Course Introduction
Purpose
- Good sound enhances the production value of a film
- Bad sound is the fastest way to turn off an audience
- An audience will tolerate poor images much more than poor sound
- "The eye forgives and the ear does not." - Jason Brubaker
- Suspension of Disbelief - a willingness to suspend one's critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment
- Suspension of Disbelief is a term coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative.
- A good movie is able make the audience forget about reality and draw them into the film
- Realistic audio = realistic experience for the audience
- Suspension of Disbelief is a term coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative.
- Even if the image is perfect, but the sound is off just a bit, it will pull the audience out of the story - their disbelief will no longer be suspended
So, how can film sound be effective?
- Effective Film Sound = Suspension of Disbelief
- Dialogue/Narration (DX) - provides information to the audience
- Sound Effects (SFX)/Ambience (AMB)/Foley (FLY) - help each scene seem more real
- Music (MX) - emotionally effects the audience
- Proper Mix of these sound elements - creates a stream of continuity that supports the story
Sound Definition
Sound - vibrations that travel through a medium such as air or water to a receiver.
There are many laws, rules, theorems, principles, and properties of physics and psychoacoustic phenomena that affect the recording, editing, and mixing of sounds.
There are many laws, rules, theorems, principles, and properties of physics and psychoacoustic phenomena that affect the recording, editing, and mixing of sounds.
Sound's Abilities
- Sound in the form of dialogue is great at conveying information and emotions
- Sound can be used to establish a geographical location
- Sound is often used to place the story in a historical period
- Sound, along with picture editing, can be used to set the pace of a story
- Sound is a great tool to create hyperrealism or simply realism
- Sound can be used to draw attention to some detail, person, situation, or object
- Sound is often used to help the audience make connections
- Sound can be used to emphasize or smooth out transition
- Sound can be used to give meaning to the story or to define a character
- Sound is commonly used to enhance and define a story or plot
Career Highlight - Sound Supervisor
Sound Supervisor - the person in charge of the soundtrack
- manages the sound personnel
- ensures that all sounds are created, acquired (including proper licenses), and edited into the tracks
- oversees the mixing process, budget, and schedule
- may also design sound as well
- these responsibilities allow them to guide and maintain oversight of the film's entire sound design
Contracts, Agreements, and Licenses
Entertainment contracts can be tricky, so it is always advised that you work with an entertainment lawyer should you have any questions or concerns.
A few things to understand:
A few things to understand:
- An "idea" is not copyrightable - always put your ideas in writing, recording, or some sort of tangible medium then register it with the Library of Congress
- The second you put your "idea" on a tangible medium (paper, recording, etc.) it is copyrighted. You own the copyright. Registering your copyright with the Library of Congress recognizes your copyright as filed in the government's database and makes it much easier to prove ownership of your material if needed in a court of law.
- Always attempt to get anyone/everyone to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before sharing your working projects/ideas with them, and never share these ideas without putting them first on a tangible medium.
Types of agreements you may deal with:
One of the most common mistakes in low budget filmmaking is that of not getting all of the rights necessary to legally use an existing song in a film.
Be sure that you've done your due-diligence when utilizing copyrighted material in your films. If the sound/music cue is not yours, find out whose it is, and obtain all proper licenses needed, otherwise you could be making a very expensive mistake.
- Work for Hire Agreement
- Composer Agreement
- Talent Release
- Deal Memo
- Picture Lock Agreement
- Distribution Agreement
- Deliverables
- Film Synchronization Rights
- Mechanical Rights
- Royalty Free (Full or Limited)
- Music Rights
One of the most common mistakes in low budget filmmaking is that of not getting all of the rights necessary to legally use an existing song in a film.
Be sure that you've done your due-diligence when utilizing copyrighted material in your films. If the sound/music cue is not yours, find out whose it is, and obtain all proper licenses needed, otherwise you could be making a very expensive mistake.