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The Undersea World of the Sound Department: The Construction of Sonic Conventions in Sub-aqua Screen Environments

The Undersea World of the Sound Department: The Construction of Sonic Conventions in Sub-aqua... The availability of new underwater cameras and sub-aqua diving gear in the immediate post-war era opened up exciting possibilities for both narrative and documentary filmmakers. While the visual elements of this new world could now be more easily captured on film, the sound elements of the sub-aqua environment remained more elusive. How should this undersea world sound? This article examines the use of sound in the sub-aqua scenes of both fictional and documentary films in the 1950s and asks questions about the methods used in the sonification of these worlds. Comparing the operation of underwater sound and human hearing with the production and post-production strategies used by filmmakers, this article identifies the emergence of a sound convention and its implications for issues of cinematic realism. Central to this convention is the manipulation of sonic frequencies. The sound strategies adopted also raise questions about the malleability of viewer perspective and sound-image relationship in terms of a realist mode of address. Linked to this is the use of The New Soundtrack 6.2 (2016): 143­157 DOI: 10.3366/sound.2016.0088 # Edinburgh University Press and the Contributors www.euppublishing.com/loi/sound KEYWORDS film sound sound frequency sub-aqua sound Hans Hass Jacques Cousteau diving films 1. Brothers George http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The New Soundtrack Edinburgh University Press

The Undersea World of the Sound Department: The Construction of Sonic Conventions in Sub-aqua Screen Environments

Chapman, David
The New Soundtrack , Volume 6 (2): 143 – Sep 1, 2016
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Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Copyright
© Edinburgh University Press and the Contributors
Subject
Film, Media and Cultural Studies
ISSN
2042-8855
eISSN
2042-8863
DOI
10.3366/sound.2016.0088
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The availability of new underwater cameras and sub-aqua diving gear in the immediate post-war era opened up exciting possibilities for both narrative and documentary filmmakers. While the visual elements of this new world could now be more easily captured on film, the sound elements of the sub-aqua environment remained more elusive. How should this undersea world sound? This article examines the use of sound in the sub-aqua scenes of both fictional and documentary films in the 1950s and asks questions about the methods used in the sonification of these worlds. Comparing the operation of underwater sound and human hearing with the production and post-production strategies used by filmmakers, this article identifies the emergence of a sound convention and its implications for issues of cinematic realism. Central to this convention is the manipulation of sonic frequencies. The sound strategies adopted also raise questions about the malleability of viewer perspective and sound-image relationship in terms of a realist mode of address. Linked to this is the use of The New Soundtrack 6.2 (2016): 143­157 DOI: 10.3366/sound.2016.0088 # Edinburgh University Press and the Contributors www.euppublishing.com/loi/sound KEYWORDS film sound sound frequency sub-aqua sound Hans Hass Jacques Cousteau diving films 1. Brothers George

Journal

The New Soundtrack – Edinburgh University Press

Published: Sep 1, 2016

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