One of the most exciting audio industries is filmmaking: from the everyday sound effects that we've come to take for granted to the instantly recognizable sounds of things that have only ever existed in the movies, there's a whole universe of audio with its own cinematic language. In these episodes, we focus on that hidden language of sound we all grew up learning without even thinking about it, how it's used to tell stories and create impossible worlds that seem vividly real, and the invaluable role cinematic film techniques and sound design play when it comes to audio branding.
We look at the art of filmmaking and the innovative approach of its sound artists throughout the years, from Jack Foley, the groundbreaking Hollywood sound designer who inspired a whole new profession of “Foley artists,” to the sound technicians who brought to life such impossible sounds as King Kong’s famous roar or the hum of a lightsaber swinging through the air. These podcasts feature interviews with directors, producers, and composers who help us delve deeper into the importance of cinematic audio, from building the right soundtrack to improvising completely new sound effects.
Sometimes what we don't hear can be as important as what we hear, and we speak with a multitude of sound designers and industry experts about the process of creating just the right audio impression. Whether it's using special silent movie props to mask distracting sounds or adding sound effects that we've grown accustomed to hearing over the years, such as the coconut clomp of galloping horses, there's a lot of work that goes into designing the right soundscape. Each episode looks at the subtle magic of cinematic sound, and how that same approach is being applied to commercial branding.
From catchy theme songs and memorable slogans to the slight beeps and clicks that we don’t even think about hearing, Hollywood movies and audio branding are both filled with sound effects that draw us into their world without our even noticing it. Each one aims to engage its audience and make a memorable first impression, and, most importantly, to always leave them wanting more.
“I think that making images come to life with sound helps the audience with the story and with the emotion of the story. It puts them in the right place. They know what it is they’re supposed to pay attention to. We talked earlier in our first meeting about this line-of-sight editing, that is, a […]
“I guess that’s encouraging, and it’s scary at the same time, because, you know, there are a lot of people in the industry that depend on the creativity that they’ve worked years and years and years to kind of master and to get to this point. And then all of a sudden, someone says, I […]
“Sound is a really important part of how I make movies because I always tell people that if the sound is good and the picture is bad, then you’ll stick around to see what happens. However, if the sound is terrible and the picture is great, you’re out of there in like ten minutes. So […]
“I grew up near the west coast here in Denmark, so yeah, the sea has always been there. And Aarhus is also a harbor city, so definitely there’s something relaxing about going down to the water and hearing the whistling. We implemented that in Necesse, actually. We have a water fountain that’s spatial, so that […]
“When I started on the project of Necesse, we had maybe thirty sound effects. I’ve made around 400, 350 sound effects, so it’s become much more immersive. You can hear animals when you wander around in the different environments. And just the feedback you get by playing the game, it’s quite nice compared to before, […]
“I think that sound drives the emotion of a scene, right? As much as dialogue, right? Sound and music, score in particular… I just think it helps to create emotion in a scene or augments the performances. Because you gotta have great performances, but great performance coupled with, you know, great sound design or a […]