Last time I talked about miking dialogue, and even though dialogue can be very important in a film, it isn't the only way to give out information in a scene. Even without talking the sound design team shines, with all its little sounds that make up the environment, the tone and especially the scene.
In "He Shoots he Scores." I talked about how much of an impact a music score can make on a scene, But Silence, if Done well, can make just much a noise.
I heard somewhere that filming a table scene is very difficult, knowing where to place the camera without it seeming like its bouncing all over the place and maintaining where the characters are seated is quite the challenge.
Diner 1982
The other challenge is recording the conversation. The sound designer works with the Cinematographer, the Actors and the Director very closely to know what the actor is gonna say or where the camera is going to be so they can precisely know where to Mic up to get a clear recording of the dialogue.
One of the ways they do it is The Shotgun Boom Mic.
The mic is placed on the end of a pole and someone holds the mic just over the actors head but aims the mic towards the actors mouth. When there is more people the person holding the mic has to aim the mic to whoever starts talking, so they have to know the lines just as well as the actors so they can anticipate where to aim the mic.
its quite the subtitle talent.
When it comes to tight spaces, scenes in a car or small room they would usually use a Lavaliere microphone otherwise known as a Lapel Microphone.
its commonly used in News broadcasting, its a wire with a small microphone that you can attach/hide behind a tie.
Lavaliere
Speaking of keeping a mic hidden, One Technique is called "Planting" Were they take the mic and hide them in flower pots (I guess hence the name) and place it in the middle of the table, or anything that looks natural on a table that can have a small microphone.
One would think every sound we hear in a movie was all recorded and filmed on the spot, and in some cases it is. Really though, all the sounds we hear in films the bumps, scratches, pulling and even footsteps are added in after everything is already shot.
A method called Foley.
What it is that they basically play the full movie in a sound studio where they have tools and nicknacks that makes the everyday sounds we hear in everyday life.
For example, here is a scene in Jurassic Park done in Foley:
All the nice sounds we hear is all thanks to a man named Jack Foley, During filming every little sound simply can't be picked up by a mic. What film makers usually use is a Boom mic and thats just to focus on the dialogue and even then, sometimes they go into the studio and do some ADR, (Automatic Dialogue Replacement) which is what it sounds like. More on ADR later.
Anyways, a mic can't pick up the usual sounds we hear everyday, so its thanks to Jack Foley who one day thought, why not make and record the sounds in the studio while simultaneously looking at the film on the screen.
Growing up, one of the sound effects I liked hearing in movies was the sound of footsteps. It's a very small detail of sound but for some reason it stood out to me, huh no pun intended. Over the years it was the sound of footsteps that helped me open my ears to the other sounds in film.
Take this scene from Rian Johnson's movie "Brick" for example:
The footsteps in the beginning helps build up the tension to when he pulls out his knife. Of course the first time I saw this I only heard the footsteps and the chase, I got the sense of urgency from each character by the sound of their footsteps as they ran.
I then started to notice the other sounds that came into play. The blood spurt when he cuts him, the echo their shoes made as they ran through the hall way, the crow and the dramatic DING in the end.
Honestly it took a few showings for me to "see" them but it all started with the sound and appreciation of footsteps.
The film Score, or in simple terms: the music that plays in the background of the movie.
Some say that the perfect score is one the audience doesn't even notice and usually the average moviegoer doesn't. Take the last scene in Star Wars for example. Luke Skywalker had just lead the Rebels to victory by destroying the death star, (spoilers) and are now being awarded by princess Leia.
It's a triumphant scene, everyone is happy, good has prevailed and evil has lost. As our heroes walk down the isle to be honored. The struggle throughout the movie pays off in the end and we feel that in the scene.
But what happens if there isn't any music? Lets take a look at a video I found on youtube. "Star Wars Without Williams." by Auralnauts.
Did you feel the difference?
Right when the score cuts off we are left with a scene that falls flat. The walk down the isle seems to take forever and the glances our main characters share is awkward to say the least. The whole scene seems to take a whole lot longer than it should be, and when the famous end music plays, I for one am thankful for John Williams.
Hi, my name is Rain and I'm going to be exploring the sound within movies.
whether it be the film's score, its soundtrack or the sound effects.
we'll get to see and learn how all three can help improve telling a story. with sound you can ''show'' the audience what's happening off screen or enhance how a character is feeling. Thank you for checking out my blog. Stay tuned for new entries to come.
With That I leave you with this scene from "The Artist."
