Getting the BEST sound for your movie.

Don't say I didn't warn you. As you may have noticed on the front page of this website is that phrase "Good sound starts in the script". "But what does that mean?" you might ask, or "but I capitalize the sound FX in the script? Isn't that enough?" others say. But the truly great sounding movies like Star Wars, Apocalypse Now, Wall-E, ect... all where doing work on the sound track BEFORE SHOOTING STARTED. Amazing.

Randy Thom - "Let's say we have a scene around a kitchen table where two guys are arguing. One eventually jumps up, pulls a gun, cocks it, and points it at the other's head. The most obvious sound effect to feature is the cocking of the gun. Ironically, the other prop I mentioned (the table) could supply a more powerful sound. As our guy stands, maybe he shoves the table toward the other guy. The scrape of the table legs on the floor could be fashioned to evoke danger more effectively because it comes from a place we don't expect. Knowing we may want to use the sound of the table in this way will influence everything about the way we set up and block the shots." 

It's creative observations like this that can open up the options for sound to come in. Another idea that I love is that visual FX are the front door to the audience, while sound is the back door. They'll cheer as the death star blows up and cry as the Titanic sinks. But sound serves as that back door to the audience. Many times they don't even realize their being affected by it. Adding a slow creek to a door as the murderer enters the room to racket up the tension. Or the frightening sound of feet squeaking across the ground in the opening scene of "No Country For Old Men".

If you'd like to start looking at possibilities like this early on, they can pay off 100 fold in the final product. Feel free to contact as early on in a project as you wish. I love reading scripts and tossing around ideas to open scenes up to sound.