Stephen Keane focuses on the art of sound in regards to Walter Murch and Ben Burtt. Keane emphasizes that the sound designers of film are composers as well. Keane also illustrates that the ways in which sound is mixed into the narrative of films, and how sound has as much to do with all the other technical aspects of the film. Burtt states that he called himself a "sound designer" because he did everything a production recordist, sound editor, and a sound mixer would do. The control that the sound designer has is significant to the soundtrack of films.
The way that visual and auditory media work together, impacts the way the audience perceives the movies. As a result, the viewer's experience works because of the way they both combine and convey the main message. Murch uses the word "worldizing," meaning that music is played out in different sonic environments, out in the real world, which is completely true.
The article about Walter Murch and Ben Burtt about the role of sound designing in media was another eye-opening article. The reason I say this is because it explains the importance of sound and sound effects used in film. The movies discussed offer perfect examples of what and how sound and sound effects accomplish a certain feel or goal. Furthermore, the role of a sound designer being a combination of multiple roles including the sound editor and mixer was also very intriguing. The article continues to talk about how important the sound is in movies, and referring back to all the movies I’ve watched, it is very true. Sound including the soundtrack can create any type of mood, tone, or feeling that makes the movie more emotional and enjoyable. It is ironic how a sound effect in a movie does not necessarily occur in reality (for example, a swooshing sound made to show the next scene in the T.V. show “Damages”) yet it provokes the audience to get some sense of feeling of intensity or any kind of feeling depending on the sound. Including sound and sound effects are just as important as editing and special effects. Editing and special effects can be 95% of the movie, but in order for it to be complete, one must include sound for the remaining 5% so that the movie is perfect. Without sound and sound effects, watching movies would be a lot less entertaining and emotional.
The article Murch and Burtt discusses the development of sound design through the careers of two of its major players in Hollywood. I thought the article had a lot to offer in terms of how to best use sound as a musical score. It should be used to enhance the scene without taking over, in the same way that music should. In some cases it will blend with the music, and in others it will replace it. He mentions the podrace in Phantom Menace, which I think is a great scene as far as sound goes. It does an excellent job of defining each character’s podracer, and builds suspense excellently. There are moments when there is almost complete silence just before a crash, and it really is done superbly well. He also mentions the asteroid scene in episode II. While I think the sound was well done in this scene, I just have to say it still bugs me because it’s a rule in Star Wars to ignore the fact that sound doesn’t travel through space, and in this scene they try to draw too much attention to it. I thought the discussion on American Graffiti to be interesting, because here is a movie in which the soundtrack is heavily music-influenced, to the point where it is almost a series of music videos. As stated in the article, sound effects are used here as the highlight rather than the standard, which is the opposite of what it typically is. There is a lot sound-design has to offer to film, as half of what the media medium has to offer.
The article on Murch and Burtt traces their advancement from sound editors to sound designers in parallel advancement to visual media to which sound has added a new dimension of human experience. The article discusses two case studies for advancement of sound – the American Graffiti and the Star Wars. The visual media has two important means of absorption by a user. The visual aspect is implicit and required but sound and music have further expanded the video medium for better human utility and added dimensions to the field architecture. The case studies have highlighted how sound defined background, field architecture and an era through its diegetic sounds. However, non-diegetic noises have been instrumental in defining the unseen motions that can only be experienced through our ears. Thus, this article testifies sound as a critical component of the video medium.
As a photographer, I tend to pay more attention to the visual images and meaning of a film. But after reading this article, I realized that sound is actually as important as the image itself. A great sound effect can attract people to look for what is happening. Sound is something that photos never have. Now that I have read about this article, I will be focusing more on the significance in film making. I understand that sound is also a medium that can be used to convey meanings to the audience, just like images. I am sure that by combining images and sound, the effect will be much influencing, and through which I can create a film that can inspires and transcends the audience into another arena.
As I have already been aware of the heavy influence music score has on films and shows, it was surprising that I had no similar grasp or understanding of sound effects serving the same purpose for the sake of art. For a long time, I've only seen sound effects as extras, but as explained in Stephen Keane's The Sound Designer as Composer, both have a very large significance in video and film.
One of the most intriguing things about the essay, I feel, was the fact that the "role" of musical score and sound effects was flip-flopped in Star Wars. Absurd as it may sound, I've never watched any of the movies, but the mere thought that music and sound effects could swap places and still serve the same purpose is really cool.
Even though it's not something I pay too much attention to, the sound and music that accompanies a film or video is extremely important. As we have seen in lecture, silent films, or films with abrupt stops in sound, can be very jarring and disorientating. Minute attention and concentration on sound and music editing really helps bring a film together. It was enlightening to learn more about the entire process and get some backstage information about it.
When people think of film they automatically think of the visual segment and often overlook the audio that is what many times can make or break a film. In fact, sound is so important in film that Stephen Keane takes the time to explain the technicalities of audio in film in "The Sound Designer as Composer" with two well reputable audio specialists Walter Murch and Ben Burtt.
One of the key elements Keane mentions within his essay is that sound can provide realism or drama in film. He goes on to talk about how sound provides this realism in "American Graffiti". This point is indeed a common aspect in film today. Many times music scores are played within a film to create a sense of drama, or action and reaction and mood setting within a film. Take for example the Star Wars series and their classic opening song for Darth Vader. The ominous song presents just that same emotion, a dark and evil mood. However in contrast, a movie like "War Games" uses a lot of sound effects and dialogue to create a sense of realism. In this way I noticed that things that aren't actually seen as real can be made to be real by simply invoking some sort of audio that gives life and a sense of normalcy in the fake subject.
Stephen Keane in his article "Murch and Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer" discusses the evolution of the "sound designer" as a profession. Keene recalls the paradigm shift that occurred in the late 1960s, giving rise to "New Hollywood," filmmaking oriented around special effects, an era which spans to present day. But Keane points out that, when tracing the origin of this evolution, Walter Murch and Ben Burtt should not be overlooked. Keane claims the role of sound designer was derived from sound editor. Stephen King is clearly ghostwriting for Stephen Keane, because it's just plain scary how uninteresting his analysis of American Graffiti is.
I have always been aware of the impact of music and sound effects have in cinema. In the article by Stephen Keane, he explained another level that sound designer Murch specified utlizing the term 'worldizing'. Murch describes "a three-dimensional sound scape" as "the sonic equivalent of depth of field". The importance of sound is further elevated in Lucas' decision to orchestrate sound as the composition in the action sequences in the Star Wars movies. I agree with the argument made by Gianluca Sergi that the advances in sound technology use of sound adds detail and realism to the narrative for the viewer rather than a distraction. I have a new appreciation for sound and how it influences what we see on film.
In the article “Murch and Burtt”, Stephen Keane discusses the shifting roles in sound editing and sound design towards prominence as a composer for a film’s entire soundtrack. He believes that the sound designers act as composers “not merely in the technical composition of film sounds but also the ways in which sound is incorporated into the overall narrative of the films they have worked on” (453). He shows this through the works of Walter Murch and Ben Burtt, who first introduced the methods of sound design in their collaborations with top-name producers and directors. He uses specific example from American Grafitti and Star Wars to highlight specific scenes that use sound to emphasize or direct a narrative course as well as how the individual sounds come together to create something larger. I never gave much consideration to sound design past maybe a soundtrack choice. To use entirely sound effects and other noise to create something musical or even a narrative was something that didn’t cross my mind. I loved how Burtt described his desire to have “the opportunity to work with a full palette of just sound effects... to control the tension, the ebb, and flow of the race” (460). This description sounds like that of a painter trying to create a meaning in his work. The role of the sound designer is key in many films, and is something I’m going to try to be more consciously aware of.
From the article, Stephen Keane writes about the sound score and effects used in New Hollywood movies. Pioneers of sound designing, Walter Murch and Ben Burtt, have incorporated more that just typical sound effects, but sounds that help create the mood and foretelling. These two sound editors have worked on some master sagas like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Most of the article explains the sound and score behind Lucas' films American Graffiti and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace & Attack of the Clones. With American Graffiti, Murch's and Lucas' collaboration helped define the moods and transitions within the movie. They play songs from the era that correlate with the current actions going on around them. I never really thought about how the sound and music that were played in each scene were meticulously picked out. Personally, my art teachers growing up always told me that being too straight forward with ones concept can lose it's ambiguity. But within film and Murch's sound designing, the music doesn't over power and tell one everything that is going on, but it unconsciously sneaks in, and let's us feel the mood. During the pod race in Phantom Menace, the score was cut, and only the sound of the zooming pods were in effect. Burtt kept out the score till the final lap because he was trying to have the audience feel like they were in the race themselves. Also, with the score playing during the full ten minutes, the music would be directing the scene instead of the scene opening up at the right spot for music to come in. I was never one to notice the weight and direction of film sound. I think after reading these articles, I will be breaking down the text in films more often and unknowingly.
The main message that Stephen Keane is trying to get across in this article (as he has stated multiple times), is to prove that sound designers can also be considered as composers of film. He believes that the sound aids a great deal in telling the narrative of the film and adds to the feeling of specific scenes or the overall theme of the film. As mentioned in the work American Graffiti, the use of "rock-and-roll tracks, and the multi-character story," played "an essential part in accompanying and unifying the seemingly fractured and unfocused narrative of the film" (454). Sound effects and scores are utilized for multiple reasons, mainly it is used to create realism in film, but at times, as in American Graffiti, it was used effectively for drama. Keane goes on to discuss the types of sounds and effects used in Star Wars, how the use of some random and distorted sounds were used to create technologic sounds and have become familiar sounds that Star War fans have come to know and love. In addition, he goes on to say that music scores and effects don't only hold "size, weight, and power" in such a hugely popular film as this, but they also provide detail and direction to increase the sense of realism (459). Clearly, Keane sounds completely sane and believable in proving his case- that the presentation and flow of music and sound effects throughout an entire feature film complement effectively, and are extremely important to, the visual components and the overall production.
In Keane's article, he emphasizes Walter Murdoch's influence in the creation of sound design, specifically in the movie "American Graffiti". While reading this, it really opened my eyes that sound design, were used not only for ambience and atmosphere but also for economical reasons. In "American Graffiti", there were about 42 music tracks that was to be included into the score and for economical reasons, they relied on sound design to help either emphasize the mood or even define a character. This constant flux of sound design, from either defining a mood or an character, also flows and ebbs into the storyline. Its also critical to note this psychological aspect of sound and how our mind accepts the convention of it all. In reality, there truly is no "light saber clash noise", however, when we hear it played on screen in sync with the motion picture, our mind accepts this convention when it truly makes no logical sense. This just goes to show how in-depth sound design and how intertwined it is with motion pictures.
Stephen Keane discusses in his article how integral background music and foreground sound effects are to a film. He uses examples from Walter Murch's work on American Graffiti and Ben Burtt's work on the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In American Graffiti, sound is used to establish what the main character can hear (radio stations and car engines are heard in the city, but in nature it is initially silent because he does not know that nature has a sound). This usage of sound gives a better idea of what the character is thinking at a particular moment and helps the audience relate to the character more familiarly. Interestingly, the purposes of sound effects and music are switched around. Instead of using music to add to a dramatic sequence, sound effects are used, and music is used as a sound effect in the form of radio stations. In the Star Wars prequel trilogy, certain sounds such as the famous lightsaber's hum and the starfighter's scream were already established by the previous trilogy. Therefore, the audience instinctively know what those particular objects sound like, even though they don't exist. It is also mentioned in the article how music tends to be excluded from certain dramatic scenes in order to enhance the tension, such as during Anakin Skywalker's podrace. Honestly, I have never given so much thought about sound design before reading this article. This reading has made me more appreciative of how much sound adds to a film's atmosphere.
Keane presents the ideal that Murch and Burtt are profound sound designers who do not just accompany films with their productions, but their technique and skill in sound also provoke the ability to narrate film. They developed sound as a three-dimensional structure and also added temporal depth to movies. Although sound tends to be utilized for realism, Murch and Burtt manipulated sound for dramatic purposes. Both worked on major motion pictures with highly publicized directors; thus, they are often argued as being the epitomized figured of sound designers.
I liked how Stephen Keane prefaces his argument with a brief history on how the term “sound designer” came about. I found that interesting. Keane’s article is about Walter Murch’s and Ben Burtt’s work as sound designers – not only in the technical composition of film sounds but also how sound is incorporated into the overall narrative of the films (453). He specifically looks at three films, American Graffitti, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. What stood out most to me, besides the overall importance of sound and music use within a film, was Murch’s use of ‘worldizing’ music in American Graffiti, that is, as creating “the sonic equivalent of depth of field”. I found this quite relevant to last night’s lecture on how sound not only becomes part of the narrative, but can create an emotional and psychological experience. Though Murch was referring to ‘worldizing’ music as creating a three-dimensional soundscape within the film, I would say that the use of sound design also creates a fourth dimension which is the emotional and/or psychological experience of the viewer because of a particular sound design. - Amy M
In the article, Murch and Burtt; Walter Murch and Ben Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer by Stephen Keane, it focuses on the importance of sound in cinema. To be honest, every time I watch a movie or video, I never really thought of sound as the only aspect in any type of cinema. However, this article let me see a video from another perspective. I would imagine without sound, the movie, such as in American Graffiti and Star Wars series would not have had as big impact as of now. The sound, both dietetic and non diegetic, helps to really build up a mood or atmosphere of the movie. As sound has evolved to become one of the main important factor in cinema, sound Designers have derived. Before, there were no such occupation as sound designer as Burtt explains. One part that really sparked my interest was the concept of sound creating a three-dimensional soundscape. The mix of natural sound such as the cars (natural environment), rock and roll music and the music coming out of the car radio are all sounds coming from different types of places and thus it creates a depth of field. I have herd sound as just one track but now I see it in a new perspective in which there are sound that are mixed together and played at the same time.
The article is about the role of the sound designer, and how it's not merely one job but multiple compiled into one. Burtt states that for Star Wars he had to do the job of 3, which in my opinion allowed him to combine the aspects of sound and soundtrack in better ways than if different people did it. Lucas states that sound is half of the experience, providing further evidence of how important sound is. I found the 3 dimensional sound scape mentioned to be very interesting, as it allows the viewer to experience something only in film and not in reality. Lucas' use of sound in The Phantom Menace during the podrace sequence is an excellent example of how important sound effects are to movies. Without the specific sounds used, the viewers would not be able to get a feel of how the podracers work and their dimensions, even when it is shown visually.
In this weeks article"Murch and Burn:Walterr:The Sound Deisgner as Composer "the author Keane Stephen discusses the development of the sound design and how it plays an important role effecting to the film itself. When I watch the film, I usually spend more time on thinking about the concept and focusing on the visual segment in the film.This article really give me a new perspective on how powerful the combination of sound and visual work in film. In the article, From the Star Wars and American Graffiti's examples he has mention in the article ,Keane shows the way audio accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture,video in order to create realism,drama in the film.Through the usage of the sound,the audience can be effectively involved in the story and feel more realistic.The sound effect deliver a logical sense to the audience,and cleverly connected their mind with the visual segment ,giving the audience a better sense to understand what the director want to convey.
I found the article "Murch and Burtt" by Stephen Keane very interesting. The position of sound designer is discussed, which is a position that involves tasks usually done by a production recordist, sound editor and sound mixer. After reading the article, it's clear that sound and sound effects are vital to the overall composition of a film soundtrack. George Lucas noted that the visual aspect of a movie is only half of the experience, the sound makes up the second half. Keane gives examples of the use of sound and its importance in film by referring to the films, "American Grafitti," "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," and "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones." The article is a great complement to what Michael discussed in lecture last night about diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in film and how they characterize the figures on screen as well as shape the environment the viewer sees.
In this week's reading Murch and Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer, Stephen Keane tells about the role of sound as an important part in film. Keane gives us an example, Star Wars, to discuss his arguments in the importance of sound in media. Keane's major point in the example "Star Wars" is the Podrace sequence. Keane calls the sound effects in the scene "absolutely paramount", and also compliments on how the sound creates a sense of complexity that allows viewers to have an idea of "weight and direction"(42).
Thinking about the Phantom Menace, I really enjoyed the podrace scene as well. I've only watched Episodes I, II, and III, so the experience I have with sound in Star Wars is condensed to laser guns, and lightsabers. However, the lightsaber sounds made the movie in my opinion because without the trademark "nyyeerng" of the lightsaber, I wouldn't get a futuristic appeal to the movies as much.
In his essay “Murch and Burtt,” Stephen Keane discusses the art and importance of sound design. He focuses on American Graffiti and Star Wars as his main examples, which are movies that I have not seen. It made it somewhat difficult to follow the reading in regard to these specific movies but all the techniques can be related to movies that I have seen. For example, we saw the beginning of THX 1138 during lecture where “the sound effects [operated] like music” (455) which is something they used in American Graffiti. Sound has an immense psychological effect on an audience. Whether it be purely auditory or combined with a visual, sound effects as well as music elicit emotions and prompt specific responses that would otherwise be lacking.
The sound and music techniques used by Murch and Burtt may seem obvious when reading this article today, but it is quite remarkable that their sound designs have played such a major role in the film industry and have been used in almost every major film and T.V. show since. One of their most interesting techniques is the use of popular song as narrative structure in the film "American Graffiti". Before Murch and Burtt, the main force of the narrative sound was music that was originally composed for the film. With "American Graffiti", the veiwer is exposed to sounds of the environment, which with the case of the time period of the film the music serves along side the sound effects. The music is this film is diagetic in use and not out-of-context. Today we see this technique used all the time and even used to advertise new songs or artists within the film in order to sell soundtracks. As well as using music as sound in film, Murch and Burtt use sound as the music (dramatic force) in the "Star Wars" films. The sounds of the machines throughout the film add to the tension of the plot (ex. the podracing scence). Murch and Burtt were masters at using sound to serve all functions that the music and visuals would satisfy; from foley to narrative drive.
I think that is very essential when it comes to videos and films. Keane describes a scene from American Graffiti, when the main character Kurt gets reflected by the music (p.457), the non-diegetic sound. It adds more emotions and the viewer get a wider spectrum of his feelings. Star Wars would not have been the same without the sound effects and the score. For instance, Darth Vader’s scuba-tank breathing makes his character. I remember in a class back home in Sweden when we talked about OST, my teacher showed us a famous scene from Apocalypse Now (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpvLCptAHT8), without sound and asked us what kind of music we thought it had. Nobody guessed Ride of the Valkyries.
One particular piece of this reading I found very interesting was Keane's appraisal of John Williams's scores' effect in George Lucas's Star Wars films. Keane writes, "John Williams's classical score contributes a sense of familiarity to this otherwise alien, science fiction saga..." Any Star Wars movie takes place in a world completely unknown to us, with the only familiarities being perhaps the (mostly) human plot-driving characters. However, the invisible score that plays through the movies is played on familiar instruments that we, the audience, can associate an image and a familiarity with. Now take the fact that this identifiable entity (the orchestra) is playing along with the very alien action and events that are playing across the screen, and the viewer is granted an avenue through which he or she can connect to the otherwise bizzare and anomalous world of Star Wars.
This reading was super interesting to me because I believe sound is the most important thing to a film. For our midterm, Natalie and I had to think of the perfect song to go with our film to give the right mood and evoke different feelings from the audience. It took a lot of work to decide what direction we wanted to go with for the film, because of all the music choices we had. I couldn't imagine trying to create sounds for Star Wars, like Lucas had to do, because a 2 minute film was hard enough. I like that the reading described how both of the sound designers created the specific musical sounds and compositions. Sound, we found out it crucial to a movie and makes or break it. After reading this, I am more interested in sound and want to take a class on it to learn how to create noises and ho to pick the perfect song.
Stephen Keane ‘s article Walter Murch and Ben Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer, focuses on two people who have played a pivotal role in sound recognition in Hollywood cinema. I especially appreciated the articles emphasis on the importance of sound in film. In a society where visual stimulation is most celebrated, it’s refreshing to read an article about something that is equally as important in a film. Keane also articulated the importance of sound in great Hollywood blockbuster films as Star Wars and American Graffiti, all which I thought, made this article the more coherent. I believe most of us can watch a film, TV show or simply a commercial and in most cases always seems the images make more of an impression than the sound. What I’ve realized is that the sound plays a very essential role in our visualization of the scene.
I really appreciated the breakdown of the use of sounds and music in "American Graffiti" and "Star Wars" in the article. It opened my eyes to the thought behind the decisions; all these little details that actually add so much. It doesn't necessarily go unnoticed, but it does go unappreciated. What was also interesting was how the title "sound designer" encompassed all the roles that deal with sound, like "sound editor", "sound effects editor" and "supervising sound designer", yet there are still others that do these individual roles that have to work with the sound designer, otherwise all of this would be too hard for one person to do completely on their own. The sound can add to the story of the film and sometimes can make the film. It gives a character an audio presence and gives moments a theme song. It can even move the story along when there's no dialog. Sound doesn't have to me music either; it can be sound effects that create a very peaceful or very chaotic mood. This article helped me see how important sound designers are.
I think that Stephen Keane sheds light on an under appreciated aspect of modern filmmaking when he writes about sound designers Walter Murch and Ben Burtt. It is all too easy to think of sound as just a secondary feature in cinema. Most people don't consciously think or talk about sound as an art-form in itself; it is mostly just considered a vehicle for dialogue and/or a slavish accompaniment to a moving image.
Reading about the intricacies of sound design in Star Wars and American Graffiti made me realize that sound is an experience all its own. I was especially fascinated by the way he described sound as an immersive, three-dimensional environment. From the buzzing of light sabers to "worldifying" rock n' roll, sound is certainly a versatile and powerful tool in filmmaking. It leads us through a story more effectively than any visual can, and makes what we see on screen come alive. I'd imagine that's a reason why audio comes first in an audio-visual production.
n the article, "Walter Murch and Ben Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer", Stephen Keane discusses the role of sound designers as composers of the film, focusing on ways "in which sound is incorporated into the overall narrative of the films" (453). Keane reflected his understanding of this concept by using works such as American Graffitti and Star Wars by Walter Murch and Ben Burtt in order to highlight the importance of sound as composer of film meaning and creators of cinematic experiences. In the movie American Grafitti, Kean explains how music and sound choice can "reflect what is going on in the film text" and how " sound designs [can determine] the way in which the song are incoporated in to the film world" both pyschologically and understood within a different environment(456). In addition, Kean also highlights the technique used by Murch's of sound editing as "worldizing". I found this technique really interesting because the music is played out in "different sonic environments, out in the real world" (456) , in order for the narrative of the film to be driven by the technologies or subjects present.
Stephen Keane's article "Murch and Burtt" was very interesting. When one is watching a movie, one usually tends to focus on the plot and visuals of the movie. Keane, however, emphasized the importance of sound in films, such as the use of music and sound effects. In most films, music is used for drama in films and sound effects are used for realism. Murch, one of the sound designers that Keane praises, also used what he called "worldizing" in sound mixing. Worldizing is similar to the term we learned in lecture, diegetic sound, which is sound who's source is seen on the screen. Usually sound and visual can not function without the other, something Keane states in his article, "…the visual art and sound combine to make the experience work". It was also interesting to read how the role of sound designer came to be. In earlier years, those who worked in sound were grouped into the "sound department." Eventually, the importance of sound designers was realized and they began to have more recognition and power by working in different areas such as sound editing, sound mixing, production recording, and editing. This is why a more fitting name, sound designer, has to be used; they do not focus on only the background music, but also the main piece of work.
The importance of audio in film cannot be emphasized enough. I feel that this article shows how underestimated sound design can be to many people who do not understand the major role that audio plays in film. Also, the transition from sound crew/staff to sound designer shows that sound is no longer merely just adding a background music to a particular scene in a movie. The sound effects and the background music is set carefully to drive each scenes in the movie and assist in delivering the story to the audience. No matter how well made a certain movie is, if you just mute the sound, its effect on the audience will suffer greatly. Also, if you change just the music, it changes the overall mood and the tone of the movie, which shows how important sound is in film. Sound is as much as important as the scenes shot through the video camera and they need to work collaboratively to create a film that truly captivates the spectator.
I strongly agree with what Stephen Keane states in her essay that audio is being an enormously important element of a film. I can't imagine how many times I will fall asleep during a film that has no sound. In fact, I believe a successful soundtrack should have the ability to create the image in people's mind by just listening to it. Through Keane's comprehensive description about how Murch and Burtt composed the audio for American Graffiti and Star War, the ingenious transforms between sound effect and music demonstrate the intelligence of those sound designers and how much effort they put into a film. It's astonishing that how there is always a purpose for every use of a sound and how they construct a lively film.
Murch and Burtt were pioneers of establishing the role of sound designer as its own division in filmmaking. Sound effects and music drive the narrative in films such as American Graffiti and THX1138. It was intriguing to note that George Lucas referred to his Star Wars movies as "silent films"--it makes sense because sound and music direct the action and plot. Perhaps he is comparing his films' technique to the films during the Silent Era, when music orchestrated emotions, action and plot. It is agreeable to be wary of sound effects and music, as part of technological advances, to conceive the film more as a spectacle through the special, digital effects the audio accompanies. These challenges are what Hollywood struggles with today. Unless filmmakers realize their mistake of becoming authors of their films, losing creativity in narrative due to desperate dependence on sound effects and music accompanying the technological arms race that American blockbuster films proliferate, American cinema will continue to suffer in its quality.
In Stephen Keane's article, "Walter Murch and Ben Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer," he really does an amazing job explaining to the audience of how important sound in cinema really is. And what better examples to use than Walter Murch and Ben Burtt, the pioneers of sound design and sound composition. Keane uses Murch and Burtt's philosophy as the sound designer as composer, starting from the mid-1970s sound designers would not only fade-in and fade-out sounds from the films, but actually start editing, designing, and composing different sounds and sound effects to use in film. There's a part in the article where Lucas describes THX 1138 and how "the music would operate like sound effects and the sound effects would operate like music." I think many people when watching films unconsciously don't realize how important sound and music is in films, and how they greatly effect different scenes with emotions and setting of what kind of sounds and music are being played. Another great example is when Lucas talks about Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, as being a "silent film." He refers to the importance of sound and music in orchestrating the action, story and themes across the Star Wars saga as a whole, it's as if the music and sounds are the main storytellers of the whole movie.
Stephen Keane’s article emphasizes the importance of sound design in films by examining every detail extracted from the works of Murch an Burtt including American Graffiti and Star Wars. Keane makes a correlation between a sound designer and a composer in the way that sound and music is carefully coordinated and incorporated into a narrative to help tell a story. We are active users of sound for communication, interpretation, and articulation. We constantly process and produce sound in relation to how we perceive the real world. Certain music and sounds set a certain mood. In this sense, sound designers can be regarded as “composers of film meaning and creatures of cinematic experience” since they determine which sounds and musical compositions to use.
Stephen Keane’s explanation as to the importance of sound design and music composition in film is foregone. It is obvious that music plays a massive role in the way a films narrative is filmed. Relating this to Eisenstein’s theory of montage I would argue that it is only by the paring both of film and music does a specific narrative emerge. One might see lips in film move but eyes flutter or damsels flush but without sound we have little context for these behaviors except in the overt actions of the actors. In a similar manner we may hear people yell but without visual imagery we do not know if they are being serious or just acting or if it’s just a recording of a recording. Confined to the human condition we are familiar with specific types of interaction with our environment and these include all of the senses. It is fascinating to note though that in the excerpts that Keane selects that the sound designer is always relegated to a secondary position meant to fulfill a part of the cinematographer’s vision. Unless preplanned like in the case of American Graffiti sound design is not a primary concern of the director when filming the shot. In some cases like in the pod race scene in Star Wars 1 the sound designer is given full reign over the audio direction of the piece however it is still limited by the confines of the cinematic vision which takes precedent over the piece. Although films that utilize sound and music as intently as American Graffiti are rare I do believe that this balance between scene and sound design is what ultimately contributes to an overall effective narrative in film.
Stephen Keane focuses on the art of sound in regards to Walter Murch and Ben Burtt. Keane emphasizes that the sound designers of film are composers as well. Keane also illustrates that the ways in which sound is mixed into the narrative of films, and how sound has as much to do with all the other technical aspects of the film. Burtt states that he called himself a "sound designer" because he did everything a production recordist, sound editor, and a sound mixer would do. The control that the sound designer has is significant to the soundtrack of films.
ReplyDeleteThe way that visual and auditory media work together, impacts the way the audience perceives the movies. As a result, the viewer's experience works because of the way they both combine and convey the main message. Murch uses the word "worldizing," meaning that music is played out in different sonic environments, out in the real world, which is completely true.
The article about Walter Murch and Ben Burtt about the role of sound designing in media was another eye-opening article. The reason I say this is because it explains the importance of sound and sound effects used in film. The movies discussed offer perfect examples of what and how sound and sound effects accomplish a certain feel or goal. Furthermore, the role of a sound designer being a combination of multiple roles including the sound editor and mixer was also very intriguing. The article continues to talk about how important the sound is in movies, and referring back to all the movies I’ve watched, it is very true. Sound including the soundtrack can create any type of mood, tone, or feeling that makes the movie more emotional and enjoyable. It is ironic how a sound effect in a movie does not necessarily occur in reality (for example, a swooshing sound made to show the next scene in the T.V. show “Damages”) yet it provokes the audience to get some sense of feeling of intensity or any kind of feeling depending on the sound. Including sound and sound effects are just as important as editing and special effects. Editing and special effects can be 95% of the movie, but in order for it to be complete, one must include sound for the remaining 5% so that the movie is perfect. Without sound and sound effects, watching movies would be a lot less entertaining and emotional.
ReplyDeleteThe article Murch and Burtt discusses the development of sound design through the careers of two of its major players in Hollywood. I thought the article had a lot to offer in terms of how to best use sound as a musical score. It should be used to enhance the scene without taking over, in the same way that music should. In some cases it will blend with the music, and in others it will replace it. He mentions the podrace in Phantom Menace, which I think is a great scene as far as sound goes. It does an excellent job of defining each character’s podracer, and builds suspense excellently. There are moments when there is almost complete silence just before a crash, and it really is done superbly well. He also mentions the asteroid scene in episode II. While I think the sound was well done in this scene, I just have to say it still bugs me because it’s a rule in Star Wars to ignore the fact that sound doesn’t travel through space, and in this scene they try to draw too much attention to it. I thought the discussion on American Graffiti to be interesting, because here is a movie in which the soundtrack is heavily music-influenced, to the point where it is almost a series of music videos. As stated in the article, sound effects are used here as the highlight rather than the standard, which is the opposite of what it typically is. There is a lot sound-design has to offer to film, as half of what the media medium has to offer.
ReplyDeleteThe article on Murch and Burtt traces their advancement from sound editors to sound designers in parallel advancement to visual media to which sound has added a new dimension of human experience. The article discusses two case studies for advancement of sound – the American Graffiti and the Star Wars. The visual media has two important means of absorption by a user. The visual aspect is implicit and required but sound and music have further expanded the video medium for better human utility and added dimensions to the field architecture. The case studies have highlighted how sound defined background, field architecture and an era through its diegetic sounds. However, non-diegetic noises have been instrumental in defining the unseen motions that can only be experienced through our ears. Thus, this article testifies sound as a critical component of the video medium.
ReplyDeleteAs a photographer, I tend to pay more attention to the visual images and meaning of a film. But after reading this article, I realized that sound is actually as important as the image itself. A great sound effect can attract people to look for what is happening. Sound is something that photos never have. Now that I have read about this article, I will be focusing more on the significance in film making. I understand that sound is also a medium that can be used to convey meanings to the audience, just like images. I am sure that by combining images and sound, the effect will be much influencing, and through which I can create a film that can inspires and transcends the audience into another arena.
ReplyDeleteAs I have already been aware of the heavy influence music score has on films and shows, it was surprising that I had no similar grasp or understanding of sound effects serving the same purpose for the sake of art. For a long time, I've only seen sound effects as extras, but as explained in Stephen Keane's The Sound Designer as Composer, both have a very large significance in video and film.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most intriguing things about the essay, I feel, was the fact that the "role" of musical score and sound effects was flip-flopped in Star Wars. Absurd as it may sound, I've never watched any of the movies, but the mere thought that music and sound effects could swap places and still serve the same purpose is really cool.
Even though it's not something I pay too much attention to, the sound and music that accompanies a film or video is extremely important. As we have seen in lecture, silent films, or films with abrupt stops in sound, can be very jarring and disorientating. Minute attention and concentration on sound and music editing really helps bring a film together. It was enlightening to learn more about the entire process and get some backstage information about it.
When people think of film they automatically think of the visual segment and often overlook the audio that is what many times can make or break a film. In fact, sound is so important in film that Stephen Keane takes the time to explain the technicalities of audio in film in "The Sound Designer as Composer" with two well reputable audio specialists Walter Murch and Ben Burtt.
ReplyDeleteOne of the key elements Keane mentions within his essay is that sound can provide realism or drama in film. He goes on to talk about how sound provides this realism in "American Graffiti". This point is indeed a common aspect in film today. Many times music scores are played within a film to create a sense of drama, or action and reaction and mood setting within a film. Take for example the Star Wars series and their classic opening song for Darth Vader. The ominous song presents just that same emotion, a dark and evil mood. However in contrast, a movie like "War Games" uses a lot of sound effects and dialogue to create a sense of realism. In this way I noticed that things that aren't actually seen as real can be made to be real by simply invoking some sort of audio that gives life and a sense of normalcy in the fake subject.
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ReplyDeleteStephen Keane in his article "Murch and Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer" discusses the evolution of the "sound designer" as a profession. Keene recalls the paradigm shift that occurred in the late 1960s, giving rise to "New Hollywood," filmmaking oriented around special effects, an era which spans to present day. But Keane points out that, when tracing the origin of this evolution, Walter Murch and Ben Burtt should not be overlooked. Keane claims the role of sound designer was derived from sound editor. Stephen King is clearly ghostwriting for Stephen Keane, because it's just plain scary how uninteresting his analysis of American Graffiti is.
ReplyDeleteI have always been aware of the impact of music and sound effects have in cinema. In the article by Stephen Keane, he explained another level that sound designer Murch specified utlizing the term 'worldizing'. Murch describes "a three-dimensional sound scape" as "the sonic equivalent of depth of field".
ReplyDeleteThe importance of sound is further elevated in Lucas' decision to orchestrate sound as the composition in the action sequences in the Star Wars movies.
I agree with the argument made by Gianluca Sergi that the advances in sound technology use of sound adds detail and realism to the narrative for the viewer rather than a distraction.
I have a new appreciation for sound and how it influences what we see on film.
The above blog listed as Anonymous is from Tamera Fox
ReplyDeleteIn the article “Murch and Burtt”, Stephen Keane discusses the shifting roles in sound editing and sound design towards prominence as a composer for a film’s entire soundtrack. He believes that the sound designers act as composers “not merely in the technical composition of film sounds but also the ways in which sound is incorporated into the overall narrative of the films they have worked on” (453). He shows this through the works of Walter Murch and Ben Burtt, who first introduced the methods of sound design in their collaborations with top-name producers and directors. He uses specific example from American Grafitti and Star Wars to highlight specific scenes that use sound to emphasize or direct a narrative course as well as how the individual sounds come together to create something larger. I never gave much consideration to sound design past maybe a soundtrack choice. To use entirely sound effects and other noise to create something musical or even a narrative was something that didn’t cross my mind. I loved how Burtt described his desire to have “the opportunity to work with a full palette of just sound effects... to control the tension, the ebb, and flow of the race” (460). This description sounds like that of a painter trying to create a meaning in his work. The role of the sound designer is key in many films, and is something I’m going to try to be more consciously aware of.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article, Stephen Keane writes about the sound score and effects used in New Hollywood movies. Pioneers of sound designing, Walter Murch and Ben Burtt, have incorporated more that just typical sound effects, but sounds that help create the mood and foretelling. These two sound editors have worked on some master sagas like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Most of the article explains the sound and score behind Lucas' films American Graffiti and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace & Attack of the Clones. With American Graffiti, Murch's and Lucas' collaboration helped define the moods and transitions within the movie. They play songs from the era that correlate with the current actions going on around them. I never really thought about how the sound and music that were played in each scene were meticulously picked out. Personally, my art teachers growing up always told me that being too straight forward with ones concept can lose it's ambiguity. But within film and Murch's sound designing, the music doesn't over power and tell one everything that is going on, but it unconsciously sneaks in, and let's us feel the mood. During the pod race in Phantom Menace, the score was cut, and only the sound of the zooming pods were in effect. Burtt kept out the score till the final lap because he was trying to have the audience feel like they were in the race themselves. Also, with the score playing during the full ten minutes, the music would be directing the scene instead of the scene opening up at the right spot for music to come in. I was never one to notice the weight and direction of film sound. I think after reading these articles, I will be breaking down the text in films more often and unknowingly.
ReplyDeleteThe main message that Stephen Keane is trying to get across in this article (as he has stated multiple times), is to prove that sound designers can also be considered as composers of film. He believes that the sound aids a great deal in telling the narrative of the film and adds to the feeling of specific scenes or the overall theme of the film. As mentioned in the work American Graffiti, the use of "rock-and-roll tracks, and the multi-character story," played "an essential part in accompanying and unifying the seemingly fractured and unfocused narrative of the film" (454). Sound effects and scores are utilized for multiple reasons, mainly it is used to create realism in film, but at times, as in American Graffiti, it was used effectively for drama. Keane goes on to discuss the types of sounds and effects used in Star Wars, how the use of some random and distorted sounds were used to create technologic sounds and have become familiar sounds that Star War fans have come to know and love. In addition, he goes on to say that music scores and effects don't only hold "size, weight, and power" in such a hugely popular film as this, but they also provide detail and direction to increase the sense of realism (459). Clearly, Keane sounds completely sane and believable in proving his case- that the presentation and flow of music and sound effects throughout an entire feature film complement effectively, and are extremely important to, the visual components and the overall production.
ReplyDeleteIn Keane's article, he emphasizes Walter Murdoch's influence in the creation of sound design, specifically in the movie "American Graffiti". While reading this, it really opened my eyes that sound design, were used not only for ambience and atmosphere but also for economical reasons. In "American Graffiti", there were about 42 music tracks that was to be included into the score and for economical reasons, they relied on sound design to help either emphasize the mood or even define a character. This constant flux of sound design, from either defining a mood or an character, also flows and ebbs into the storyline. Its also critical to note this psychological aspect of sound and how our mind accepts the convention of it all. In reality, there truly is no "light saber clash noise", however, when we hear it played on screen in sync with the motion picture, our mind accepts this convention when it truly makes no logical sense. This just goes to show how in-depth sound design and how intertwined it is with motion pictures.
ReplyDeleteStephen Keane discusses in his article how integral background music and foreground sound effects are to a film. He uses examples from Walter Murch's work on American Graffiti and Ben Burtt's work on the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In American Graffiti, sound is used to establish what the main character can hear (radio stations and car engines are heard in the city, but in nature it is initially silent because he does not know that nature has a sound). This usage of sound gives a better idea of what the character is thinking at a particular moment and helps the audience relate to the character more familiarly. Interestingly, the purposes of sound effects and music are switched around. Instead of using music to add to a dramatic sequence, sound effects are used, and music is used as a sound effect in the form of radio stations. In the Star Wars prequel trilogy, certain sounds such as the famous lightsaber's hum and the starfighter's scream were already established by the previous trilogy. Therefore, the audience instinctively know what those particular objects sound like, even though they don't exist. It is also mentioned in the article how music tends to be excluded from certain dramatic scenes in order to enhance the tension, such as during Anakin Skywalker's podrace. Honestly, I have never given so much thought about sound design before reading this article. This reading has made me more appreciative of how much sound adds to a film's atmosphere.
ReplyDeleteKeane presents the ideal that Murch and Burtt are profound sound designers who do not just accompany films with their productions, but their technique and skill in sound also provoke the ability to narrate film. They developed sound as a three-dimensional structure and also added temporal depth to movies. Although sound tends to be utilized for realism, Murch and Burtt manipulated sound for dramatic purposes. Both worked on major motion pictures with highly publicized directors; thus, they are often argued as being the epitomized figured of sound designers.
ReplyDeleteI liked how Stephen Keane prefaces his argument with a brief history on how the term “sound designer” came about. I found that interesting. Keane’s article is about Walter Murch’s and Ben Burtt’s work as sound designers – not only in the technical composition of film sounds but also how sound is incorporated into the overall narrative of the films (453). He specifically looks at three films, American Graffitti, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. What stood out most to me, besides the overall importance of sound and music use within a film, was Murch’s use of ‘worldizing’ music in American Graffiti, that is, as creating “the sonic equivalent of depth of field”. I found this quite relevant to last night’s lecture on how sound not only becomes part of the narrative, but can create an emotional and psychological experience. Though Murch was referring to ‘worldizing’ music as creating a three-dimensional soundscape within the film, I would say that the use of sound design also creates a fourth dimension which is the emotional and/or psychological experience of the viewer because of a particular sound design.
ReplyDelete- Amy M
In the article, Murch and Burtt; Walter Murch and Ben Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer by Stephen Keane, it focuses on the importance of sound in cinema. To be honest, every time I watch a movie or video, I never really thought of sound as the only aspect in any type of cinema. However, this article let me see a video from another perspective. I would imagine without sound, the movie, such as in American Graffiti and Star Wars series would not have had as big impact as of now. The sound, both dietetic and non diegetic, helps to really build up a mood or atmosphere of the movie. As sound has evolved to become one of the main important factor in cinema, sound Designers have derived. Before, there were no such occupation as sound designer as Burtt explains.
ReplyDeleteOne part that really sparked my interest was the concept of sound creating a three-dimensional soundscape. The mix of natural sound such as the cars (natural environment), rock and roll music and the music coming out of the car radio are all sounds coming from different types of places and thus it creates a depth of field. I have herd sound as just one track but now I see it in a new perspective in which there are sound that are mixed together and played at the same time.
The article is about the role of the sound designer, and how it's not merely one job but multiple compiled into one. Burtt states that for Star Wars he had to do the job of 3, which in my opinion allowed him to combine the aspects of sound and soundtrack in better ways than if different people did it. Lucas states that sound is half of the experience, providing further evidence of how important sound is. I found the 3 dimensional sound scape mentioned to be very interesting, as it allows the viewer to experience something only in film and not in reality. Lucas' use of sound in The Phantom Menace during the podrace sequence is an excellent example of how important sound effects are to movies. Without the specific sounds used, the viewers would not be able to get a feel of how the podracers work and their dimensions, even when it is shown visually.
ReplyDeleteIn this weeks article"Murch and Burn:Walterr:The Sound Deisgner as Composer "the author Keane Stephen discusses the development of the sound design and how it plays an important role effecting to the film itself. When I watch the film, I usually spend more time on thinking about the concept and focusing on the visual segment in the film.This article really give me a new perspective on how powerful the combination of sound and visual work in film. In the article, From the Star Wars and American Graffiti's examples he has mention in the article ,Keane shows the way audio accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture,video in order to create realism,drama in the film.Through the usage of the sound,the audience can be effectively involved in the story and feel more realistic.The sound effect deliver a logical sense to the audience,and cleverly connected their mind with the visual segment ,giving the audience a better sense to understand what the director want to convey.
ReplyDeleteI found the article "Murch and Burtt" by Stephen Keane very interesting. The position of sound designer is discussed, which is a position that involves tasks usually done by a production recordist, sound editor and sound mixer. After reading the article, it's clear that sound and sound effects are vital to the overall composition of a film soundtrack. George Lucas noted that the visual aspect of a movie is only half of the experience, the sound makes up the second half. Keane gives examples of the use of sound and its importance in film by referring to the films, "American Grafitti," "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace," and "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones." The article is a great complement to what Michael discussed in lecture last night about diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in film and how they characterize the figures on screen as well as shape the environment the viewer sees.
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ReplyDeleteIn this week's reading Murch and Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer, Stephen Keane tells about the role of sound as an important part in film. Keane gives us an example, Star Wars, to discuss his arguments in the importance of sound in media. Keane's major point in the example "Star Wars" is the Podrace sequence. Keane calls the sound effects in the scene "absolutely paramount", and also compliments on how the sound creates a sense of complexity that allows viewers to have an idea of "weight and direction"(42).
ReplyDeleteThinking about the Phantom Menace, I really enjoyed the podrace scene as well. I've only watched Episodes I, II, and III, so the experience I have with sound in Star Wars is condensed to laser guns, and lightsabers. However, the lightsaber sounds made the movie in my opinion because without the trademark "nyyeerng" of the lightsaber, I wouldn't get a futuristic appeal to the movies as much.
In his essay “Murch and Burtt,” Stephen Keane discusses the art and importance of sound design. He focuses on American Graffiti and Star Wars as his main examples, which are movies that I have not seen. It made it somewhat difficult to follow the reading in regard to these specific movies but all the techniques can be related to movies that I have seen. For example, we saw the beginning of THX 1138 during lecture where “the sound effects [operated] like music” (455) which is something they used in American Graffiti. Sound has an immense psychological effect on an audience. Whether it be purely auditory or combined with a visual, sound effects as well as music elicit emotions and prompt specific responses that would otherwise be lacking.
ReplyDeleteThe sound and music techniques used by Murch and Burtt may seem obvious when reading this article today, but it is quite remarkable that their sound designs have played such a major role in the film industry and have been used in almost every major film and T.V. show since.
ReplyDeleteOne of their most interesting techniques is the use of popular song as narrative structure in the film "American Graffiti". Before Murch and Burtt, the main force of the narrative sound was music that was originally composed for the film. With "American Graffiti", the veiwer is exposed to sounds of the environment, which with the case of the time period of the film the music serves along side the sound effects. The music is this film is diagetic in use and not out-of-context. Today we see this technique used all the time and even used to advertise new songs or artists within the film in order to sell soundtracks.
As well as using music as sound in film, Murch and Burtt use sound as the music (dramatic force) in the "Star Wars" films. The sounds of the machines throughout the film add to the tension of the plot (ex. the podracing scence). Murch and Burtt were masters at using sound to serve all functions that the music and visuals would satisfy; from foley to narrative drive.
I think that is very essential when it comes to videos and films. Keane describes a scene from American Graffiti, when the main character Kurt gets reflected by the music (p.457), the non-diegetic sound. It adds more emotions and the viewer get a wider spectrum of his feelings. Star Wars would not have been the same without the sound effects and the score. For instance, Darth Vader’s scuba-tank breathing makes his character. I remember in a class back home in Sweden when we talked about OST, my teacher showed us a famous scene from Apocalypse Now (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpvLCptAHT8), without sound and asked us what kind of music we thought it had. Nobody guessed Ride of the Valkyries.
ReplyDeleteOne particular piece of this reading I found very interesting was Keane's appraisal of John Williams's scores' effect in George Lucas's Star Wars films. Keane writes, "John Williams's classical score contributes a sense of familiarity to this otherwise alien, science fiction saga..." Any Star Wars movie takes place in a world completely unknown to us, with the only familiarities being perhaps the (mostly) human plot-driving characters. However, the invisible score that plays through the movies is played on familiar instruments that we, the audience, can associate an image and a familiarity with. Now take the fact that this identifiable entity (the orchestra) is playing along with the very alien action and events that are playing across the screen, and the viewer is granted an avenue through which he or she can connect to the otherwise bizzare and anomalous world of Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteThis reading was super interesting to me because I believe sound is the most important thing to a film. For our midterm, Natalie and I had to think of the perfect song to go with our film to give the right mood and evoke different feelings from the audience. It took a lot of work to decide what direction we wanted to go with for the film, because of all the music choices we had. I couldn't imagine trying to create sounds for Star Wars, like Lucas had to do, because a 2 minute film was hard enough. I like that the reading described how both of the sound designers created the specific musical sounds and compositions. Sound, we found out it crucial to a movie and makes or break it. After reading this, I am more interested in sound and want to take a class on it to learn how to create noises and ho to pick the perfect song.
ReplyDeleteStephen Keane ‘s article Walter Murch and Ben Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer, focuses on two people who have played a pivotal role in sound recognition in Hollywood cinema. I especially appreciated the articles emphasis on the importance of sound in film. In a society where visual stimulation is most celebrated, it’s refreshing to read an article about something that is equally as important in a film. Keane also articulated the importance of sound in great Hollywood blockbuster films as Star Wars and American Graffiti, all which I thought, made this article the more coherent. I believe most of us can watch a film, TV show or simply a commercial and in most cases always seems the images make more of an impression than the sound. What I’ve realized is that the sound plays a very essential role in our visualization of the scene.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated the breakdown of the use of sounds and music in "American Graffiti" and "Star Wars" in the article. It opened my eyes to the thought behind the decisions; all these little details that actually add so much. It doesn't necessarily go unnoticed, but it does go unappreciated.
ReplyDeleteWhat was also interesting was how the title "sound designer" encompassed all the roles that deal with sound, like "sound editor", "sound effects editor" and "supervising sound designer", yet there are still others that do these individual roles that have to work with the sound designer, otherwise all of this would be too hard for one person to do completely on their own.
The sound can add to the story of the film and sometimes can make the film. It gives a character an audio presence and gives moments a theme song. It can even move the story along when there's no dialog.
Sound doesn't have to me music either; it can be sound effects that create a very peaceful or very chaotic mood.
This article helped me see how important sound designers are.
I think that Stephen Keane sheds light on an under appreciated aspect of modern filmmaking when he writes about sound designers Walter Murch and Ben Burtt. It is all too easy to think of sound as just a secondary feature in cinema. Most people don't consciously think or talk about sound as an art-form in itself; it is mostly just considered a vehicle for dialogue and/or a slavish accompaniment to a moving image.
ReplyDeleteReading about the intricacies of sound design in Star Wars and American Graffiti made me realize that sound is an experience all its own. I was especially fascinated by the way he described sound as an immersive, three-dimensional environment. From the buzzing of light sabers to "worldifying" rock n' roll, sound is certainly a versatile and powerful tool in filmmaking. It leads us through a story more effectively than any visual can, and makes what we see on screen come alive. I'd imagine that's a reason why audio comes first in an audio-visual production.
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ReplyDeleten the article, "Walter Murch and Ben Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer", Stephen Keane discusses the role of sound designers as composers of the film, focusing on ways "in which sound is incorporated into the overall narrative of the films" (453). Keane reflected his understanding of this concept by using works such as American Graffitti and Star Wars by Walter Murch and Ben Burtt in order to highlight the importance of sound as composer of film meaning and creators of cinematic experiences. In the movie American Grafitti, Kean explains how music and sound choice can "reflect what is going on in the film text" and how " sound designs [can determine] the way in which the song are incoporated in to the film world" both pyschologically and understood within a different environment(456). In addition, Kean also highlights the technique used by Murch's of sound editing as "worldizing". I found this technique really interesting because the music is played out in "different sonic environments, out in the real world" (456) , in order for the narrative of the film to be driven by the technologies or subjects present.
ReplyDeleteStephen Keane's article "Murch and Burtt" was very interesting. When one is watching a movie, one usually tends to focus on the plot and visuals of the movie. Keane, however, emphasized the importance of sound in films, such as the use of music and sound effects. In most films, music is used for drama in films and sound effects are used for realism. Murch, one of the sound designers that Keane praises, also used what he called "worldizing" in sound mixing. Worldizing is similar to the term we learned in lecture, diegetic sound, which is sound who's source is seen on the screen. Usually sound and visual can not function without the other, something Keane states in his article, "…the visual art and sound combine to make the experience work".
ReplyDeleteIt was also interesting to read how the role of sound designer came to be. In earlier years, those who worked in sound were grouped into the "sound department." Eventually, the importance of sound designers was realized and they began to have more recognition and power by working in different areas such as sound editing, sound mixing, production recording, and editing. This is why a more fitting name, sound designer, has to be used; they do not focus on only the background music, but also the main piece of work.
The importance of audio in film cannot be emphasized enough. I feel that this article shows how underestimated sound design can be to many people who do not understand the major role that audio plays in film. Also, the transition from sound crew/staff to sound designer shows that sound is no longer merely just adding a background music to a particular scene in a movie. The sound effects and the background music is set carefully to drive each scenes in the movie and assist in delivering the story to the audience. No matter how well made a certain movie is, if you just mute the sound, its effect on the audience will suffer greatly. Also, if you change just the music, it changes the overall mood and the tone of the movie, which shows how important sound is in film. Sound is as much as important as the scenes shot through the video camera and they need to work collaboratively to create a film that truly captivates the spectator.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with what Stephen Keane states in her essay that audio is being an enormously important element of a film. I can't imagine how many times I will fall asleep during a film that has no sound. In fact, I believe a successful soundtrack should have the ability to create the image in people's mind by just listening to it. Through Keane's comprehensive description about how Murch and Burtt composed the audio for American Graffiti and Star War, the ingenious transforms between sound effect and music demonstrate the intelligence of those sound designers and how much effort they put into a film. It's astonishing that how there is always a purpose for every use of a sound and how they construct a lively film.
ReplyDeleteMurch and Burtt were pioneers of establishing the role of sound designer as its own division in filmmaking. Sound effects and music drive the narrative in films such as American Graffiti and THX1138. It was intriguing to note that George Lucas referred to his Star Wars movies as "silent films"--it makes sense because sound and music direct the action and plot. Perhaps he is comparing his films' technique to the films during the Silent Era, when music orchestrated emotions, action and plot. It is agreeable to be wary of sound effects and music, as part of technological advances, to conceive the film more as a spectacle through the special, digital effects the audio accompanies. These challenges are what Hollywood struggles with today. Unless filmmakers realize their mistake of becoming authors of their films, losing creativity in narrative due to desperate dependence on sound effects and music accompanying the technological arms race that American blockbuster films proliferate, American cinema will continue to suffer in its quality.
ReplyDeleteIn Stephen Keane's article, "Walter Murch and Ben Burtt: The Sound Designer as Composer," he really does an amazing job explaining to the audience of how important sound in cinema really is. And what better examples to use than Walter Murch and Ben Burtt, the pioneers of sound design and sound composition. Keane uses Murch and Burtt's philosophy as the sound designer as composer, starting from the mid-1970s sound designers would not only fade-in and fade-out sounds from the films, but actually start editing, designing, and composing different sounds and sound effects to use in film. There's a part in the article where Lucas describes THX 1138 and how "the music would operate like sound effects and the sound effects would operate like music." I think many people when watching films unconsciously don't realize how important sound and music is in films, and how they greatly effect different scenes with emotions and setting of what kind of sounds and music are being played.
ReplyDeleteAnother great example is when Lucas talks about Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, as being a "silent film." He refers to the importance of sound and music in orchestrating the action, story and themes across the Star Wars saga as a whole, it's as if the music and sounds are the main storytellers of the whole movie.
Stephen Keane’s article emphasizes the importance of sound design in films by examining every detail extracted from the works of Murch an Burtt including American Graffiti and Star Wars. Keane makes a correlation between a sound designer and a composer in the way that sound and music is carefully coordinated and incorporated into a narrative to help tell a story. We are active users of sound for communication, interpretation, and articulation. We constantly process and produce sound in relation to how we perceive the real world. Certain music and sounds set a certain mood. In this sense, sound designers can be regarded as “composers of film meaning and creatures of cinematic experience” since they determine which sounds and musical compositions to use.
ReplyDeleteStephen Keane’s explanation as to the importance of sound design and music composition in film is foregone. It is obvious that music plays a massive role in the way a films narrative is filmed. Relating this to Eisenstein’s theory of montage I would argue that it is only by the paring both of film and music does a specific narrative emerge. One might see lips in film move but eyes flutter or damsels flush but without sound we have little context for these behaviors except in the overt actions of the actors. In a similar manner we may hear people yell but without visual imagery we do not know if they are being serious or just acting or if it’s just a recording of a recording. Confined to the human condition we are familiar with specific types of interaction with our environment and these include all of the senses. It is fascinating to note though that in the excerpts that Keane selects that the sound designer is always relegated to a secondary position meant to fulfill a part of the cinematographer’s vision. Unless preplanned like in the case of American Graffiti sound design is not a primary concern of the director when filming the shot. In some cases like in the pod race scene in Star Wars 1 the sound designer is given full reign over the audio direction of the piece however it is still limited by the confines of the cinematic vision which takes precedent over the piece. Although films that utilize sound and music as intently as American Graffiti are rare I do believe that this balance between scene and sound design is what ultimately contributes to an overall effective narrative in film.
ReplyDeleteBy Mike Boulrice