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SOUND DESIGN SEMINARS

 

The extensive and multi-disciplinary subject of sound design can be presented in lecture or workshop format, depending on the time available.  David Sonnenschein makes presentations ranging from a 2-3 hour overview, to weekend seminars, up to week-long workshops involving practical applications.  Below is an outline for a lecture, based on the principles in his book "Sound Design," illustrated by well-known films.

LECTURE OUTLINE

PUBLIC: Film and TV writers, directors, sound recordists and editors, picture editors, sound track composers, sound mixers.

INTRO: Links between film, music, neurobiology and the creative process of storytelling with sound.

PSYCHOACOUSTICS: How do we perceive sound?

Source, medium, head, ear (outer, middle, inner), brain (right, left), attention, habituation, Gestalt Laws of Completeness and Good Continuation.

FILM CLIP: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

ACOUSTIC ELEMENTS: How do dialogue, sound effects and music interact?

Dialogue, 3 types – theatrical, textual, emanation. Techniques of modifying speech. Prosody, melody in voice.

Music, tonal center, cadence, harmony and dissonance, rhythm

FILM CLIP: AIR FORCE ONE

Silence, essence of contrast, colors of silence, synonyms

FILM CLIPS: STAR TREK III; ELEPHANT MAN; PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOS; SERPICO

SOUND AND IMAGE: How do audio-visual elements interact?

On screen, off screen, nondiegetic. Extension. Active vs. passive. Sound implying image. Added value. Acousmatic listening. Point of synchronization.

FILM CLIP: THE DUELISTS

Objects, illusion, transformation, animals.

FILM CLIP: BACKDRAFT

SOUND AND NARRATIVE: How is the story told through sound?

Analysis of script, characters, theme, style. Use of dialogue, music and effects on an emotional level. Conflict in the sound track. Character.

FILM CLIP: RAGING BULL

CREATING THE SOUND DESIGN STEP-BY-STEP

Script analysis - objects, actions, environments, emotions, transitions. Drawing Visual Maps

Meeting with the director. The Sound Map - draft 1. Consulting before and during the shoot

Accompanying the picture edit. Analyzing the final picture edit. The Sound Map - draft 2.

Defining voice sources and modifications. Defining sound effects and ambience sources. Coordinating with the music score. Experimentation and open options. Exhibition considerations. The Sound Map - draft 3. Pre-mix decisions. The final mix (print master)

 

Please contact David Sonnenschein for presenting a lecture or seminar.