The Importance of Sound

 

In this business it isn’t always what the viewers see so much as what they believe they see. An actor swinging a punch at another actor’s face will deliberately miss, knowing that a sound effect of knuckles striking flesh will be dubbed on to the sound-track.

Manipulated sound plays a most important part in special effects, and the effects designer should consider its use when planning a sequence.

The restaurant

Picture a scene in a restaurant where two people are dining. What the viewer sees is a table appointed with silver cutlery and elegant candles. A waiter enters, hands the pair a menu and, later, takes their order. We know that we’re in a busy restaurant because, although we see only this bit of it, we can hear ...

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