All language subtitles for 130 - Sound Design

sound design is um

you know it's it's

it's another

it's another tool

it's another form of expression

and because we react to sounds

what kind of primal level

um it works a little bit the way music works

um a lot of composers will tell you that music works

because it's actually emulating

um sounds of nature

but in a harmonic way uh

and a way that might be more beautiful or more melodic

but the sounds

you know whether it's percussion or wind instruments or

or or synthesizers

are creating sounds that we relate to

on this kind of primal level

of course we feel that way about

you know all kinds of sounds

and whether it's a music cue

or whether it's a moment of sound design

repeating sounds can tell you something

tell you to anticipate something

because that's what that's

we do with sounds all the time you know

if you're in a house and you hear a strange sound

what was it

if you're out on a street

you hear a sound that's unexpected

you know you wonder if there's a problem if

if you know

you walk into a

you know a nature reserve

and suddenly

you know it's

the sound is open and the wind is moving

and it's very soothing

you know so it's it's

the great sound designers are always going back to the

sort of primal reactions

great sound design

often begins in the editing room

because the editors will start to put together a scene

and they'll recognize that um

what's missing here is an element of shock

and the edit is in the right place

but maybe the moment's not as effective as it should be

and they'll often put in a sound that will help

you know prove that the edit point is

is correct and

you know and and

and the moment is startling

if you have a sound

that sound is a temp

but then your sound designers will take those demands

those ideas

that sort of template and uh

and creatively work their magic

and great sound designers and

and sound editors are

you know they're like

they're like

sort of like record producers

you know they they

you know they

they know how to use technology

they know how to record sounds

I've I've done you know a

a number of boxing scenes

and they will record punching uh

cantaloupes

uh you know uh

sides of raw meat uh

and and or or

or you know

or like strange things like um

you know uh

foam wall that kind of makes a sound

there are all kinds of subliminal ideas

that's what's so interesting about sound design

is so much of it works on a subliminal level

and you know

there there are

there are lots of times where there's a

completely unnatural sound introduced into a scene

but it has a huge impact um

the silence of the lambs is famous

because it sort of invented this idea

that every time that Jodie Foster would go down uh

into Hannibal Lecter's layer

into the cell

they would just start this kind of cranking

low grade rumbling kind of sound

it was it was

it was subliminal

you really could barely

barely discern it

but it just

it just made you uncomfortable

and it just created a sort of a

a background

uh sometimes

um you know

the animal sounds can be used under what

a truck driving by

who knows what

it's wide open and it's a

it's an area for

for real uh

invention and of course

you can always come back to the literal

because we live with literal sound

um you know all

all the time

we all have a

you know a good

solid sense of

you know what's normal

the magic comes in

you know what's not normal

and yet does not distract us from you know

immersing ourselves in a scene

when I say us

of course I mean the audience

so much of what the editorial order of shots um um

depend upon or the

the right music cue

the right sound effects

or the removal of those things at key moments

to make the scenes really work

and of course

the director has to be aware of all this too

and ultimately have the

have the final opinion

but there the

the sound it's

it's not just where the sound is

but it's the level that the sound is played at

it's the way sound can travel in a

in a theater

from speaker to speaker to speaker

and what that means to an audience

um you know

it's it can be uh

thrilling if you feel like you're

you're sort of seeing you know

something fly past you

and you can also hear it move around

it can be frightening if it's behind you

I mean again

uh it it's always about the

the the choices

here are the tools

here are the possibilities

what do they mean to what to the story

what do they mean to the reaction to that story

and how do they influence it

and the answer to that question is always gonna be

the answer to

you know what should we do next

as filmmakers

is you wanna

you wanna make the choices

that are most effective on behalf of your story

reach the audience

in the ways that you wanna reach them

you know we

we had a silent movie

that won an Academy Award here a few years ago

for Best Picture and deserved it

uh so all of these choices

um the wall of sound

a single sound

um you know

full surround um

single speaker in the front

they're all valid

they're all that black and white

you know color 3D

they're all valid

the question is what works best for your story

and that's you know

again always comes back to the director

what should it be

how shall we tell the story

and that's why I thrill at the collaboration

of being able to turn around to people

who are specialists

love what they do and say

what do you

you know what do you suggest

dialogue you know

is you recorded on the day with the actors but that's

doesn't necessarily mean that's the end of the story

of the dialogue terms of the process of making the

the movie or the TV show

uh you know you you

you have a chance to go back and work on that

you can lower the pitch of the actor

you can heighten the pitch

you can slow it down a little bit

you can speed it up

uh you you can uh

rerecord it and um

and therefore make it louder or make it softer

or change the performance

you can go back to the actor and show them a scene

and say you know

we need to soften this

or this needs to be stronger or

I don't feel the intensity

let's try it again and see what we can do verbally

and so the all these things in post production

the editing

the music certainly

the sound design

the mixing the sound effects

the dialogue editing

the dialogue mixing

all these things come together in ways that you know

they put the finish on the movie that it's like

it's like a house that's well built

but you know

it needs to be sanded

varnished and painted

uh and and post production is all about

putting the finish on the

on the project in a way that

uh you know

it's it's gonna be presented its absolute optimum