Everything you hear on film is a lie | Tasos Frantzolas | TEDxAthens
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0:12 - 0:14I want to skip the introduction.
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0:16 - 0:18I want to start by doing an experiment.
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0:20 - 0:23I'm going to play three videos
of a rainy day. -
0:24 - 0:28But I've replaced the audio
of one of the videos, -
0:28 - 0:30and instead of the sound of rain,
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0:30 - 0:33I've added the sound of bacon frying.
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0:34 - 0:38So I want you think carefully
which one the clip with the bacon is. -
0:38 - 0:40(Rain falls)
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0:42 - 0:44(Rain falls)
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0:46 - 0:48(Rain falls)
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0:52 - 0:53All right.
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0:54 - 0:57Actually, I lied.
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0:57 - 0:58They're all bacon.
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0:58 - 1:00(Bacon sizzles)
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1:03 - 1:07(Applause)
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1:08 - 1:11My point here isn't really
to make you hungry -
1:11 - 1:13every time you see a rainy scene,
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1:13 - 1:19but it's to show that our brains
are conditioned to embrace the lies. -
1:19 - 1:22We're not looking for accuracy.
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1:23 - 1:25So on the subject of deception,
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1:25 - 1:29I wanted to quote one
of my favorite authors. -
1:29 - 1:36In "The Decay of Lying,"
Oscar Wilde establishes the idea -
1:36 - 1:41that all bad art comes from copying
nature and being realistic; -
1:42 - 1:47and all great art comes
from lying and deceiving, -
1:48 - 1:51and telling beautiful, untrue things.
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1:51 - 1:54So, I want to make this clear -
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1:54 - 1:56when you're watching a movie
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1:57 - 1:59and a phone rings,
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1:59 - 2:01it's not actually ringing.
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2:01 - 2:05It's been added later
in postproduction in a studio. -
2:05 - 2:08All of the sounds you hear are fake.
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2:08 - 2:10Everything, apart from the dialogue,
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2:10 - 2:11is fake.
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2:11 - 2:15Not the only thing that's fake
in Hollywood, by the way. -
2:15 - 2:17Laughter)
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2:17 - 2:20When you watch a movie and you see
a bird flapping its wings -- -
2:20 - 2:22(Wings flap)
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2:24 - 2:26They haven't really recorded the bird.
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2:26 - 2:31It sounds a lot more realistic
if you record a sheet -
2:31 - 2:32or shaking kitchen gloves.
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2:33 - 2:35(Flaps)
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2:37 - 2:39The burning of a cigarette up close --
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2:40 - 2:42(Cigarette burns)
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2:43 - 2:46It actually sounds a lot more authentic
-
2:46 - 2:48if you take a small Saran Wrap ball
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2:48 - 2:50and release it.
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2:50 - 2:53(A Saran Warp ball being released)
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2:54 - 2:55Punches?
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2:55 - 2:57(Punch)
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2:57 - 2:58Let me play that again.
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2:58 - 2:59(Punch)
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2:59 - 3:03That's often done by sticking
a knife in vegetables, -
3:03 - 3:04usually cabbage.
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3:04 - 3:06(Cabbage stabbed with a knife)
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3:07 - 3:10The next one -
I'm not going to play the video -
3:10 - 3:12but it's breaking bones.
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3:12 - 3:14(Bones break)
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3:15 - 3:17Well, no one was really harmed.
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3:17 - 3:18It's actually ...
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3:19 - 3:23breaking celery or frozen lettuce.
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3:23 - 3:25(Breaking frozen lettuce or celery)
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3:26 - 3:28(Laughter)
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3:30 - 3:33Yeah. Thanks to my three friends
who are laughing. -
3:34 - 3:39Making the right sounds
is not always as easy -
3:39 - 3:41as a trip to the supermarket
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3:41 - 3:44and going to the vegetable section.
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3:44 - 3:46But it's often a lot more
complicated than that. -
3:46 - 3:49So let's reverse-engineer together
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3:49 - 3:51the creation of a sound effect.
-
3:51 - 3:55One of my favorite stories
comes from Frank Serafine. -
3:55 - 3:57He's a contributor to our library,
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3:57 - 4:00and a great sound designer for "Tron"
and "Star Trek" and others. -
4:01 - 4:07He was part of the Paramount team
that won the Oscar for best sound -
4:07 - 4:09for "The Hunt for Red October."
-
4:09 - 4:12In this Cold War classic, in the '90s,
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4:12 - 4:17they were asked to produce the sound
of the propeller of the submarine. -
4:17 - 4:18So they had a small problem:
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4:18 - 4:22they couldn't really find
a submarine in West Hollywood. -
4:22 - 4:25So basically, what they did is,
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4:25 - 4:29they went to a friend's swimming pool,
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4:29 - 4:32and Frank performed a cannonball.
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4:32 - 4:35They placed an underwater mic
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4:35 - 4:37and an overhead mic
outside the swimming pool. -
4:38 - 4:40We recreated the sound.
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4:40 - 4:43So here's what the underwater
mic sounds like. -
4:43 - 4:45(Underwater plunge)
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4:45 - 4:47Adding the overhead mic,
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4:47 - 4:49it sounded a bit like this:
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4:49 - 4:51(Water splashes)
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4:51 - 4:56So now they took the sound
and pitched it one octave down, -
4:56 - 4:58sort of like slowing down a record.
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4:58 - 5:01(Water splashes at lower octave)
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5:02 - 5:04And then they removed
a lot of the high frequencies. -
5:04 - 5:07(Water splashes)
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5:07 - 5:09And pitched it down another octave.
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5:10 - 5:12(Water splashes at lower octave)
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5:12 - 5:15And then they added
a little bit of the splash -
5:15 - 5:17from the overhead microphone.
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5:17 - 5:20(Water splashes)
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5:20 - 5:23And by looping and repeating that sound,
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5:23 - 5:24they got this:
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5:24 - 5:27(Propeller churns)
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5:30 - 5:37So, creativity and technology put together
in order to create the illusion -
5:37 - 5:40that we're inside the submarine.
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5:40 - 5:43But once you've created your sounds
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5:43 - 5:46and you've synced them to the image,
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5:46 - 5:50you want those sounds to live
in the world of the story. -
5:50 - 5:54And one the best ways to do that
is to add reverb. -
5:55 - 5:58So this is the first audio tool
I want to talk about. -
5:58 - 6:03Reverberation, or reverb,
is the persistence of the sound -
6:03 - 6:05after the original sound has ended.
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6:05 - 6:08So it's sort of like the --
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6:08 - 6:11all the reflections from the materials,
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6:11 - 6:14the objects and the walls
around the sound. -
6:14 - 6:16Take, for example, the sound of a gunshot.
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6:16 - 6:19The original sound is less
than half a second long. -
6:20 - 6:21(Gunshot)
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6:23 - 6:24By adding reverb,
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6:24 - 6:28we can make it sound like
it was recorded inside a bathroom. -
6:28 - 6:30(Gunshot reverbs in bathroom)
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6:30 - 6:33Or like it was recorded
inside a chapel or a church. -
6:34 - 6:35(Gunshot reverbs church)
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6:36 - 6:38Or in a canyon.
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6:38 - 6:40(Gunshot reverbs in canyon)
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6:41 - 6:45So reverb gives us a lot of information
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6:45 - 6:50about the space between the listener
and the original sound source. -
6:50 - 6:52If the sound is the taste,
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6:52 - 6:56then reverb is sort of like
the smell of the sound. -
6:56 - 6:58But reverb can do a lot more.
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6:58 - 7:02Listening to a sound
with a lot less reverberation -
7:02 - 7:04than the on-screen action
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7:04 - 7:07is going to immediately signify to us
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7:07 - 7:10that we're listening to a commentator,
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7:10 - 7:15to an objective narrator that's not
participating in the on-screen action. -
7:16 - 7:20Also, emotionally intimate
moments in cinema -
7:20 - 7:22are often heard with zero reverb,
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7:22 - 7:26because that's how it would sound
if someone was speaking inside our ear. -
7:27 - 7:29On the completely other side,
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7:29 - 7:31adding a lot of reverb to a voice
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7:31 - 7:35is going to make us think
that we're listening to a flashback, -
7:35 - 7:38or perhaps that we're inside
the head of a character -
7:39 - 7:42or that we're listening
to the voice of God. -
7:42 - 7:44Or, even more powerful in film,
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7:44 - 7:46Morgan Freeman.
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7:46 - 7:47(Laughter)
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7:47 - 7:48So --
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7:48 - 7:50(Applause)
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7:51 - 7:55But what are some other tools or hacks
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7:55 - 7:57that sound designers use?
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7:58 - 8:00Well, here's a really big one.
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8:10 - 8:12I think some people guessed it.
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8:12 - 8:13It's silence.
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8:13 - 8:15I didn't really forget
this part of the talk -
8:15 - 8:17but I sort of wanted to show
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8:17 - 8:21that a few moments of silence
is going to make us pay attention. -
8:21 - 8:23And in the Western world,
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8:23 - 8:26we're not really used to verbal silences.
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8:26 - 8:29They're considered awkward or rude.
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8:30 - 8:33So silence preceding verbal communication
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8:34 - 8:36can create a lot of tension.
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8:36 - 8:40But imagine a really big Hollywood movie,
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8:40 - 8:44where it's full of explosions
and automatic guns. -
8:44 - 8:48Loud stops being loud
anymore, after a while. -
8:48 - 8:50So in a yin-yang way,
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8:50 - 8:53silence needs loudness
and loudness needs silence -
8:53 - 8:55for either of them to have any effect.
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8:55 - 8:57But what does silence mean?
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8:57 - 9:00Well, it depends how
it's used in each film. -
9:00 - 9:03Silence can place us inside
the head of a character -
9:03 - 9:05or provoke thought.
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9:05 - 9:08We often relate silences with ...
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9:08 - 9:09contemplation,
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9:10 - 9:11meditation,
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9:12 - 9:14being deep in thought.
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9:14 - 9:17But apart from having one meaning,
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9:17 - 9:19silence becomes a blank canvas
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9:19 - 9:24upon which the viewer is invited
to the paint their own thoughts. -
9:24 - 9:28But I want to make it clear:
there is no such thing as silence. -
9:29 - 9:33And I know this sounds like the most
pretentious TED Talk statement ever. -
9:33 - 9:35(Laughter)
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9:35 - 9:40But even if you were to enter
a room with zero reverberation -
9:40 - 9:42and zero external sounds,
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9:42 - 9:45you would still be able to hear
the pumping of your own blood. -
9:45 - 9:50And in cinema, traditionally,
there was never a silent moment -
9:50 - 9:52because of the sound of the projector.
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9:52 - 9:55And even in today's Dolby world,
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9:55 - 9:59there's not really any moment of silence
if you listen around you. -
10:00 - 10:02There's always some sort of noise.
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10:02 - 10:05Now, since there's no such
thing as silence, -
10:05 - 10:09what do filmmakers
and sound designers use? -
10:09 - 10:13Well, as a synonym,
they often use ambiences. -
10:13 - 10:17Ambiences are the unique background sounds
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10:17 - 10:20that are specific to each location.
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10:20 - 10:22Each location has a unique sound,
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10:22 - 10:24and each room has a unique sound,
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10:24 - 10:26which is called room tone.
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10:26 - 10:28So here's a recording
of a market in Morocco. -
10:28 - 10:33(Voices, music)
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10:35 - 10:37And here's a recording
of Times Square in New York. -
10:38 - 10:42(Traffic sounds, car horns, voices)
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10:44 - 10:48Believe me, it's a lot better
to have to listen to Times Square -
10:48 - 10:50than to have to smell Times Square.
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10:50 - 10:53Room tone is the addition of all
the noises inside the room: -
10:53 - 10:56the ventilation, the heating, the fridge.
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10:56 - 11:00Here's a recording
of my apartment in Brooklyn. -
11:01 - 11:05[You can hear the ventilation, the boiler,
the fridge and street traffic] -
11:05 - 11:10[(is that an electric toothbrush or just
my neighbor having some fun?)] -
11:10 - 11:15Ambiences work in a most primal way.
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11:16 - 11:19They can speak directly
to our brain subconsciously. -
11:20 - 11:25So, birds chirping outside your window
may indicate normality, -
11:26 - 11:29perhaps because, as a species,
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11:29 - 11:33we've been used to that sound
every morning for millions of years. -
11:33 - 11:37(Birds chirp)
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11:41 - 11:44On the other hand, industrial sounds
have been introduced to us -
11:45 - 11:46a little more recently.
-
11:47 - 11:49Even though I really like
them personally -- -
11:49 - 11:51they've been used by one
of my heroes, David Lynch, -
11:51 - 11:53and his sound designer, Alan Splet --
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11:53 - 11:56industrial sounds often carry
negative connotations. -
11:56 - 11:59(Machine noises)
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12:03 - 12:08Now, sound effects can tap
into our emotional memory. -
12:08 - 12:10Occasionally, they can be so significant
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12:10 - 12:13that they become a character in a movie.
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12:13 - 12:17They are a lot more low maintenance
than some actors, as well. -
12:18 - 12:20For example -
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12:21 - 12:25The sound of thunder may indicate
divine intervention or anger. -
12:26 - 12:29(Thunder)
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12:32 - 12:36Church bells can remind us
of the passing of time, -
12:36 - 12:38or perhaps our own mortality.
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12:38 - 12:44(Bells ring)
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12:46 - 12:51And breaking of glass can
indicate the end of a relationship -
12:51 - 12:52or a friendship.
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12:53 - 12:55(Glass breaks)
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12:55 - 12:59Scientists believe that dissonant sounds,
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12:59 - 13:04for example, brass or wind
instruments played very loud, -
13:05 - 13:09may remind us of animal howls in nature
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13:09 - 13:13and therefore create a sense
of irritation or fear. -
13:13 - 13:16(Brass and wind instruments play)
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13:19 - 13:22So now we've spoken
about on-screen sounds. -
13:23 - 13:27But occasionally, the source
of a sound cannot be seen. -
13:27 - 13:30That's what we call offscreen sounds,
-
13:30 - 13:31or "acousmatic."
-
13:32 - 13:37The term "acousmatic" comes
from Pythagoras in ancient Greece, -
13:37 - 13:40who used to teach behind
a veil or curtain for years, -
13:40 - 13:43not revealing himself to his disciples.
-
13:43 - 13:46I think the mathematician
and philosopher thought that, -
13:47 - 13:48in that way,
-
13:49 - 13:53his students might focus
more on the voice, -
13:53 - 13:55and his words and its meaning,
-
13:55 - 13:58rather than the visual of him speaking.
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13:58 - 14:01So sort of like the Wizard of Oz,
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14:01 - 14:03or "1984's" Big Brother,
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14:03 - 14:07separating the voice from its source,
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14:07 - 14:09separating cause and effect
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14:09 - 14:13sort of creates a sense
of ubiquity or panopticism, -
14:13 - 14:15and therefore, authority.
-
14:16 - 14:19There's a strong tradition
of acousmatic sound. -
14:20 - 14:26Nuns in monasteries in Rome and Venice
used to sing in rooms -
14:26 - 14:29up in galleries close to the ceiling,
-
14:29 - 14:33creating the illusion that we're listening
to angels up in the sky. -
14:34 - 14:38Richard Wagner famously
created the hidden orchestra -
14:38 - 14:42that was placed in a pit
between the stage and the audience. -
14:42 - 14:47And one of my heroes, Aphex Twin,
famously hid in dark corners of clubs. -
14:47 - 14:52I think what all these masters knew
is that by hiding the source, -
14:52 - 14:54you create a sense of mystery.
-
14:54 - 14:56This has been seen
in cinema over and over, -
14:56 - 14:58with Hitchcock,
and Ridley Scott in "Alien." -
14:58 - 15:01Hearing a sound without knowing its source
-
15:01 - 15:04is going to create some sort of tension.
-
15:06 - 15:11Also, it can minimize certain visual
restrictions that directors have -
15:11 - 15:15and can show something
that wasn't there during filming. -
15:15 - 15:17And if all this sounds
a little theoretical, -
15:17 - 15:19I wanted to play a little video.
-
15:19 - 15:22(Toy squeaks)
-
15:23 - 15:25(Typewriter)
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15:26 - 15:28(Drums)
-
15:29 - 15:32(Ping-pong)
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15:33 - 15:36(Knives being sharpened)
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15:36 - 15:39(Record scratches)
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15:40 - 15:41(Saw cuts)
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15:41 - 15:42(Woman screams)
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15:43 - 15:45(Laughter)
-
15:47 - 15:51What I'm sort of trying
to demonstrate with these tools -
15:52 - 15:55is that sound is a language.
-
15:55 - 15:58It can trick us by transporting
us geographically; -
15:59 - 16:01it can change the mood;
-
16:01 - 16:02it can set the pace;
-
16:04 - 16:07it can make us laugh
or it can make us scared. -
16:09 - 16:12On a personal level, I fell
in love with that language -
16:12 - 16:14a few years ago,
-
16:14 - 16:18and somehow managed to make it
into some sort of profession. -
16:20 - 16:23And I think with our work
through the sound library, -
16:23 - 16:29we're trying to kind of expand
the vocabulary of that language. -
16:30 - 16:34And in that way, we want
to offer the right tools -
16:34 - 16:35to sound designers,
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16:35 - 16:37filmmakers,
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16:37 - 16:39and video game and app designers,
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16:39 - 16:42to keep telling even better stories
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16:43 - 16:46and creating even more beautiful lies.
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16:46 - 16:47So thanks for listening.
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16:47 - 16:50(Applause)
- Title:
- Everything you hear on film is a lie | Tasos Frantzolas | TEDxAthens
- Description:
-
Sound design is built on deception -- when you watch a movie or TV show, nearly all of the sounds you hear are fake. In this audio-rich talk, Tasos Frantzolas explores the role of sound in storytelling and demonstrates just how easily our brains are fooled by what we hear.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 17:02
Sebastian Betti edited English subtitles for Everything you hear on film is a lie | Tasos Fratzolas | TEDxAthens | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for Everything you hear on film is a lie | Tasos Fratzolas | TEDxAthens | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for Everything you hear on film is a lie | Tasos Fratzolas | TEDxAthens | ||
Panagiota Prokopi edited English subtitles for Everything you hear on film is a lie | Tasos Fratzolas | TEDxAthens | ||
Panagiota Prokopi edited English subtitles for Everything you hear on film is a lie | Tasos Fratzolas | TEDxAthens |