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 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 […]
This episode’s guest is an award–winning supervising sound designer whose groundbreaking work has shaped the sound of some of television and film’s most iconic projects, including Netflix’s hit series Forever and Kevin Hart’s animated comedy Lil Kev. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, he rose through the ranks of Hollywood post-production, breaking barriers […]
“That’s a big thing that I always like to try to put together in the shows — creating the sense of space, where we are taking that audience somewhere. And sonically, what does that sound like? I like having a lot of detail on, okay, this space, i.e. this portion of the episode. It’s like, […]
“But from that point, it was just a matter of, okay, I’ve got to put all this kind of stuff together now. And now that there isn’t a moving image that I’m necessarily locked into, I wield more power in regards to molding the action, so I could decide how a scene breaks down. And […]