How A Quiet Place (2018) Uses Sound Design | Stories As Lessons
Summary
TLDRThis video script discusses the critical role of sound design in horror films, using 'A Quiet Place' as a prime example. It explores how the film innovates with jump scares and employs silence to build tension, emphasizing the primal fear of sound in a world where noise attracts deadly creatures. The script also touches on the film's unique approach to perspective, particularly through the deaf character, and argues for the recognition of sound design as a storytelling tool that can enhance and propel the narrative.
Takeaways
- 🎬 The script discusses the importance of sound design in movies, particularly in the horror genre.
- 🏆 Despite the Academy Awards not often recognizing horror movies, the script argues for the technical achievements in sound design, exemplified by 'A Quiet Place'.
- 👂 The film 'A Quiet Place' uses silence and sound strategically to create tension and fear, innovating the traditional jump scare.
- 👨👩👧👦 The story revolves around a family trying to survive in a world where sound attracts deadly creatures.
- 🎵 The script contrasts common horror movie sound techniques with the more nuanced approach taken by 'A Quiet Place'.
- 👂👀 The perspective of the deaf daughter in 'A Quiet Place' is explored through the absence of sound, enhancing audience empathy.
- 🎞️ Sound design is compared to a character in a film, needing to blend in yet stand out when necessary.
- 🐰 The Pixar movie 'Zootopia' is mentioned for its creative sound design, such as emulating the sounds of rabbit footsteps.
- 🎥 The script calls for the Academy to recognize and award innovative sound design that contributes to storytelling.
- 👶 The film taps into primal and childhood fears, like the boogeyman, by using sound as a central narrative element.
- 🎭 The script concludes by emphasizing the immersive power of sound in film, urging viewers to appreciate the art of sound design.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the video script discussing?
-The video script is discussing the importance and impact of sound design in movies, particularly in the horror genre, using 'A Quiet Place' as a prime example.
What is the unique experiment described in the script involving bacon sounds?
-The script describes an experiment where the sound of rain in a video is replaced with the sound of bacon frying to test which of three videos has the altered audio, only to reveal that all three have the bacon sound.
Why are horror movies often overlooked for prestigious awards like the Academy Awards?
-Horror movies are often overlooked for prestigious awards because the genre is not typically associated with technical achievements or narrative depth, despite the pivotal role sound plays in these films.
What is the premise of 'A Quiet Place'?
-'A Quiet Place' is a survival story about a family living in a world where any sound they make could attract deadly monsters.
How does 'A Quiet Place' innovate the use of jump scares?
-In 'A Quiet Place', jump scares are innovated by integrating them into the narrative, making them a clever technique rather than just startling moments.
What is the role of sound design in creating tension in horror movies?
-Sound design in horror movies is crucial for maintaining tension by creating a sense of fear and paranoia, which keeps the audience engaged and on edge.
How does the script describe the use of sound design for the character Regan, the deaf daughter in 'A Quiet Place'?
-The script describes how sound design is used to strip all sound from the movie when switching to Regan's perspective, allowing the audience to empathize with her vulnerability and experience the world as she does.
What is the significance of the scene where Regan tests her hearing device with speakers in 'A Quiet Place'?
-The scene where Regan tests her hearing device is significant as it plays with audience expectations of sound, creating a sense of alienation and vulnerability when the expected sound does not occur.
How does 'A Quiet Place' use the absence of sound to build tension?
-By drawing attention to the potential dangers of sound and then taking it away, 'A Quiet Place' forces the audience to bottle up natural emotional responses, building internal tension.
What is the comparison made between 'A Quiet Place' and 'Lights Out' in terms of narrative techniques?
-Both 'A Quiet Place' and 'Lights Out' are compared in their creative use of common film techniques—sound and lighting, respectively—to fit into their narratives and enhance the storytelling.
What is the final message the script conveys about the importance of sound design in movies?
-The script emphasizes that sound design should be recognized not just as a tool for storytelling but as a creative force that can push narratives forward in innovative ways.
Outlines
🎬 The Impact of Sound Design in Horror Movies
This paragraph discusses the transformative power of sound design in movies, particularly in the horror genre. It begins with a creative demonstration where the sound of rain is replaced with bacon frying, highlighting how sound can be manipulated to alter perceptions. The discussion then shifts to the Academy Awards' tendency to overlook horror films, despite their technical achievements, exemplified by 'Get Out' and 'A Quiet Place'. 'A Quiet Place' is lauded for its innovative use of sound to build tension and fear, turning a common horror trope—the jump scare—into a narrative tool. The video also touches on the broader importance of sound design, using 'Zootopia' as an example of how subtle sound details can enhance storytelling. The unique approach to sound when portraying the perspective of the deaf character, Regan, is also highlighted, emphasizing how it allows the audience to empathize with her vulnerability.
👂 Sound as a Narrative Tool in 'A Quiet Place'
The second paragraph delves deeper into 'A Quiet Place', exploring how the film uses sound—or the absence of it—to create a sense of dread and suspense. It discusses how the movie's premise, where any sound can attract deadly creatures, forces characters to suppress natural human reactions like screaming or yelling. This creates an internal tension that is unique to the film. The paragraph also draws parallels between the film's use of sound and childhood fears of the boogeyman, suggesting that 'A Quiet Place' taps into a primal fear. The narrative technique of using sound as a central element of the story is praised, and the paragraph concludes with a call for the Academy to recognize the innovative use of sound design in storytelling. The video encourages viewers to appreciate the细致 and immersive sound design that can elevate a movie beyond its visual elements.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sound Design
💡Jump Scares
💡Tension
💡Empathy
💡Survival Story
💡Primal Fear
💡Character-Driven Narrative
💡Innovative
💡Horror Genre
💡Academy Awards
💡Immersion
Highlights
Tasos Frantzolas discusses the power of sound design in a video experiment where rain sounds are replaced with bacon frying.
The Academy Awards rarely recognize horror movies for their achievements, despite their importance in sound design.
John Krasinski's 'A Quiet Place' is highlighted for its innovative use of sound design in a horror setting.
In 'A Quiet Place', any sound can attract deadly monsters, creating a unique premise for sound design.
Traditional jump scares are criticized for being startling rather than scary, often deflating tension.
Effective horror relies on maintaining tension and inducing a sense of fear that keeps the audience engaged.
'A Quiet Place' reimagines the jump scare as an integral part of the narrative, rather than a simple trope.
Sound design should feel like a character and blend seamlessly into the film, as explained by Wired.
The Pixar movie 'Zootopia' is used as an example of unique sound design for different characters and actions.
In 'A Quiet Place', the perspective of the deaf daughter, Regan, is portrayed by removing sound, enhancing empathy.
A heart-wrenching scene in 'A Quiet Place' uses sound design to make the audience feel alienated and vulnerable like Regan.
The film 'A Quiet Place' draws attention to sound by making any sound a threat, preying on primal fears.
The movie uses the absence of sound to build tension and force the audience to suppress natural reactions.
Common horror movie sounds like glass smashing or muffled footsteps are repurposed as dangers in 'A Quiet Place'.
David F. Sandberg's 'Lights Out' is mentioned for its creative use of lighting similar to 'A Quiet Place's' sound design.
The film taps into the childhood fear of the boogeyman, relating to the rule of sound in 'A Quiet Place'.
Movies should transport us into the characters' world, and 'A Quiet Place' achieves this through sound.
The Academy should recognize sound design as a storytelling tool that can be both subtle and innovative.
The lesson from 'A Quiet Place' is to pay attention to how sound can immerse us into a movie's world.
The story of 'A Quiet Place' is told not by dialogue or narration, but through sound design.
Transcripts
I'm going to play three videos of a
rainy day but I've replaced the audio of
one of the videos and instead of the
sound of rain I've added the sound of
bacon frying so I want you to think
carefully which one the clip with the
bacon is
all right so actually I lied they're all
bacon
[Applause]
[Music]
what you've just witnessed is a
discussion about sound design by Tasos
for solace and if you're like me and
relatively new to the art form odds are
you just had your mind blown by what
just happened the Academy Awards aren't
exactly known for giving awards to
horror movies whilst recently Jordan
peels get-out was nominated for Best
Picture and ended up winning Best
Original Screenplay the genre is sorely
underappreciated when it comes to
prestigious awards however I think you
could make a great case for John
Krasinski's a quiet place for technical
achievements in sound design a quiet
place has a simple premise it's a
survival story of a family living in a
world where any sound they make could
attract deadly monsters that stop at
nothing to make a meal out of them now
of course in the horror genre sound
always plays a pivotal role usually a
scare will be accompanied by a slowly
building score that culminates in a loud
jump scares are pretty commonplace in
most horror movies and have been the
subjects of many other video essays
mostly with negative connotations but I
do believe there are effective ways to
employ this technique the most common
criticism is that aren't scary
they're just startling and whilst they
may make you jump if it doesn't leave
any lasting impact then it's just gonna
feel like popping a balloon
yes it's loud and startling but then all
tension will have deflated from the
scene and for a horror movie to be
effective it needs to keep the tension
going as quick as the pacing thus
hypnotizing the audience into a paranoid
sense of fear that grips them to their
seats I walked away from a quiet place
with my mind blown to how it managed to
innovate the jump scare from an overused
trope to a very clever technique within
the film's narrative in a video by wired
sound design is explained as having to
feel like a character itself whilst
simultaneously blending in this may be
why some general audience members may
switch off when they hear something
about sound design because sound is
something we take for granted as part of
our day-to-day lives and thus goes
unnoticed
unless it's particularly unique or
startling hence the jump scares they
went on to use an example for the Pixar
movie Zootopia having to come up with
unique ways to emulate the sounds of
rabbit footsteps pictures moving lifting
up a suitcase and having the protagonist
judy hopps jump onto her bed if you
watch that scene in the movie you might
not notice these things but I urge you
to watch the video in the description to
see how that entire sequence was created
in sound design it's even particularly
unique that when we switch to the
perspective of Regan the family's deaf
daughter who in an impressive casting
choice was played by a legitimate deaf
actress in these moments all sound is
stripped from the movie it makes us see
the world of the movie how she does with
just a faint humming it's a good way to
make us empathize and demonstrate how
vulnerable she is to the threat of the
monster which I call clicker field you
know cuz it's like a mix of the clickers
from the last of us and the monster from
Cloverfield okay nevermind there's also
a heart-wrenching scene that cleverly
uses sound design involving Regan one of
the points of the movie is that her
father played by John Krasinski wishes
to aid her deafness by amplifying her
hearing device with speakers to which
she refuses hinting that she's given up
on this fantasy but a small part of hope
lingers inside her so when she puts them
on later to test them out and tries to
snap her fingers to see if they work
nothing happens all sound drains from
the scene and whilst we expect to hear a
snapping we don't my brains are
naturally wired to expect this sound and
when it doesn't happen it can make us
feel alienated a vulnerable just like
Regan does in the scenario and whilst we
don't hear her cries and weeping it's
not exactly hard for us to empathize and
imagine what they sound like what I
think a quiet place does very well is
through taking away an element that
we're so used to seeing on film we only
end up noticing and paying attention
when it's gone the film draws attention
to sound by teaching the audience to any
sound you make will result in death it
preys on quite a primal fear as the
natural response to pain is to scream in
agony or to yell in frustration when
something angers
by taking that away it forces us to
bottle up these emotions thus building
an inside rage that you can escape from
simple things like the Smashing of glass
or the sound of muffled footsteps the
hushed whispers it's all things were
used to seeing in horror movies usually
to warn us the dangers on the way
however in the case of a quiet place the
mere existence of sound is the danger
it's very similar to what I think David
F Sandberg did so creatively with lights
out drawing attention to another film
technique with lighting and fitting that
into the narrative with the monsters
abilities if you haven't seen the movie
yet I won't ruin it because the best way
to experience a quiet place is to go in
without knowing what's to come to only
go in knowing that if you make a sound
clicker field will come and get you I
believe this harkens back to the
childhood fear of the boogey man who
would haunt children if they did
anything bad and since the laws of this
movie outlaw sound I believe the
existence of clicker field does tap into
that childlike relatable fear of that
one thing going bump in the night
I believe movies exist to take us out of
our natural world and to place us firmly
in the world of the characters
experiencing the journey along with them
and allowing us to empathize and see the
world through their eyes and in this
case their ears I don't suspect a quiet
place we'll end up winning any major
awards like Best Picture actor or
anything like that but I implore the
Academy to recognize sound design not
only as a tool that helps blend in the
naturalistic methods of storytelling but
used creatively to help push the story
forward in a unique and innovative way
the lesson here is that films like this
teach us to pay attention in new ways
and I would implore anyone checking this
video out to read up further on the art
and then go back and watch some of your
favorite movies wondering how did a
group of people successfully manage to
immerse you into the world only with
sound
we should award movies that take
something we know and twist it into
something new that pay attention to
every little detail and use every
resource they can and in this case
King some away to deliver a truly
entertaining creative adrenaline ride of
a movie a story that isn't told by a
narrator a character or a director in a
quiet place what tells the story is
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