sound/#:~:text=On%20October%206%2C%201927%2C%20Warner.
Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.

“Sound Film.” Wikipedia, 11 Oct. 2020,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_film#:~:text=The%20first%20feature%20film%20
originally.

The Los Angeles Film School. “The Importance of Sound - the Los Angeles
Film School.” The Los Angeles Film School, 9 June 2017,
www.lafilm.edu/blog/the-importance-of-sound/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.
Vanessa Theme Ament. Foley Grail. Routledge, 2009.

What Is the Hong Kong New Wave? - 2Bridges Productions.

www.2bridges.nyc/nycblog/what-is-the-hong-kong-new-
wave/#Improvisational_style_of_filmmaking_and_synchronous_sound.
Accessed 16 Apr. 2023.