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What do we hear? The pluralism of sound design in Hollywood sound production

What do we hear? The pluralism of sound design in Hollywood sound production The sound designer remains one of the most controversial and least understood aspects of contemporary Hollywood sound production. Described by Walter Murch as someone who conceptualises the sound world of a film, the sound designer credit has been embraced by some sound editors, rejected by others and defined by some as an occupation that never took hold. This article revisits the origins of the sound designer in Hollywood sound production and examines the pluralistic expressions of the term by exploring how current sound professionals define their work as designers of film sound. The sound designer designation has been used to describe at least three different occupational roles in the Hollywood sound chain: the overall architect of a film's sound track; the sound editor who designs special sound effects; and the combined creative and administrative sound supervisor who is responsible for a sound track's aesthetic and economic dimensions. To illustrate the complicated history of Hollywood sound design, the article considers the work of noted contemporary sound editors Ren Klyce and Scott Sanders. KEYWORDS sound design Hollywood genre industry Los Angeles Walter Murch Randy Thom David Fincher Scott Sanders Ren Klyce The New Soundtrack 3.2 (2013): 137­157 DOI: 10.3366/sound.2013.0043 # http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png The New Soundtrack Edinburgh University Press

What do we hear? The pluralism of sound design in Hollywood sound production

The New Soundtrack , Volume 3 (2): 137 – Sep 1, 2013

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Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Copyright
© Edinburgh University Press
Subject
Articles; Film, Media and Cultural Studies
ISSN
2042-8855
eISSN
2042-8863
DOI
10.3366/sound.2013.0043
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The sound designer remains one of the most controversial and least understood aspects of contemporary Hollywood sound production. Described by Walter Murch as someone who conceptualises the sound world of a film, the sound designer credit has been embraced by some sound editors, rejected by others and defined by some as an occupation that never took hold. This article revisits the origins of the sound designer in Hollywood sound production and examines the pluralistic expressions of the term by exploring how current sound professionals define their work as designers of film sound. The sound designer designation has been used to describe at least three different occupational roles in the Hollywood sound chain: the overall architect of a film's sound track; the sound editor who designs special sound effects; and the combined creative and administrative sound supervisor who is responsible for a sound track's aesthetic and economic dimensions. To illustrate the complicated history of Hollywood sound design, the article considers the work of noted contemporary sound editors Ren Klyce and Scott Sanders. KEYWORDS sound design Hollywood genre industry Los Angeles Walter Murch Randy Thom David Fincher Scott Sanders Ren Klyce The New Soundtrack 3.2 (2013): 137­157 DOI: 10.3366/sound.2013.0043 #

Journal

The New SoundtrackEdinburgh University Press

Published: Sep 1, 2013

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