Sound in Film

In the art of cinema, sound is one of the most important sources of emotion and meaning. Music, sound effects and the actual dialogue of the performers are forms of art in themselves. While watching a film, we tend to forget how much effort goes into the sounds we hear. Sound allows a film to feel as close to reality as possible, while also moving out of the realm of reality with the inclusion of musical scores. After studying the history and importance of sound in cinema, we watched the film District 9. It was great to truly dissect every sound in the film, allowing ourselves to reflect on the placement and intention of each sound.

In the early years of cinema, full orchestras provided background music to the silent films. The acting was the main source of meaning in this time period. Actors had to convey the emotions of the characters by their body movements alone. The music would help aid the film in portaying emotions, but the acting was the true source. Like stage plays, actors would have to be very animated and larger than life. In the 1920's there had been many experiments in synchronous sound, none of which truly worked. All of the failed experiments were good for something, however, as they opened the door to what we have the privilege to enjoy in our cinematic experience.

In 1927, The Jazz Singer opened the world to the "talkie era". It was a musical introduced by the Warner Brothers that included the musical numbers of Al Jolson. The few lines of dialogue were performed with actors speaking the lines into a microphone. In the early years of "talkies", most of the films weren't visually exciting. For the somewhat synchronized sounds and dialogue to work, the editing had to be very restricted. Many critics felt that sound was actually holding back the artistic integrity of film. Some daring directors began placing microphones around the set, recording the sounds while filming. Some formalist directors still did not buy into the idea, as they felt editing would destroy the creativity of editing. As daring directors continued to experiment more, sound became a more respected and natural element in the filmmaking process. These early stages are what opened the door to what we have now.

While watching District 9, we paid close attention to each sound and what it's purpose is. The sound in this film was incredibly rich in all areas. The film starts in a documentary-like form. With the characters looking directly into the camera, the viewer is intended to feel as though they are in the middle of the action. In terms of sound, they used many interesting tricks to help the documentary format of the film. One technique I found to be trully affective was the placement of the dialogue. If the actor was to the left of the shot, his voice only came from the left speaker. If he went to the right of the shot, his voice was on the right. This helped make the documentary style feel more authentic. As the film moves forward, it moves out of the documentary format and into a more standard style. In the second act of the film, the sounds are incredibly rich and organic. The gunshots sounded so clean and clear, not muffled and muddy. You can't help but admire all the layers of sound in one shot. You hear footsteps, gunshots and dialoque all in one shot. The soundtrack also added to much of the suspense of the film. The music worked hand in hand with the emotions of the particular scene. While watching the film, you can truly appreciate all that sound adds to a film.

After viewing films like District 9, it is hard to imagine watching films without the element of sound. In the early years, many filmmakers were reluctant to add sound to their films. Without the small advances starting in the late 1920's, sound would not be so vital in filmmaking today.