Sound arts year 1

Brief Encounter (1945, dir David Lean), Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto. One of the most romantic movies ever made, Rachmaninov fits perfectly.

Raging Bull (1980, dir Martin Scorsese), Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria Rusticana. Opening scen, very surprising since the music its very far away from the theme of boxing, yet it works.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, dir Stanley Kubrick) Johann Strauss II’s Blue Danube Waltzand Ligeti’s Requiem and Lux Aeterna, but it’s Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra (performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan).

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Screenplay: Thomas Vinterberg, Tobias Lindholm

Producers: Sisse Graum Jorgensen, Kasper Dissing

Cinematography: Sturla Brandth Grovlen

Editing: Anne Osterud, Janus Billeksov Jansen

Music: Mikkel Maltha

Sound: Jan Schermer, Hans Moller

Production Design: Sabine Hviid

Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang, Lars Ranthe

ANOTHER ROUND/DRUK movie is about frustrated teachers who want to get motivated to work better with their students again. One of the teachers convince the rest to take a part in “scientific experiment” which they design. Experiment encouraging teachers to take a few measures of alcohol a day, to maintain it at 0.5%. In the beginning the results are fantastic- especially for the main character who was about to loose the job (Martin), soon after 0.5% isn’t enough and experiments is out of control. It is an eye-opening film about worlds favourite drug- alcohol.

For the sound editor/mixer – Hans Moller, it wasn’t first collaboration with Vinterberg. He admits the production sound was of very good quality. To obtain a natural and emotional sound feel to it he was careful how he uses the tools. Using “Meyer” speakers that help him edit using reverbs, matching ADR and using plugins easier. His main focus was to get to people not just watch the film but become part of it.

I chose this film because I got I inspired when watching it at cinema on summer this year. Final scene reminded me of musical a lot. Mads Mikkelsen street jazz is impressive to me as a dancer.

Direct sound is the sound that is recorded at the time of filming. “Schindler’s list” (dir. Steven Spielberg) is a movie about a Holocaust. Spielberg travelled to Poland in spring 1993 trying to recreate the terror of Karkow’s jewish ghetto and concentration camp. The story is about a German business man who isn’t successful before war and after, but durign IIWW he used its cover to run factories that saves Jewish lifes. His first factory makes pots and pans and another one- shell casings that make hardly any contributions to Nazi War effort.

One of the most memorable scenes personally is Nazi playing piano and other soldiers keep killing Jews that were hiding in the cupboards, under beds, basements or even inside the piano. It is the perfect example of direct/synchronous sound. It is a background sound for people hiding in the rooms being killed by Nazis and background to all the shooting that happened in the building. It is like a call for Jews to remind them they can’t stay safe. Jews couldn’t make any noise, Nazi could play piano anytime- it is a contrast of occupiers and occupied people.

I have decided to compose in the key of C Major, due to the character materials of the film.

There are 30 keys. 15 major and 15 minor. The changes are conditioned by the presence of flats or sharps and their number. In my opinion, each of the tones is different, has a different hue, color and purpose. The key in C major is one of happiness – for example C major prelude- in C major by Bach BMV 846, Etude in C major, Op. 1-, No.1 by Chopin. Contrasting pieces – for example, the key c minor is considered the key of “death” – sonata by Ludvig van Beethoven Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13, part of Chopin’s Scherzo in B-Minor Op.35. “Funeral march” Part III. The visual material made my choice easier. The scene represents the characters joy, the action resembles a scene from a musical, and this image prompted me to use this key.

My focus when creating the sound for the clip was piano/ going against the original sound – which is very realistic: human voices, crowd is cheering, the them song which bacame a Denmark drinking anthem.

To create a realistic sound it would take me months of working with a team. Hans Moller- sound designer/ mixer advised young engineers to be careful when working on the film, not doing to much to the sound, that confuses the audience. Sound to have emotional feel to it needs to be natural.

Since I can use my piano skills I decided to write a “sound script” which is basically figuration of arpeggios of C Major cadence perfect authentic with some of irregular resolution. Second part is pedal point – it comes from baroque, left hand plays one long lasting note and it occurs in the ending of pieces, it was used by Bach in his pieces, for examples fugues- that’s when he used it for the first time.

Whole music piece is inspired by J. S. Bach and its in style of his Preludes. Prelude is build from arpeggios, cadences and pedal point.

Diegetic sound- sound that characters on screen can hear (for example: characters talking to each other).

Non-diegetic sound- sound that the audience can hear and characters on screen can’t.

Non-simultaneous sound- sound that takes place earlier in the story than the current image.

Direct sound- sound that is recorded at the time of filming.

Synchronous sound- sound that is matched with the acton and movements being viewed.

Postsynchornization dubbing- describes the process of adding sound to a scene after it is filmed.

Offscreen sound- describes sound assumed to be in the space of a screen yet remains offscreen while the action takes place simultaneously.

Foley recording done at LCC. I have used equipment like an empty can and old male shoes to recreate the sound of steps and kicking a can in the air. The character in the final scene is under influence of alcohol. The scene represents a relief – dance, happiness and celebrating life, after his best friend decided to take his own life. Martin (Mads Mikkelsen) show off his dance moves, as this is the best way for him to express his feelings.

“Another Round” is a movie about teachers that want to experiment with alcohol in a innocent way. It portrays a misery of life alongside the teacher career.

The final scene that I have chosen is a very challenging one to edit. My approach is focused on abstract piano sound and improvisation based on synchronisation. I have recorded foley sounds in the studio: kicking a can in the air, steps – the choreography (with the use of old male shoes). I have had to learn the choreography to synchronise with the video and characters dance. Because I am a dancer this wasn’t really diffcult for me; also I have realised that performing foley is something that I’m more interested in than recording, which was a surprise to me.

by Hanna Bakula

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