Sound design is fun, and sometimes…on the good days…it can get messy. Really messy. There aren’t a lot of jobs where you get the opportunity to engage in acts of constructive destruction (can we even really say that’s a thing?), but sound design is one of those where, occasionally, the practitioner gets to loosen the leash on the reptilian side of the brain a little and delight in the simple joys of tearing something apart.
…all in the name of art, of course!
So that’s our theme this month. Destruction. What stories of hack, bash, slash and smash do you have to share?
As we recently reiterated, this site is by the community, for the community. We always encourage contributions from the community. It’s impossible to track down all of the potential stories and thoughts that might be out there. Please don’t wait for us to come to you. Whether it fits this month’s theme, next month’s (Failure) or is a topic unto its own…contact shaun [at] this website to get the ball rolling!
I recently went to college for audio engineering, and I remember the first time we did foley. It was for the fight scene with Gorgeous George in Snatch, and we assembled a selection of vegetables and pasta. With headphones on and mics set up, we went to work. I’ll never forget that first punch, burying my fist in a head of lettuce, leaves exploding everywhere. It was the first time we had heard foley sounds from the source, with that clarity and detail of a close Mic in a quiet setting that leaves you in awe of any sound you hear.
It was amazing, it sounded so gruesome, and we cackled maniacally in between punches (with enough pause to cut it out, after, of course!).
It’s such a basic, common thing for sound design, but that first time just feels so epic in the moment. Kind of like…other firsts. ;)
Ten or eleven years ago, I spent a glorious morning at a junk yard, standing in a snow storm about six feet from a huge fork lift as its driver punctured tires and gas tanks, and then flattened cars to be loaded on a flatbed truck for transport to a metal recycling yard. The forklift driver was very cooperative with me in dropping cars, or crushing this or that bit of metal, or pulling something apart, or breaking a bit of glass. It was time well spent and I still reap the benefits of the session.
My neighbors also know that if they are doing any demolition, that they are to call me so I can stand by with my recorder to capture the mayhem.