Audio for Video (why it matters)

At Blueforest Studios, we are constantly looking for ways to improve what we do and expand our skill set. Sometimes that means finding a new animation effect to apply, imagining new camera movements to implement in one of our client videos or just learning how others pull off a well-executed production. Over lunch one day, our team watched a MasterClass lesson from a well-renowned filmmaker and he suggested something interesting: watching a particular scene from a classic movie…..with the sound off.

Say what?!

It made sense at the time because we were technically evaluating the shots that were being used, the pacing of the editing, etc. That being said, there is NO WAY I could ever watch an entire movie that way! Sure, you can pick up on some components of a narrative by watching an actor’s body language or facial expressions, lighting and movement of a scene. But audio is critical to telling a complete story. In fact, George Lucas (some of you may have heard of him….he’s accomplished a few things) once said that “Sound is half the experience.” and I believe him.

Take a second and watch this:

In 1977, with the release of "Star Wars: A New Hope," Ben Burtt introduced a new lexicon of sounds into our aural vocabulary. This video is a celebration of those iconic sounds that have been rattling around my head since childhood and that have since become ingrained in our collective pop culture psyche. It is also a celebration of Ben Burtt's genius. Sound design by Ben Burtt. Edited by Rishi Kaneria (@rishikaneria) Footage taken from: Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi Some other great video essays exploring sound in film: “The Sounds Of Aronofsky” by Kogonada https://vimeo.com/42191484 “Hearing Tarantino” by Jacob T. Swinney https://vimeo.com/118431867 SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING FINE BLOGS FOR FEATURING THIS VIDEO: LIVEFORFILMS: http://www.liveforfilms.com/2015/05/12/the-sounds-of-star-wars/ INDIEWIRE: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-sonic-supercut-of-the-sounds-from-star-wars-episode-iv-a-new-hope-20150512 CINEMABLEND: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Star-Wars-Geekiest-Sounds-Merge-Together-Very-Cool-Supercut-71407.html FAST COMPANY CO.CREATE: http://www.fastcocreate.com/3046207/pew-pew-see-how-every-whirring-whooshing-sci-fi-sound-effect-started-with-star-wars ROPE OF SILICON: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/watch-listen-hearing-galaxy-far-far-away/ THE CURIOUS BRAIN: http://thecuriousbrain.com/?p=67883 INDIE WIRE - PRESS PLAY: http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/watch-listening-to-the-sounds-of-star-wars-20150512 KOTTKE: http://kottke.org/ THE CREATORS PROJECT: http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/supercut-the-sounds-of-star-wars-is-music-to-our-ears SPLOID GIZMODO: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/video-the-sound-effects-of-star-wars-1704016993 LAUGHING SQUID: http://laughingsquid.com/a-supercut-of-the-iconic-sounds-in-the-original-star-wars-trilogy/ POPULAR MECHANICS: http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/music/a15515/supercut-sound-effects-star-wars/ DEVOUR: http://devour.com/video/the-sounds-of-star-wars/ SLATE: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/05/12/the_sounds_of_star_wars_a_compilation_of_ben_burtt_s_aural_delights_from.html GEEKY TYRANT: http://geektyrant.com/news/supercut-the-sounds-of-star-wars MOVIES.COM: http://www.movies.com/movie-news/today-movie-culture-sounds-39star-wars39-disney39s-39indiana-jones39-restaurant-more/18475 THE NERDIST: http://nerdist.com/a-supercut-of-star-wars-sounds/

Awesome, right? Lots of good memories. Now, imagine if R2-D2 sounded like a typewriter, or Darth Vader’s labored breathing being completely silent, or a lightsaber sounding like a puny electric fence. Would you have enjoyed the movie as much? Okay fine, maybe. But all of the audio used in Star Wars was there for one purpose….it helped tell the story. And it can help tell your story as well.

Make an impact

We can pour hours of effort into a perfectly polished script or planned shot list for one of our clients but if dialogue is recorded poorly, the music track selected doesn’t match the feel of a scene or the sound effects distract from the actual story, the end result will be underwhelming (ie, not at all what our team is aiming for). Likewise, if we record everything properly, find the perfect music track and sound effects but don’t take the necessary time in post-production to mix and sweeten the audio, we’ve missed an opportunity to help the story become memorable and help the viewer feel something. And that is the point, right?

A Perfect Match

It’s a creative challenge to produce something great when timelines are tight. When a deliverable is due, the temptation to just drop in audio as-is because “no one will notice” may rear its ugly head every once in a while. But the additional time and effort devoted to maximizing the sound in a video always pays off.

A great video needs great audio. A great story needs a great story-teller. It’s like peanut butter and jelly. Like Simon and Garfunkel. Like Stockton and Malone. Or like…. something….and something else that goes really well with it.

George was right: One without the other is just “half the experience.”

If you want help telling your story through video or animation, please contact us today. We’d love to learn more about your project.