Larry Sider is a lecturer in the Film Sound department at Goldsmiths college, London. His extensive background in soundtrack allows for a privileged and unique perspective into the world of sound in film and media products, as well as its continued importance. Sider's CV is diverse, and includes experimental shorts, feature films and documentaries that he has contributed sound towards.
What is sound design and why is it important?
At the simplest possible level, and one that film and media theorists would doubtless contend, audiovisual texts are made up of sound and vision. More importantly, it is made up of the relationship between sound and vision. Visual codes can influence how we react to audio codes and vice versa. Sider recalls that when he started as a teacher, his heads of department were only interested in students knowing how to record clear dialogue and music. However, these two elements are just the beginning of a sound designer's work. Now we realise exactly how important sound design is.
One commonly repeated maxim is that 'film is one half image one half sound'. Without sound, a film is essentially half finished, and therefore incomprehensible. Some directors go even further. David Lynch, director of such surrealistic masterpieces as Blue Velvet (1986) and Twin Peaks (1990) states that some scenes can be 70%, or even 100%. Sound can therefore, depending on the director and sound designer, be an incredibly potent tool to communicate meaning to the audience.
Sound can include the music, including
However Sider is not a composer, and works exclusively in directing and editing the other sounds we hear in media texts. These sounds, be they dialogue, footsteps, atmospheric sounds and once more can quickly and effectively convey meaning to the audience.
Sound can include the music, including
- score (music written specifically for the film),
- music not written specifically for the film yet selected especially, and
- music created by a diegetic source.
However Sider is not a composer, and works exclusively in directing and editing the other sounds we hear in media texts. These sounds, be they dialogue, footsteps, atmospheric sounds and once more can quickly and effectively convey meaning to the audience.
All this layering, selection and construction of sound is referred to often as sound design.
Example one
We're going to be using slightly different examples that used by Sider, but the effect should be largely the same. First of all, watch this UK news report on Brazil losing a football match to Germany 7 - 1. However, before the clip starts, mute the audio (stop watching when the football pundits discuss the game in the studio).
As you are watching the clip, consider where it is that you are looking, and think about how the clip makes you feel.
Next, as you might have guessed, you are going to watch the clip again. This time however, you are going to watch it with the sound on.
What's the difference? It's likely that there are many different reactions you could take. However, with a soundtrack, the audience can be anchored in certain ways. Anchorage in Media Studies refers to how a media product 'drags' the audience into a certain way of thinking. Music and sound effects are excellent at this; they can tell use exactly what to think and how to feel. A good example of this is the now pretty naff use of canned laughter in sitcoms. We know we're supposed to laugh, because we hear other people laugh, and the actors even stop talking until the laughter stops!
In this instance, the addition of diegetic crowd noise, combined with the slightly creepy non-diegetic electronic music gives the audience a sense of narrative. Brazil were not supposed to lose against Germany, especially to this extent, and the soundtrack confirms that this is an unexpected and dramatic incident.
Sound can not only tell us how to react, it can also tell us where to look. Typically, when audiences are shown crowd scenes with no soundtrack, our minds are left to wander. We may focus on arbitrary elements, either people's eyes, mouths or brightly coloured elements, depending on how you typically react to things. While before, you probably found yourself staring intently at certain parts of people's faces, possibly feeling a bit uncomfortable in the rude silence, with the sound you possibly found your eyes relaxing, left to drift around and to see the crowd not as individuals, but as a whole. So therefore, the ideology of the entire sequence has shifted.
You can try this experiment with other media products and examples, and you will probably find roughly the same thing. Put simply, sound makes meaning clear. So when making your own films, always ask yourself this: how is the sound affecting the audience? What do you want the audience to feel? These are the questions essential to excellent sound design.
Example two
While we have seen previously that sound can make meaning clear, and anchor the audience to feel certain things and look in certain directions, sound has other uses. Instead of using it to pull in an audience, we can use it to alienate them instead.
Once again we will use another example than the one Sider demonstrated during the lecture. Watch the whole of this scene from Code Unknown, directed by Michael Haneke. This time, play it with the sound up. Pay attention to the sound, the cinematography, and how the scene makes you feel. It's in French, but this will force you to focus on the sound and framing instead.
Now open this video in a new tab. Skip to anywhere you want in it and press play. Now mute the Code Unknown video and watch it through with the new soundtrack. How does your experience change?
The original version lacks a soundtrack, and even in French with no subtitles, the scene is horrible. We as an audience are forced to witness a crime, and feel completely powerless. The sound was recorded on location, using only available sounds (though some dialogue may have been re-dubbed in post). The static mid shot forces us to look in a certain direction, and the pleonastic atmospheric sound of the Metro train rumbling makes for an extremely anxious scene. We feel as helpless as the woman, and the man who tries to help.
However, with the guitar soundtrack, the scene has a very different feeling. It feels less awkward, less unpleasant, perhaps a little bit over the top. We know that something bleak and horrible is going to happen, and we expect there to be some kind of resolution. We do not need to think so much. We know the scene is depressing, and that's all we need to know. You could try other soundtracks with other instruments to create many subtle differences in how this scene could be decoded by an audience.
So in this case, the lack of non-diegetic music makes the scene far more unpleasant to watch, and makes the assault so much more anxiety inducing for the audience. But do you necessarily want the audience to feel uncomfortable? Code Unknown is an 'art film', aiming for a small yet very specific audience. Suffice to say, a five minute unbroken shot with no music would not go down well in Hollywood! Sound designers need to make very difficult decisions such as this, working closely with the producers in order to fulfil the creative vision of the production team.
Creating the sound mix
The sound mix refers every sound element mixed together. Excluding music, it can be divided into location recording, voices, atmos, and foleys, which will all be discussed below. Each of these elements is independently mixed into premixes, which allows each element to have it's volume altered independently until the overall mix is satisfactory. Sider describes these elements as follows:
Location recording
As you will know from making your own productions, initially the only sound you have is recorded on location. This generally sounds pretty rough, with hissing wind, rumbling traffic and barely audible dialogue. While using the location sound is an option, often it's a much better idea to re-record each sound element separately.
Re-voicing
Refers to the process where voices are re-recorded. This can be a frustrating process, as the re-recorded voices need to sync up with the original delivery of the lines. The actors will re-record voices in a studio. Often the studio will be specially purposed to re-recording. This process is also called ADR (automated dialogue replacement) or post-syncing. In Europe, in particular France, location sound is often used as standard, as it gives films a more 'immediate' feeling. However in other countries, such as Italy, there is a long tradition of dubbing, even in interiors. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but this ultimately comes down to preference.
Atmos
Right now, take a moment to listen to the atmosphere in the place where you are reading this. If you were recording a scene here, what sound would you include, which would you emphasise and which would you get rid of? The resultant recording would be the atmos of the setting.
Atmos refers to 'replacing the sound of the world'. The sound designer can decide exactly how aggressive a city should be, how isolated a warehouse should be, and how relaxing a countryside setting should be. It can tell you temperature, weather and the time of day. Within two or three seconds, the audience should know exactly where the scene is being set, and exactly what they should feel. Is it a memory? Is it terrifying? Is it mundane? However, it must be mixed so we hear the dialogue.
Foley
By now you should be comfortable with what foley is! Just in case you’ve forgotten, it's the sounds of movement made by the actors. Footsteps, clothes rustling, water being poured, a door being opened… without these sounds the audience experiences a disconnect from the action, and the product can lack verisimilitude. Foley artists must consider exactly what clothes the actors are wearing and how thick the soles of their shoes are, as audiences expect every on screen source to make a different sound. While we're at it, it's important to note that this is utterly unrealistic. In day to day life, you probably are not able to hear the sounds of each other's footsteps. Without these foleys, however, the film would lack the 'realism' that audiences expect from an audiovisual text. Foleys can bring the character out from the background. They are symbolic sounds, not real. Some directors, such as Ken Loach deliberately does not use post production sound such as foleys, but most other texts do, including documentaries.
The sound mix
The balance between these three layers create the sound mix. Ultimately when making your own films, you want to create a soundscape which is engrossing, compelling and 'realistic'. Adding music on top can completely change the experience again, so make sure you experiment with tones and levels!
The sound production workflow
It is likely that post production sound and music is added after the film has been edited. However, as Sider has demonstrated, sound completely changes the meaning of a film! This leads to an issue. After additional sounds will be added, the film will have to be re-edited to fit the changes the soundtrack brings to it. This is because the soundtrack can completely change the ideology of the film.
How to sidestep this issue? Sider recommends the composer and the sound designer are involved right from the start. Therefore, they can be involved in every creative decision. The film industry was based on Fordist industrial processes, particularly the automotive industry, with different people on different parts on the production line. This is why film production is often likened to a factory, with different workers working on different tasks, completely isolated from one another. While this makes creating films quickly and efficiently possible, it can lead to issues, for example the ideology being dampened as the film is passed from person to person. The solution? Some composers start composing after reading the script, right at the start of pre-production, creating a far more collaborative process.
Final thoughts
Sider asks the question: do modern films have too much music? Is it too didactic? Does it tell the audience too much, and stops them thinking for themselves? To work this out, he suggests this simple activity: watch a scene from a film you like. Listen to it with or without music. Listen to it without the image. Watch it 25 times, and consider exactly when sound and music are utilised. Exactly why was it used at this point? What effect does it have on the audience? Unravel the clip until you are aware of how its made. Would the scene be better without a musical score?
Finally, when making your own films, consider dynamics. The ear gets tired when listening to a certain volume or frequency. A loud sound will be louder when contrasted with a particularly quiet sound. Mix things up for maximum impact.
Thanks to Larry Sider for delivering the presentation that this article is based on. Check out the website for Sider's course at schoolofsound.co.uk
Thanks to Larry Sider for delivering the presentation that this article is based on. Check out the website for Sider's course at schoolofsound.co.uk