It was a pleasure reading this article. The concepts were a welcome review of sound’s role in filmmaking. ‘Designing a Movie For Sound’ by Randy Thom was thorough.. Normally, in the world of film today, audiences expect ‘nice’ songs to accompany story. These musical sound-bytes, designed by movie-makers, pander to their wishes, thus – contributing nothing of a shared, integrated structure to the overall mise-en-scene of the film. In stunning contrast, Thom discussed the legendary, extraordinary sound design of the movie, Apocalypse Now, describing how Coppola imbued the film into the sound, giving the characters “the opportunity to listen to the world around them” (Thom Mostly inspired by popular, but mediocre expectations, most movies today pick sounds to enhance box-office ticket sales, or appeal to the lowest-mindless-common-denominator of whatever happens to be trending at the moment. This critical response wholly attempts to give an honest, unfettered opinion of what Thom is trying to convey, and discuss a possible answer to the opening question in the ensuing paragraph. It is right to devote proper craftsmanship to infusing film with the richness of a quilt blanket, that extends from first scene to the last.
Why should filmmakers think about sound design as something more than a disguise for bad scripts, bland impressions, from pre-production to post in an effort to intensify a theme so deeply entwined, that it cannot be separated from story and theme? In the “Writing For Sound” section of the essay, Thom talked about the importance of how sound interacts with the creative connection in ways that mirror the complexity of the real world (Thom, “Designing a Movie”). The idea he tried to convey is that sound is the heart of a dream’s element, which at the very least should carry the weight of a full-blown character in the script.
Complex, yet not confusing, the article squarely hits the nail on the head in terms of how sound design should be best put to use, in filmmaking today. I really did appreciate the viewpoint Thom presented about how sound design is approached in such a shallow manner, and is not quite used to establish a point-of-view. Although it has been nearly 40 years since the release of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, from the first five minutes of the film, the soundtrack commands a quietly powerful, sense of intimacy with the characters’ experiences. Sounds of a helicopter’s blade softly blends with the cultural classic, sung by the Doors, disturbingly lulling the audience to perceive, “the end, my friend” (“Apocalypse Now,” 1979). The era of the times, during the 1960’s Vietnam War captured a merging of personal sentiments, ugly realities, inevitable painful choices, and so much more.
Really striking is the manner in which Thom described how sound-design could function as a double entendre. Once again, in reference to Apocalypse Now (1979), the film’s opening scene manages to demonstrate this by using the soft-thumping of military helicopter, to blend with the Martin Sheen character’s pov of his dingy, sweaty room’s ceiling fan – just brilliant. Thom’s ideas truly have the great potential of applying its principles to make better movies that amplify sound design – not by loudness, but by employing its range (music, or other sounds) to show emotions. Thom explains that a range of emotions using sound could stretch from “banal to exciting to frightening to weird to comforting to ugly to beautiful” (Thom 4). One great thing about the article was that it had enough information for any aspiring (or established) filmmaker to implement these suggestions to his, or her, project. If you really think about it, a lot of supposed film ‘experts’ only criticize, but never offer a way to improve beyond the technical. Thom gives practical, theoretical, and good examples to explain what is important about sound design in movies. And I like that.
Works Cited
Apocalypse Now. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, performances by Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper, and Harrison Ford, United Artists, 1979.
Thom, Randy. “Designing a Movie For Sound.” Thom.pdf Thom. file:///C:/Users/Use%20this%20one/Downloads/Thom.pdf accessed 24 January 2017.
