Sound Technician

I know I few of you commented that you would want to be the actors or directors of films, but what about a Sound Technician? Here is the job description for someone who wants to edit the sound for a film.

THE JOB: Sound technicians operate technical equipment to amplify, enhance, record, mix or reproduce sound in support of performing arts, and may also assemble and maintain sound equipment.

Personal Requirements
* a good ear for detail in all areas of sound
* good at working with computers and audio equipment
* can work under pressure

Work Conditions
Sound technicians work in radio, television and recording studios, or in theaters and other live performance venues.

Sound technicians may be required to work shifts that involve long hours in the evenings and on weekends. They often work under difficult conditions and, with outdoor concerts, in unpredictable weather.

Duties and Tasks
A sound technician may perform the following tasks:
* determine sound requirements
* set up, test and operate equipment as well as place and adjust microphones
* monitor audio signals to detect quality differences or malfunctions
* maintain and repair amplifiers, tuners, receivers, digital audio systems
* build and install sound systems
* dub and edit tapes
* operate controls to maintain correct sound levels
* talk with actors and instruct them on microphone use
* introduce pre-recorded special effects required by scripts

Who thinks they would be good at being a SOUND TECHNICIAN?

What's Up Wednesday

What song would be the theme song for a movie about you?

Diegetic? What?

There are two types of sound in film:

Diegetic (actual sounds that are heard within the story -- e.g. characters talking and birds singing) and Non-diegetic(sounds that are heard by the audience and have no onscreen source)

SBM has a number of Non-diegetic sounds that are also sometimes diegetic. Some of the songs are actually heard by the characters and are playing on the radio or on a record in the scene, but other times the songs pop up and have no real source in the particular scene they are being played in.

Give me an example or either a diegetic or non-diegetic sound from ANY of the scenes you have seen so far.

History of Sound

Just so that you know where sound in film came from (and that it wasn't always there) I thought you should go to this web site to read a little bit about when and how sound came into the movie theater.

If there were no sound in film, what would the viewer have to rely on instead?

Holiday

How was everyone's holiday? Where did you go?

Bird's Eye Shot

What would it look like if you were a bird? That is how a bird's eye shot works. The camera is pretending it is a "bird" peering down on the scene.

Tell me if there is a scene in SBM that is shot this way. Where is it in the film?

Close Up

"Get ready for your CLOSE UP!"

Getting ready for a close up is a common phrase that sometimes comes up in American culture and it relates to movie making. A close-up is to show the details of a scene or a severe reaction to something where the actor's reaction is necessary for the scene to move along.

This is where the acting and make-up have to be good. If either are off, a smart audience will know it. Pay attention to when close-ups are used in SBM and what they are used for.

Click here for more of an explanation of "Close Up."

Tracking Shot

These are the most fun to me. I love imagining a guy with a camera on a track, following the characters as they are acting out a portion of the scene. It is like having someone follow you around with a camera.

I always try to pay attention to a film and notice the tracking shots, so I can laugh to myself about how the actors are being "followed" or tracked in the scene.

Click here for more of a description.

Establishing Shot

Pay attention during certain parts of the film when you are shown something on the screen just to orient the viewer. An establishing shot sets up where the scene is taking place or where the characters are in a scene before it happens. It is sort of like how at the beginning of a novel, the author will describe the scene first before adding the characters (a very common storytelling technique).

For a film, it is more about letting the viewer know where the characters are in the scene before it happens.

Click here to find out more.

Editing

Look at all these different editing techniques (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematic_techniques):

Editing and transitional devices

Main article: Film editing

* A Roll
* B Roll
* Cross cutting
* Cutaway
* Dissolve
* Establishing shot
* Fast cutting
* Flashback
* Insert
* Jump cut
* Keying
* L cut ("Split edit")
* Master shot
* Match cut
* Point of view shot
* Screen direction
* Sequence shot
* Slow cutting
* Split screen
* SMPTE time code
* Shot reverse shot
* Talking head
* Wipe
o Clock wipe
o Heart wipe
o Matrix wipe
o Star wipe

What's Up Wednesday

What is a jump cut?

Sound

The songs in SBM are amazing. You will fall in love with them before even falling in love with the film. When thinking about sound in film, a viewer should take into consideration where and when the song is being used. How does the song change or compliment the mood of the scene and is the song used to change scenes?

When watching the film, pay attention to the songs sound (not necessarily the lyrics) and how that sound draws out certain emotions. What kinds of instruments are used and do those instruments reflect a certain feeling? Is there a certain rhythm to the music and does that reflect a certain tone or mood? Does the voice of the singer sound a certain way that changes the mood of the song? How?

These are only a few things to consider, but make sure you put on your analytical thinking cap when you are viewing the film and pay close attention to every angle.

Narrative and Film

Just like a good story, a film is telling someone's or something's story from a certain perspective with characters in a setting. There is usually some sort of rising action and falling action and some sort of conclusion all making up the plot. There is character development as well as changes in setting.

Only, in a film, the creators are using images instead of words. So, think about how the film develops the story the same way a novel or short story might develop, but think about how the viewer uses the context of the image to understand tone and mood instead of words, like in a novel.

Film Making

The best way to understand a film in its completion is to understand how it was made.Wikipedia is always a great source for quick information so go to this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmmaking and read up on some of the basics!

If you were working on a film, what part of the process would you most likely be a part of? Would you be an actor in it? Would you do the set design? Would you create the storyboard? The screenplay? The costumes? The make-up and hair? Getting investors for the film? Casting? The director? Lighting?

Keep in mind all of the techniques I bring up on the blog while you watch the film. There are many things Ms. Sevimli will teach you about film also and keep those in mind as you view the film as well. Think about how they are used and where they are used and why they are used at certain moments in the film.

Most of all -- enjoy watching a great movie the first time through and then get into analyzing it the second time through!

IMDB

If you guys do not know this site already, you must go to it: imdb.com

It is a movie database with all sorts of facts and information about movies and actors and television shows -- everything people love being entertained by.

Check out this page about Stand By Me.

Remember -- a "spoiler" means that you will find out information that may ruin the movie for you, so don't read on if you want to enjoy the film as you watch it.

Stand By Me

What could this title mean? What do you think the movie is about based on the title? (Don't respond to this question if you already saw the movie or if you have looked it up online)