Week 5 — Sound Design

To Do This Week

• Practice field recording and critical listening
• Record voice and ambient sound with intention
• Experiment with sound design and layering
• Explore generated and synthetic audio as cinematic material
• Begin thinking of sound as narrative structure, not decoration

Core Concepts

• Sound creates space: we hear before we see, and often beyond the frame
• Sound implies off-screen worlds: what we hear suggests unseen causes
• Sound organizes time: rhythm, repetition, duration, anticipation
• Sound establishes subjectivity: whose world are we hearing?

Field Sound & Listening

Field recording is not about capturing “clean” sound only. It is about attention, patience, and selection.

Exercise: Listening Before Recording

• Spend 5 minutes in a location without recording
• Identify foreground, midground, and background sounds
• Notice rhythms, repetitions, interruptions, and drones
• Ask: what kind of story could exist here?

Field Recording Guidelines

• Record longer than you think you need (30–90 seconds)
• Record room tone at every location
• Minimize handling noise and movement
• Capture variations: stillness, movement, proximity

Voice Recording

Voice is one of the most powerful narrative tools in cinema. It can function as character, memory, confession, authority, or interior thought.

Key Considerations

• Distance to microphone changes intimacy and power
• Breath, pauses, and imperfections carry meaning
• Neutral delivery vs expressive delivery
• Voice does not need to explain the image

Exercise

Record the same short text three times:

• Neutral / informational
• Intimate / internal
• Detached / observational

Compare how meaning shifts without changing the words.

Atmospheres & Ambience

Atmosphere is not background. It is the emotional climate of a scene.

• Continuous sound creates immersion
• Subtle shifts signal narrative change
• Silence is an active decision

Think Cinematically

• Is the sound objective (world sound) or subjective (inner state)?
• Does the ambience remain stable or evolve?
• What happens if the ambience contradicts the image?

Sound Effects & Design

Sound effects are not about realism alone. They are about emphasis, abstraction, and meaning.

• Natural sounds can be exaggerated or displaced
• Effects can signal memory, threat, or transition
• Repetition creates motifs

Advanced practice means deciding what not to hear.

Generated & Synthetic Audio

AI-generated sound, voices, and music are now part of contemporary cinema. These tools should be treated as instruments, not shortcuts.

Use Cases

• Abstract atmospheres
• Non-human or imagined spaces
• Unreliable narration
• Procedural or evolving soundscapes

Critical Questions

• What does generated sound suggest about authorship?
• Does it feel embodied or alien?
• Should the audience recognize it as artificial?

Sound & Storytelling

Sound can:

• Introduce a character before they appear
• Extend space beyond the frame
• Compress or stretch time
• Signal internal states
• Create narrative continuity across cuts

Advanced cinema uses sound to think, not just to illustrate.

Mini Assignment: Sonic Sketch (5%)

Create a 30–45 second audio piece that suggests a place, event, or emotional state. No images.

• Use at least three layers (e.g. ambience, voice, effect)
• Include at least one recorded sound and one manipulated or generated sound
• Focus on structure: beginning, middle, shift

Post the audio (or waveform screenshot) to the blog with a short reflection.

Key Takeaway

Advanced filmmakers do not add sound at the end. They design sonic worlds alongside images — or sometimes before them.