4/22/2014 Sound Judgment at the 86th Academy Awards: Part 2

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SOUND JUDGMENT AT THE 86TH ACADEMY AWARDS: PART 2

There are five excellent films nominated in the Best Sound Mixing category for this years Academy Awards. They include CaptainPhillips, Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,Inside Llewyn Davis, and Lone Survivor. These films cover a variety of subjects andgenres, and all of them contain a tremendous amount of amazing soundscapes that are integral to the success of the story.

In order to truly understand what it takes to be a Best Sound Mixing nominee, we must first understand what sound mixing is, and why it is suchan important part of the filmmaking process.

About Sound Mixing

Mixing sound for film is part creativity, part technical, and part feel, as all elements of the soundtrack–dialogue, music and sound effects–needto be able to work together and be heard. The trick lies in the fact that not everyone hears the same way, and not all theaters or playbacksystems completely agree on how films should sound.

So how do film mixers create these wonderful-sounding movies that are full of brilliant dynamics, depth and emotion? Let’s start with thedialogue. Dialogue is considered by some the basis for all great movies. That makes sense, since language is concrete: we’ve been trainedsince birth to speak it and understand it.

But sometimes, actors create a character who may not be the type that speaks loudly or clearly based on who that character is within the story.Think Sylvester Stallone in Rocky: he gave a brilliant performance, but he mumbled through half of it because it was the necessary approachfor that character. This is where the art form and the creativity come into play. When the dialogue gets lost, or “buried”, in the mix because of theintent of the director, actor, or sound supervisor, a mixer must ensure that the final sound of the dialogue matches that vision.

Opposite dialogue, we have music. Music is not concrete. It moves and flows, it rises and falls, it can create moods and tension, and can bequiet as a mouse or big as a tornado. It is an experience that translates universally. We feel the intent. We know how we are supposed to feelbased on the specific notes, melody, and structure of the music.

It is the job of the sound mixer to ensure that music compliments the other elements of the film. All at once, music has the power to supportdialogue, carry the story, change the mood of a scene, act as a segue, or work with sound effects to create a truly dramatic event.

This leads us to the middle ground of a film mix: sound effects. Sound effects, or SFX, are those often-misunderstood but extremely necessaryelements used to give movies originality. SFX can act like a voice or set the mood of a scene, and can be sharp, loud, soft, moody, creepy,comical, and any combination in between. Sometimes they are obvious, and sometimes they are felt rather than heard.

Everything from light sabers to a Werewolf’s bellow to the ticking of a watch to the drone of an alien ship are created or re-created to enhancethe on-screen action and bring the film to life. SFX at times can be the most important element of a film, and designers and editors go to greatlengths to create sounds that will leave a lasting impression.

Which takes us back to the Best Sound Mixing category. It is a re-recording mixers job to take all of these elements – dialogue, music, SFX–and sometimes silence – and blend them in such a way that every nuance can be heard, every impact powerful, every musical note expressive,and dialogue, that in most cases, cuts through and is crisp and clear. A wonderfully mixed soundtrack supports the picture and tells a story in itsown right.