The Elements Of Sound Design

Summary

This script delves into the intricacies of sound design, categorizing it into speech, sound effects, and music. It highlights the importance of distinguishing between realistic and stylized sounds, using the Hollywood punch sound as an example of hyper-realistic effects. The discussion also touches on the contrast between diegetic sounds, present within the film's world, and non-diegetic sounds, like music and ominous rumbles, which are external but crucial for emotional impact and storytelling.

Takeaways

• 🎤 **Speech**: Includes dialogue on set, voiceover, and ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement).
• 🔊 **Sound Effects**: Divided into hard effects (like a punch or door closing), Foley effects (recorded while watching the picture, like footsteps), and ambience (background sounds that set the scene).
• 🎵 **Music**: Used to enhance the emotional impact of a scene and can be either diegetic (part of the film's world) or non-diegetic (external to the film's world, like the soundtrack).
• 🤼 **Hyper-Realistic Sounds**: In Hollywood, sounds like a punch are often exaggerated for impact, combining various elements to create a more dramatic effect.
• 🎬 **Foley Art**: The process of creating sound effects in a studio to match the action in film, such as clothing sounds or footsteps, to enhance realism.
• 🌆 **Ambience**: The background noise that gives a sense of the environment, like a cityscape with traffic and distant music.
• 🎥 **Realism vs. Stylization**: Sound designers must decide between realistic sounds and stylized or hyper-realistic sounds to match the film's tone and visuals.
• 🎧 **Diegetic Sounds**: Sounds that are part of the film's narrative world, like dialogue and car doors closing.
• 🎶 **Non-Diegetic Sounds**: Sounds that come from outside the film's world, such as the score or background music that characters wouldn't hear.
• 📽️ **Emotional Evoke**: Non-diegetic sounds like music or sound effects can be used to evoke specific emotions and enhance the storytelling.

Q & A

What are the three broad categories of sound design mentioned in the script?

The three broad categories of sound design mentioned are speech, sound effects, and music.

What are some examples of speech in sound design?

Examples of speech in sound design include dialogue on set, voiceover, and ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement).

What are hard effects in sound design?

Hard effects are the sounds of physical actions such as a punch, a door closing, or an explosion.

Can you explain what Foley effects are in the context of sound design?

Foley effects are sounds that are recorded while watching the picture, such as footsteps, clothing sounds, or the sound of a horse's hooves on sand.

What is meant by the ambience of a scene in sound design?

The ambience of a scene refers to the background sounds that set the listener in a space, like room tone or the sounds of a cityscape including cars and distant music.

Why might a Hollywood punch sound different from a real punch?

A Hollywood punch might sound different from a real punch because it is often made hyper-realistic to match the epic visuals and music, often by adding elements like a stake hit with a baseball bat or the sound of celery cracking to simulate bone break.

What is the difference between realistic sound and stylized or hyper-realistic sounds in sound design?

Realistic sound aims to replicate actual sounds as they occur, while stylized or hyper-realistic sounds are exaggerated or altered to enhance the emotional impact or match the visual style of the scene.

What are digetic sounds in film?

Diegetic sounds are those that are part of the film's world, such as dialogue, car doors closing, or cars passing by that the characters can hear.

Give an example of non-diegetic sound in a film.

An example of a non-diegetic sound is the film's soundtrack or score, which the characters do not hear, or a low rumble that builds with the scene's intensity to create an ominous vibe.

How do the elements of speech, sound effects, and music influence storytelling in sound design?

The elements of speech, sound effects, and music in sound design can significantly change the narrative by setting the mood, enhancing emotions, and providing context, which in turn influences how the story is perceived by the audience.

Why is it important for sound designers to know when to use realistic sounds and when to use stylized sounds?

It is important for sound designers to know when to use realistic sounds and when to use stylized sounds because it allows them to create an appropriate auditory experience that complements the visual storytelling and evokes the desired emotional response from the audience.

Outlines

00:00

🎙️ Sound Design Elements

This paragraph introduces the three broad categories of sound design: speech, sound effects, and music. Speech includes dialogue on set, voiceover, and ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement). Sound effects are divided into hard effects (like a punch or door closing), Foley effects (recorded while watching the picture, such as footsteps or clothing sounds), and ambience (the background sounds that set the scene, like a cityscape or room tone). The paragraph emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between realistic and stylized/hyper-realistic sounds, using the example of a Hollywood punch, which might include exaggerated sounds like a celery crack to enhance the impact. It also touches on the difference between diegetic sounds (those occurring within the film's world) and non-diegetic sounds (like music or a low rumble that adds to the scene's mood but isn't part of the film's reality).

Keywords

💡Sound Design

Sound design is the art of creating and selecting sounds for a film, video game, or other media. It encompasses the entire auditory experience, including dialogue, sound effects, and music. In the script, sound design is the central theme, discussed in terms of its three broad categories and its importance in storytelling and evoking emotions in the audience.

💡Speech

Speech in sound design refers to the dialogue and vocal elements in a production. It includes on-set dialogue, voiceovers, and ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement). Speech is crucial for conveying the narrative and character interactions, as highlighted in the script where it is one of the three main categories of sound design.

💡Sound Effects

Sound effects are the non-musical, non-vocal sounds used in media to enhance the realism or create a specific atmosphere. The script mentions two types: hard effects, like a punch or door closing, and Foley effects, which are recorded while watching the picture to synchronize with visual actions, such as footsteps or clothing sounds.

💡Music

Music in sound design refers to the composed and selected musical scores that accompany a production. It plays a significant role in setting the mood and tone, as well as providing emotional cues to the audience. The script discusses the difference between realistic and stylized music, emphasizing the hyper-realistic approach in Hollywood productions.

💡Hyper-realistic Sounds

Hyper-realistic sounds are exaggerated or enhanced sounds that are not entirely true to life but are designed to match the intensity and style of the visuals and music. The script uses the example of a Hollywood punch, which might include the sound of a baseball bat hitting a stake and celery cracking to mimic bone breakage, to illustrate how hyper-realistic sounds can add energy to a scene.

💡Ambience

Ambience refers to the background sounds that create a sense of environment and space. It can include room tone or the sounds of a cityscape. In the script, ambience is described as an important element of sound design that helps to place the listener within the scene, contributing to the overall atmosphere.

💡Diegetic Sounds

Diegetic sounds are those that are part of the film's world and can be heard by the characters within the story. The script explains that dialogue and car door closings are examples of diegetic sounds, as they are happening within the context of the film.

💡Non-diegetic Sounds

Non-diegetic sounds are those that are not part of the film's world and are not heard by the characters. They are added for the audience's benefit, such as the film's soundtrack or a low rumble to build tension. The script contrasts these with diegetic sounds and uses them to evoke emotions and enhance the storytelling.

💡ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement)

ADR is a technique used in sound design where dialogue is re-recorded in a studio to replace or improve the original on-set recording. The script mentions ADR as part of the speech category, highlighting its role in ensuring the clarity and quality of dialogue in post-production.

💡Foley Effects

Foley effects are named after Jack Foley, a pioneer in sound effects work. They are created by a foley artist who produces everyday sound effects in sync with the film's visuals. The script describes how foley effects like footsteps or clothing sounds are recorded while watching the picture to ensure accurate synchronization.

Highlights

Sound design consists of three broad categories: speech, sound effects, and music.

Speech includes dialogue on set, voiceover, and ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement).

Sound effects are divided into hard effects, Foley effects, and ambience.

Hard effects are sounds like a punch, door closing, or an explosion.

Foley effects are recorded while watching the picture, such as footsteps and clothing sounds.

Ambience includes the room tone and the sounds that create the setting's atmosphere.

Realistic sound versus stylized or hyper-realistic sounds are important to consider in sound design.

A Hollywood punch sound is hyper-realistic, combining elements like a stake hit with a baseball bat and celery cracking for bone break.

Hyper-realistic sounds enhance the energy of a scene, complementing visuals and music.

Digetic sounds are those that are actually in the film, like dialogue and car doors closing.

Non-diegetic sounds are not part of the film's world, such as the soundtrack or added rumbles for intensity.

Non-diegetic sounds like music are used to evoke emotions from the audience.

The use of speech, sound effects, and music can significantly change the narrative of a story.

Sound design is crucial for creating an immersive and emotionally engaging experience for the audience.

Understanding the difference between realistic and stylized sounds is key to effective sound design.

The balance between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds contributes to the overall mood and tone of a film.

Transcripts

so let's talk about the different

elements of sound design

we have three broad categories we have

speech sound effects and music

within speech we have dialogue on set

there could be voiceover

there could be adr which is automatic

dialogue replacement

for sound effects we have hard effects

which are

the sound of a punch

a door closing

or an explosion

we also have foley effects and this is

when you're

actually recording sound effects while

watching the picture

so these could be footsteps this could

be clothing sounds

it could be the sound of horse hose on

sand

another sound effect is the ambience of

the scene so

this can be the room tone this can be

the sound of a

cityscape with cars passing by

with someone playing the saxophone a few

blocks down that's echoing through the

buildings all of this can be the

ambience around the scene that puts the

listener in a space

so in sound design there are a couple

different ways that you can approach

each scene

and it's really important to think about

the difference between realistic sound

and stylized or hyper-realistic sounds

so let's talk about the sound of a punch

now imagine the sound of a real punch

it's

there's not much to it you're hitting

the flesh you're

you've got a little bit of a thud but

it's it's over very quickly

in hollywood that just doesn't fly

that's just not enough

it wouldn't match the epic music and

visuals that are happening

so because of that we need to make this

sound hyper-realistic so

in the sound of a hollywood punch there

could be many different elements in it

hey phil connors man

we could take a uh take a stake and hit

it with a baseball bat

welcome to earth we could add the sound

of

celery cracking to get like a little bit

of a bone break

and that'll just really make that punch

sound stronger than it really is

and that's really what people want oh

oh my god viola i'm so sorry i didn't

meet you

you don't go and slap somebody and then

apologize get some backbone

so that hyper-realistic sound of a punch

really adds to the energy of the scene

and so it's really important to know

when to use realistic sounds

and when to add more value to the sound

another divide in sound design elements

is the difference between

what are called digetic sounds and

non-diegetic sounds

and so these digetic sounds are ones

that are actually in the film

so we think about

we've got the dialogue we've got the car

door closing everything

that's actually happening in the film

you know maybe there's a car passing by

that's all understandable and then we

have non-diegetic sounds

which are not actually something

happening in the film so one example of

this

is the music or the soundtrack the

characters usually aren't hearing the

music unless they're in a bar

or something like that that music is

non-diegetic

another example of a non-diegetic sound

could be

a low rumble that's growing as the

intensity of the scene rises

so the room isn't actually rumbling that

the

actors and actresses are in but that

rumble

can add to this ominous vibe as the

scene progresses

and that's what we're going for we're

trying to evoke these emotions

from the audience so we have speech

sound effects and music

so how we use these three elements can

really change the way we tell the story

you