Skip Lievsay needs almost no introduction: He is one of the most distinguished and prolific sound editors in the movie business. His many collaborations with The Coen Brothers, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee and Jonathan Demme, to name just a few, are often considered classics. Lievsay has been nominated for four Academy Awards, two for No Country for Old Men and two for True Grit. … [Read more...]
Sonic Centaurs: An Exploration of the Common Grounds Between Music and Sound Design
Guest Contribution by Carlos Alberto Manrique Clavijo "The vocation of the sound film is to redeem us from the chaos of shapeless noise by accepting it as expression, as significance, as meaning. . . ."[0A] "(…) When does sound become music? Above all, in the supreme states of pleasure and displeasure experienced by the will, as a will which rejoices or a will … [Read more...]
Designing Musical Sounds
Guest Contribution by Brendan Hogan Making music from a single household item is hardly an original idea at this point, but if you’re a sound designer or an electronic musician and you haven’t taken a shot at it, I would highly recommend the exercise. I’m a huge fan of limitations. Not only will the challenge of making an entire piece with one “non-musical” item push you … [Read more...]
An interview with Nils Frahm
About a year ago I watched 'An Island', a documentary film by Vincent Moon on the Danish band Efterklang. The whole soundtrack of the movie is extremely musical and is a great example of sound design and music creating a great blend. It was almost no surprise to see Nils Frahm credited for mixing and recording the soundtrack. Frahm is not only an accomplished producer and … [Read more...]
The Cinematic Toy Piano
Guest Contribution by Ali Lacey When someone mentions a Toy Piano, the last things you would think are 50Hz Booms, sub drops, eerie textures, bows and big percussive hits. But have you ever actually pondered the cinematic qualities a toy piano might have? After obsessing about owning a toy piano, I found a vintage 1950’s mini grand piano on Ebay for £20. I had plans to … [Read more...]
Sound Design and Music: Diluting the Distinctions, Strengthening the Art Form
Guest Contribution by Doron Reizes Traditionally, the concepts of music composition and sound design have been viewed as distinctly separate creative audio disciplines. Karen Collins points out in her article, “The Sound of Music, or the Music of Sound?” that, "What is often referred to as “non-musical sound”, or sound effects (including percussion) wasn’t used in Western … [Read more...]
Audiovisual Correspondences
Guest contribution by Martin Stig Andersen The following is extracted from the author’s article "Electroacoustic Sound and Audiovisual Structure in Film" (supervised by Denis Smalley) originally published by eContact. Music Versus Sound Effects — Sound Designer qua Composer? Given sound’s ability to create temporal experiences unique to that of other media, it seems no … [Read more...]