THEA 171

Intro to Theatre and Cinema

Sound

 

 

I.    History

        A.    1908-1927

                1.    Live Narration, Organs, Sound Effect Machines

                2.    Big Budget Had Scores (Birth of a Nation)

                3.    Early System Vitaphone (sound on disc)

        B.    1927

                1.    Big Five Agreement

                        a.    Loew's, Universal First National, Paramount, Producers Distributing Corp

                        b.    Single sound system

                        c.    By 1929, 75% of Hollywood films included pre-recorded sound

                        d.    By 1930, sound-on-film replaced sound-on-disc

                                i..    Electronic signals recorded as light impulses on film stock

                                ii.    Exciter lamp passed through wavy lines on edge of film

        C.    Emergence of Sound Not Heralded as Step Forward

                1.    Mobility of Camera (sound booth)

                2.    Made Talkies Seem Bare and Clumsy

                        a.    Signin' in the Rain

        D.    By Late '30s Post-Synchronization Freed Sound Films from Idea That

                    Everything Seen on Screen Must be Heard on Soundtrack

        E.    Advances in Technology Have improved Fidelity and Realism

                1.    1950s Advent of Magnetic Tape Recording and Multichannel Soundtracks

                2.    1970s Brought About Dolby and Surround Sound

                        a.    Star Wars first major release in Dolby

                        b.    1978 Started with 700 Dolby Theatres but Grew by 500 per Month

                3.    2000s Moved to Digital Sound in THX, Dolby Digital and DTS

                        a.    Contributed to Boom in Home Theatre Systems

        F.    Modern Audience's Attraction to More Realistic Sound Continues Lingering Common

                    Misconception that Film Sounds Should Replicate Reality.  But Film is an Expressive

                    Element and Just as Artistic as Picture.  It Provides Part of the Aesthetic Experience

 

II.    Freeing Sound From Image

        A.    Foley Artists

        B.    Direct Sound

        C.    ADR (Looping)

        D.    Actor Dubbing

 

III.    Relationship Between Sound and Image

        A.    Emphasizing Contrast Between Onscreen and Off-screen Space (Psycho)

        B.    Emphasizing Difference Between Objective Images and Subjective Sounds (Marion Crane)

        C.    Emphasizing Difference between Diegetic Details and Non-Diegetic Sound (Usually Music)

        D.    Emphasizing Difference between Image time and Sound Time (narration; sound bridge as transition)

        E.    Emphasizing Difference in Image Mood and Sound Mood (Clockwork O. Singin in the Rain)

 

IV.    Three Components of Film Sound

         A.    Dialogue

                1.    Text and Subtext

                2.    Dialogue vs. Voice

                        a.    Volume

                        b.    Pitch

                        c.    Speech Characteristics

                        d.    Accent and Dialect

                        e.    Diction

                        f.    Vocal Tics

                        g.    Acoustic Qualities

                3.    The Voice-Over

        B.    Sound Effects

                1.    Functions

                        a.    Define Location

                        b.    Lend Mood to Environment

                        c.    Portray Environment's Impact on Characters

                2.    Characteristics

                        a.    Acoustic Qualities

                        b.    Regularity

                        c.    Verisimilitude

                                1.    Days of Heaven

        C.    Music

                1.    Functions

                        a.    Establish Historical Context

                        b.    Shaping Space

                        c.    Defining Character

                        d.    Shaping Emotional Tenor

                        e.    Distancing the Audience

                2.    Characteristics

                        a.    Patterns of Development

                                1.    Star Wars two themes

                                2.    Lyrics

                                        i.    Since late '60s Soundtrack Music Relied More on Popular Songs Instead of

                                                    Scored Material (Interview With A Vampire: Sympathy for the Devil)

                                3.    Tempo and Volume

                                        1.   Apocalypse Now  

                                4.      Instrumentation (Psycho)

                                5.     Cultural Significance (Indian Music)