How sound (and the technology behind it) can set the tone and enhance emotions in film and TV
09/05/2024
By Contributor
Published: May 9, 2024
Sefi Carmel, CEO and founder of SphereTrax, talks about the importance of the soundscape in delivering a truly immersive experience
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Crafting the perfect soundscape is fundamental to good storytelling in film. Get it right and your audience will find themselves drawn into the narrative, immersed into the story you are telling. Get it wrong, and your audience will snap out of that revelry in the blink of an eye. But what separates the good from the bad? And what exactly is a soundscape anyway? Let me explain.
If you look around, you'll likely find many different definitions for what a soundscape is. Some (incorrectly) suggest it to be merely musical in nature, but this isn't the case. One of the better definitions I've seen is this:
A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment.
In summary, it's the sounds that make up the world around us. In everyday life these sounds are all around us the wind in the trees, the cars driving by but in film, these sounds have to be meticulously crafted for each scene, to bring the listener into this artificial environment and make them feel like they're really there.
SphereTrax founder and CEO, Sefi Carmel But why is this so important? Do we really notice these subtleties when we're watching something? As it turns out, yes, we do. And it's just who we are as humans. Throughout our evolution, the ability to detect sounds played a pivotal role in survival. If we think of the traditional cavemen, you can imagine how important it was for them to be able to hear approaching predators if you didn't spot them coming, you'd be ending up as dinner. Since then, it's been pretty much hard-wired into us to always be listening, just in case a sabre-toothed tiger happens to be passing by.
Of course, it isn't solely down to the fear of being eaten. Even in today's world we remain vigilant to loud or unexpected sounds, which startle us so that we can quickly respond to any threats. Sound also helps us navigate the world around us marking the presence of other people, vehicles and objects. Not to mention that communicating through speech is fundamental to our lives. All that being said we are very sensitive to sound, and its meanings. Which is something that can be exploited very effectively when crafting soundscapes.
There are a tonne of examples of great soundscapes that successfully immerse their audience in the story. When thinking about the ideas I touched on earlier about how we are vigilant to sounds that might indicate threat, I think an interesting example is the sound design in A Quiet Place. For those unfamiliar, the film features a post-apocalyptic world which has been invaded by blind extra-terrestrial creatures with exceptional hearing. Thus, any character that hopes to live past lunchtime has to be pretty good at not making any noise. This makes for an interesting soundscape, as the usual prominent dialogues and sound design are replaced with a generally sparse and quiet soundscape. In this case, it places you within a space that's devoid of the usual sounds of human daily life, and instead features only subtle rustlings, a gentle breeze, and the buzz of insects, to make you feel like you are truly a part of this post-apocalyptic world.
Sound designers have been creating cleverly crafted film soundscapes for decades, and as time goes on new technologies have enabled them to continue to improve the immersive experience. One such advancement is in the use of spatial audio. Where films began in mono, they evolved over time to use more channels, with todays latest innovation being Dolby Atmos a system that allows you to place sounds more dynamically, opening up the horizontal plane so you can have sounds above the listener. Clearly the use of this lends itself very well to helping immerse the audience into the story you are telling, as they can feel completely surrounded by the soundscape that has been created. This is something that is becoming increasingly popular in the world of music too, with innovative companies like Spheretrax offering their music in Dolby Atmos to meet the needs of film producers, ad agencies and gaming companies for immersive music for their content.
Spatial audio isn't just evolving in film either. In the world of gaming, a lot of recent releases have chosen to mix their games in Dolby Atmos, meaning that players using headphones can benefit from a binaural experience that gives the illusion of 3-dimensional sound. Once again, it comes down to immersing the player into the environment with a soundscape that surrounds them, bringing them closer to the game they are playing. When combined with virtual reality technology, the effect can be quite stunning.
The rollout of Dolby Atmos technologies is still an ongoing process, but it is likely that the future will see more screens and theatres around the world embracing it, as the benefits for the audience are apparent. Meanwhile, sound designers continue to find their own ways of breaking the mould. Check out The Sound Of Metal for a great example of an effective soundscape the film follows the life of a drummer who begins losing his hearing, and the sound design mimics the feeling of this very closely, letting you really feel what the character is going through.
People will always find new ways to innovate, whether that's through new technologies or simply through creative use. We can't know for sure what new inventions may change how soundscapes are created or experienced, but you can be sure that the experienc
LINK: | https://www.tvbeurope.com/features/how-sound-and-the-technology-behind... |
See more stories from tvb |
Europe Stories
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
31/05/2024
Marlow Film Studios considering next steps' as council blocks plans
The proposal had received support from James Cameron, Andy Serkis, Paul Greengrass, Richard Curtis, and Jeremy Irons By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 31, 2...
31/05/2024
Skydance submits new Paramount Global bid, Sony talks still progressing'
According to multiple reports, the new bid from Skydance offers a better deal to Paramounts Class B shareholders, who were said to be unhappy with the companys ...
31/05/2024
2024 Rise Awards open for entries
The awards recognise women and companies who are stand-out performers, innovators and leaders in the broadcast media technology industry By Matthew Corrigan ...
31/05/2024
VEON discloses April YTD trading update at its AGM
31 May 2024 VEON discloses April YTD trading update at its AGM Amsterdam, 31 May 2024 07:00 CEST - VEON April YTD 2024 Highlights Total revenue of USD 1,278 ...
31/05/2024
VEON Announces Its New Board, Names Founder Augie Fabela as Chairman
31 May 2024 VEON Announces Its New Board, Names Founder Augie Fabela as Chairman Amsterdam, 31 May 2024, 16.00 CET: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam...
31/05/2024
Thales has completed the sale of its Ground Transportation Systems business
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn With around 9,000 employees, Ground Transportation Systems is a global leader in Rail Signaling and Train Control Systems, Telec...
31/05/2024
RT 2FM is the home of music this summer
RT 2FM is the home of music this summer, entertaining listeners across the day and night, with the best music, chat and interviews providing the soundtrack to ...
31/05/2024
RT Supporting the Arts: What's On this June
RT Supporting the Arts: What's On this June Watch our promo: RT Supporting the Arts | What's on YouTube This June, RT is delighted to support Lim...
30/05/2024
Empowering Media Leaders: Transformative Insights from the Executive Learning Series
Navigating Strategy, Ethics, and Innovation in the evolving European media lands...
30/05/2024
UNICEF and Spotify's Award-Winning Mental Health Hub, Our Minds Matter, Comes to Latin America
Mental health and well-being are fundamental components of a child's healthy...
30/05/2024
Finding the sustainability balance with personalised video streaming
As the expansion of personalised video streaming continues apace, JUMPs CEO and co-founder, Jer nimo Macan s and Fran ois Polarczyk, sustainability director at ...
30/05/2024
SMPTE/RIS-OSVP tests model for circle of confusion'
According to Camera and Lens Metadata committee, modern digital cinema cameras are not accurately representing the usable depth of field achieved with various l...
30/05/2024
Meet the vice president of product management
Dave MacKinnon, vice president of product management at Clear-Com, explains the value of collaboration and networking in building a media career By Matthew Cor...
30/05/2024
IEC 62443: Ewon strengthens its security posture
IEC 62443: Ewon strengthens its security posture 30 May 2024 at 22:00 Product News Cyber security Ewon Ewon by HMS Networks has always prioritized sec...
30/05/2024
RT Announces Rachael English as the New Presenter of News at One on RT Radio 1
RT has announced that Rachael English will be the new presenter of News at One on RT Radio 1 following the retirement of Bryan Dobson. After 14 years as part ...
29/05/2024
ST Engineering iDirect Next-Generation Hub Infrastructure Selected for Indonesia's First Multifunction Satellite
Highly scalable and flexible solution supporting Satria-1 satellite to facilitat...
29/05/2024
EditShare Boosts Sales Direction With Alumnus Grant Carroll
EditShare Boosts Sales Direction With Alumnus Grant Carroll Long-term leader moves up to head sales in the Americas Boston, MA, May 29, 2024 - EditShare, the...
29/05/2024
VEON appoints UHY LLP as auditors for VEON Group's 2023 PCAOB Audit and shares compliance plan with Nasdaq
29 May 2024 VEON appoints UHY LLP as auditors for VEON Group's 2023 PCAOB A...
29/05/2024
Introducing R&SGSACSM: The most advanced communications system monitoring solution for armed forces
Introducing R&S GSACSM: The most advanced communications system monitoring solut...
29/05/2024
IBM Study: 6 Hard Truths CEOs Must Face - As CEOs rush to adopt generative AI adoption, workforce and culture concerns intensify
LONDON, UK, 29 May 2024 A new study by the IBM (NYSE: IBM) Institute for Busin...
29/05/2024
Arvato Systems wins Gold again at the Service Provider Awards
Arvato Systems wins Gold again at the Service Provider Awards Award in the Managed Cloud Service Provider category Arvato Systems receives Gold as Managed C...
29/05/2024
RT Brings You to the Heart of the Action this June Bank Holiday Weekend
An action-packed weekend of live sport, including the Women's Euro 2025 Qualifier, the GAA Championship, URC Live and the Champions League Final Catch al...
29/05/2024
Thales' FlytEDGE - the first cloud-based IFE in the world Winner of Crystal Cabin Award
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The Crystal Cabin Award Association recognized T...
29/05/2024
VIZIO and Dolby Usher in Premium Sound Era For All
29 May 2024, 05:30 (PDT) VIZIO and Dolby Usher in Premium Sound Era For All With Dolby Atmos across its entire 2024 soundbar lineup, VIZIO and Dolby are lea...
29/05/2024
SWR moves to software playout with integrated Pixel Power solution from Rohde & Schwarz
SWR moves to software playout with integrated Pixel Power solution from Rohde & ...
28/05/2024
AI and Disinformation in Taiwan's 2024 Election
This is a summary of the report commissioned by Thomson on AI Disinformation Attacks during Taiwans 2024 Presidential Elections, written by Professor Chen-ling ...
28/05/2024
Dune Part 2 and Avatar colourists to take part in DaVinci Resolve Live Tour
The events are for filmmakers, editors, colourists, and visual effects artists, whether theyre beginners and experienced users By Jenny Priestley Published: ...
28/05/2024
Meet the head of sound
1185 Films Mark Hodgkin explains his journey from studying classic guitar and piano to working on the sound of TV adverts, films and documentaries By TVBEurope...
28/05/2024
Are you an MVP (Most Valued Partner)? If so, the London Brand Safety Summit revealed that people are looking for you!
It was said that it's essential for the industry to point towards trustworth...
28/05/2024
VEON Progresses with Asset-Light Strategy, Reaches Agreement to Sell Stake in TNS+ in Kazakhstan
28 May 2024 VEON Progresses with Asset-Light Strategy, Reaches Agreement to Sel...
28/05/2024
Riedel Bolero Empowers Student Production Excellence at Orange County School of the Arts
Wuppertal May 28, 2024 Riedel Bolero Empowers Student Production Excellence at...
28/05/2024
2024-05-28
The Apple Hearing Study is sharing new insights on tinnitus in one of the largest surveys to date....
28/05/2024
Thales' FlytEDGE digitally remasters the inflight entertainment experience
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Live personalization for a journey filled with unique experiences Instantly stream favorites and never miss a beat, continue wa...
28/05/2024
AI-backbone for FCAS operational
AI-backbone for FCAS operational The HIS consortium and partners provide BAAINBw and industry with a cross-sectional AI development platform for FCAS (AI-back...
27/05/2024
Experience inspiration. Master challenges. With SIGRAFLEX and SIGRAFINE at ACHEMA 2024
It will soon be that time again: ACHEMA, the worlds most important trade show fo...
27/05/2024
Resorts World Cruises Becomes First Asian Cruise Line to Deploy Integrated MEO-LEO Service from SES
Integrated SES Cruise mPOWERED Starlink PRO offering will usher guests in a ne...
27/05/2024
Rohde & Schwarz presents its solutions for next generation wide bandgap device test and debug at PCIM Europe
Rohde & Schwarz presents its solutions for next generation wide bandgap device t...
27/05/2024
SKY Perfect JSAT selects Thales Alenia Space to build a new cutting-edge software-defined satellite JSAT-31
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tokyo / Cannes, May 27th 2024 - Asia's large...
24/05/2024
The Hives Celebrate 50 Years of Sweden's Global Music Success With Spotify Singles Cover
On April 6, 1974, the Swedish pop quartet ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest w...
24/05/2024
The U.K. Holds Firm in the Fight for Fair Competition With the DMCC Act, But It's Not Over Yet
For more than a year, the U.K. government has been working to redefine how the i...
24/05/2024
EditShare Introduces Expanded Product Line-Up at BroadcastAsia
EditShare Introduces Expanded Product Line-Up at BroadcastAsia Transforming innovations in workflow, server and delivery from storyboard to screen Boston, MA...
24/05/2024
UK's Media Bill heads towards Royal Assent
An amendment to the Bill includes retaining the Reithian principles of public service broadcast, ensuring PSBs continue to inform, educate and entertain By Jen...
24/05/2024
BCE appoints Sylvain Merle as CTO
Merle joins BCE following a 30 year career including roles at Orange/Globecast and beIN Media Group By Matthew Corrigan Published: May 24, 2024 Merle join...
24/05/2024
Technicolor Group Accelerates its Experiential Entertainment Expansion to Position itself in the Vanguard for the Future of Immersive Storytelling
A STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT SPEARHEADED BY THE MILL, TECHNICOLOR GROUP'S ADVERTI...
24/05/2024
CODA Audio N-RAY Chosen for Urania Hall
The Urania Hall has been an architectural gem in the Polish city of Olsztyn since 1978. In a significant step towards improving the city's cultural and spor...
23/05/2024
Virtual feelings: how haptic technology is creating immersive environments
Philippe Guillotel, senior director of metavideo group, InterDigital, explains how haptic technology could be the next big thing in watching everything from spo...
23/05/2024
Meet the senior vice president, enterprise solutions architecture
Zeenal Thakare, senior vice president, enterprise solutions architecture at Ateliere Creative Technologies, explains why shes enjoying a front row seat to the o...
23/05/2024
UK broadcast CEOs call on parliament to pass Media Bill before dissolution
The Bill is currently at its third reading stage in the House of Lords By Jenny Priestley Published: May 23, 2024 The Bill is currently at its third re...