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Sound, music and film – towards a total sonic fabric

Sound, music and film – towards a total sonic fabric In this paper I employ a practice-based approach to explore the creative challenges involved in the use of sound and music within film. I draw upon the ¨ work of theorist of film practice Noel Burch read as consonant with Eisenstein's critical approach to sound in film. I invoke Burch's notion of the `total sound texture' in order to explore the creative challenge of combining sound effects, dialogue and music together with film image. In the second part of the paper I draw upon some of Burch's critical insights to explore the use of music and sound design in a number of my own creative documentary films. I focus in particular on my use of contemporary Irish music in some of these films, including the work of composers Kevin Volans and Deirdre McKay. THE AUDIO VISUAL SCORE We can identify three basic uses of sound within film: dialogue (or narration), sound effects and music. As filmmakers we find ourselves returning again and again to Eisenstein's classic statement on sound issued in August 1928 together with Pudovkin, Alexandrov and Vertov. The `statement' was of course made in response to the emergence of the `talkies' in the US and can http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The New Soundtrack Edinburgh University Press

Sound, music and film – towards a total sonic fabric

Bell, Desmond
The New Soundtrack , Volume 5 (1): 69 – Mar 1, 2015
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Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Copyright
© Edinburgh University Press and the Contributors
Subject
Articles; Film, Media and Cultural Studies
ISSN
2042-8855
eISSN
2042-8863
DOI
10.3366/sound.2015.0069
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In this paper I employ a practice-based approach to explore the creative challenges involved in the use of sound and music within film. I draw upon the ¨ work of theorist of film practice Noel Burch read as consonant with Eisenstein's critical approach to sound in film. I invoke Burch's notion of the `total sound texture' in order to explore the creative challenge of combining sound effects, dialogue and music together with film image. In the second part of the paper I draw upon some of Burch's critical insights to explore the use of music and sound design in a number of my own creative documentary films. I focus in particular on my use of contemporary Irish music in some of these films, including the work of composers Kevin Volans and Deirdre McKay. THE AUDIO VISUAL SCORE We can identify three basic uses of sound within film: dialogue (or narration), sound effects and music. As filmmakers we find ourselves returning again and again to Eisenstein's classic statement on sound issued in August 1928 together with Pudovkin, Alexandrov and Vertov. The `statement' was of course made in response to the emergence of the `talkies' in the US and can

Journal

The New Soundtrack – Edinburgh University Press

Published: Mar 1, 2015

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