LORRAINE ON SPACE & SOUND

SOUND IN FILM – MY FILM.

It was a four-story house frozen in time, like Flannan Isle by Wilfrid Gibson, in which you imagine the residents had been just seconds ago. Everywhere you looked, there were still-lifes – an apricot with a bite taken out, a pipe filled with tobacco ready to smoke. And in the attic, the rag tag belongings of Dickensian waifs who slept head to toe like sardines in a can. And each space had its own sound. The tick of a grandfather clock in the drawing room. The drip of a tap in the kitchen. The creak on a tread as if someone had just walked up the stairs. At the sound of horses’ hooves on cobblestones, I looked out the window and, seeing modern day London, caught myself.

Yes, sound is important. In fact, it’s half of the movie experience.

The fact is, getting good sound during production can be tough. We battled on numerous occasions against planes, helicopters, sirens, church bells, the ubiquitous roaring motorbike – and on one occasion – with a Mexican Christian radio show that randomly appeared and just as randomly disappeared.

Listening through headphones, Gino would call for a pause in ‘action” and we’d all freeze in place, practically holding our breath, the actors their emotions, until the intrusion had passed. Then we would again go through my most favorite procedure in the world, “roll tape”… “we have speed”… “action!”

The curious thing is that you don’t notice good sound while watching a movie. You are more likely to notice it when it’s bad or completely missing. You might not be able to identify exactly what is lacking – could be the buzz of passengers on a bus or diners in a restaurant – but you’ll know how it feels. Empty.

Ambient sound creates dimension and adds depth, while the score enhances emotion. Sometimes it’s subtle like the heartbeat that underscores the entire Sixth Sense. Or not so subtle, like the herald of the shark in Jaws, or the screech in Psycho, which I remember from forty years ago.

In the scenes for which we did ADR, our characters are now more intimate, effectively reducing the physical and psychic space between the audience and big screen. Now they’re in a better position for you to like them or at least sympathize with them.

Thanks to our very talented sound guy, our film is becoming multi-dimensional. Next step is a full session with our composer. I can’t wait to hear the music make the film come alive.

[This piece is a contribution by Lorraine Flett, inspired by her Indie, “Mismo”. ]