So for our
final end of year productions, I will hopefully be the sound engineer on two of
the productions. Here I will outline what a sound engineer does and why they
are important, who is a major influence on me and what techniques they use that
can help me.
What is a “sound engineer”?
As
prospects.ac.uk describes it, ‘Sound technicians are required to assemble,
operate and maintain the technical equipment used to record, amplify, enhance,
mix or reproduce sound.’ They would be in charge of anything that is heard
during a scene or shot (expect for the soundtrack), whether that be a car in
the background or people talking. Depending on the size of production, there
can be one sound engineer for the whole duration of the production or there can
be multiple, with various aspects having dedicated individuals to them, for
example there can be sound assistants,
sound recordists, sound supervisors¸ dialogue editors, dubbing mixers, production mixer, and even Foley
artists, who would add in sound effects during post-production.
In the production stage:
Out of the
roles listed above the assistants, recordists and supervisors would all be on
set. The assistants would help get the equipment ready, setting up the
recorders and mixers to the correct settings, repairing equipment if needs be,
literally assisting the recordist in any way possible. The recordist would be
in charge of the actual recording, going from the microphone to the recorder,
ensuring that it is crisp and that the recordings are as good as possible. If a
boom microphone is required, the assistant may help to hold the boom pole. They
are also able to call a stop to the scene if there is something wrong with the
audio. The supervisors will consult with the producers and the actors to
determine the microphone type required and ensure the entire set is suitable
for recording, getting people to turn off cars or generators if they are making
unwanted noise for example.
In the post-production stage:
The dialogue
editors, dubbing mixers, production mixers and Foley artists are all involved
in the post-production stage, working with the video editor to sort any
inconsistences in the edit. The dialogue editors would synchronise the footage
with the audio, guaranteeing the audio is perfect and usable for the final
edit. If not, they would use ADR (Automated
Dialogue Replacement) or dubbing to
perfect the dialogue. The dubbing mixers are included in this process, helping
the dialogue editor to synchronise the original footage with the new dubbed
over dialogue. Production mixers would use the dialogue, wild track and any
additional audio and combine in order to mix the audio to a sufficient standard
to be used in the final edit, with the Foley artists adding any extra sound
effects required.
The most influential
sound engineer (to me) would be Ben
Burtt, of Star Wars fame.
Ben Burtt – Stars Wars series, WALL-E (2008), Star Trek:
Into Darkness (2013)
Ben Burtt is
arguably one of the most famous sound engineers of the 20th and 21st
centuries. He is the creator of many iconic characters, including Chewbacca,
R2-D2, Darth Vader and WALL-E. The sound effects he has created are second to
none, with over 2,600 files alone for WALL-E.
When working on the Star Wars franchise,
much of his best work came through a mix of different sounds. The character
Chewbacca was vocally created through combining the roars of bears, lions,
walruses, badgers and even sick animals to achieve this emotional animal that
sounds realistic. The instantly-recognisable lightsaber sounds came accidently
to him – he walked past a television set that was on with a live microphone and
picked up a buzz, combining that with the motor of an old projector he was able
to create initial hum from a lightsaber and when needed he would move the microphone
about to recreate the movement of the lightsaber.
A film that
has recently moved me through the use (and on occasion no use) of sound would
be Sicario
(2015).
Sicario (2015) –
William Sarokin (Sound mixer) Alan Robert Murray (Sound editor), Jóhann Jóhannsson (Composer)
For each
aspect of this film, it knocks it out of the park. The narrative, editing and
cinematography (which Roger Deacon deservedly was given an Oscar nomination
for) blew my mind throughout the film. But the aspect that keeps bringing me
back to Sicario is the sound. The
sound editing alongside a phenomenal sound track help the film create a gritty
atmosphere in a chaotic world. Points of eerie silence timed perfectly
alongside a dark minimalistic soundtrack definitely makes the film into a
suspenseful thriller. There is a point in the film that embodies what I loved
about it. Without spoiling anything, two main characters are having a
conversation that becomes an argument, but not only does the crisp clear
dialogue and delivery by the actors make it good, it’s the silence around them
after each of their words (they are in the desert in the middle of the night)
accompanied by a drilling score that almost makes what is happening seem real.
With both Alan Robert Murray and Jóhann Jóhannsson getting nominated for Oscars
this year in Best Sound Editing and Best Original Score respectively, I’m
extremely pleased that I wasn’t the only person to recognise the work that the
sound department put in.
