How important is sound? - Documentary Film-making (FLM225)

When you go to a movie theater to see the next highly anticipated blockbuster, leaning back in the new, super comfortable first class seating that's now also consuming the stray bits of warm popcorn that missed your lips. And then greeted by the most spectacular and innovative visuals, amplified tenfold by the big screen, you start to fall deeper and deeper into the world and story that's being told before you. BUT, something is wrong, a faint yet steady whisper coming from behind you, two seats to the left that is just.. not.. stopping.

Does this irritate you? I know it certainly does for me. Why do we go to such big and immersive theaters, or sit on the couch or bed at home with the lights turned off and the volume cranked up? Because we want to travel to another place, we want to transcend into that world shown on the screen and experience it fully. But that is near impossible. Take the example above, how many times has this happened to you and how many times has it dampened your enjoyment or pulled you out of the film completely?

We as humans are very much visual beings, this is how most people think. However on a more subtle level, it is actually our sense of hearing that is arguably more relied upon especially in terms of films and filmmaking. I believe that being able to listen to your environment is incredibly more fulfilling on a personal level rather than looking at a still or moving image.

As the saying goes, 'You can watch bad pictures with good audio, but you can't watch good pictures with bad audio'. I came to film school with a similar idea as I would often edit my own works to rhythm and do a lot of my sound work beforehand. However through my own experiences now I can definitely see the truth to that statement and completely stand by it, as I recommend other filmmakers to do as well.

This statement applies to all areas of filmmaking, even that of documentary.

Documentary film-making is an interesting concept in terms of sound design, because more often than not, what would be considered 'bad sound' can become the breathe of life of your film you just need to know how to use it. In documentary, you are not always going to have access to top tier sound equipment and you definitely are not going to have any control over the environments. But because documentary is generally based upon 'reality', that base camera audio picking up those perfect couple of lines in a take that you didn't even mean to do, can provide a sense of realness that immediately engages audiences into the story.

I don't want you to think that because of that you can just go out and film bad sound and throw it into your doco and expect results. It comes back to knowing how and when to use that 'bad' sound and turning it into something great in the right moment. Otherwise you might as well go back to listening to that constant whispering behind your back in the theater. This is where having access and a working relationship with to a composer/sound designer is highly acclaimed. The sound design process for documentary is just as in depth, if not more than a narrative film. Giving a detailed brief to the sound design team is incredibly important as you build the soundscapes for your film and build the atmosphere that people will listen to.

Every single thing that an audience member hears should be accounted for by the filmmaker and the sound team. And again the reason for this is summed up in that statement that you can't watch good pictures with bad audio.

The post-sound process consists of, as said above, a brief in which the Director gives their intentions and ideals for the film to the audio team and provides detailed transcriptional notes on the entirety of the film. Which is re-addressed in spotting sessions where the whole team can mark up the picture-locked cut of the film and identify everything that needs to be fixed and enhanced. The composer can also start creating a theme and rhythm for the film. From this point communication is key for the Director and the audio team, bouncing rough mixes back and forth and refining to a point of perfection.

And just to again reinforce this idea that great sound is the gateway into the minds of an audience, the whole reason a film (no matter what kind) needs to be picture-locked and MUST NOT be changed in anyway after that, lest the sound team throws out everything and starts from scratch (which is necessary when changes do need to be made). Is because if even the slightest thing is changed, a frame or two nudged in the wrong direction. The whole mix is thrown out of sync and one of the wonderful perks of being a human is that you can notice this, and it can ruin the entire experience even though the visuals are still on point.

As a race we would of never of survived without music, could you imagine a world in which there was none?

Written by

Aedan Bruitzman

References

Beerends, J. G. (2012, January). The Influence of Video Quality on Perceived Audio Quality and vice versa. Retrieved from Reasearch Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243786211_The_influence_of_video_quality_on_perceived_audio_quality_and_vice_versa

Harrel, L. S. (2016). Why Audio is More Important Than Video Image Quality. Retrieved from VTREP: http://vtrep.com/audio-is-more-important-than-video-picture-quality/

Schmidt, J. K. (2011, February 16). Sound more important than video? Say it ain’t so…. Retrieved from Storyteling 101: https://storytelling101.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/sound-more-important-tha-video-say-it-aint-so/