5 things I learned by deep listening
A few days ago, I had to ponder: what sound to play when a recording stops?
I couldn't quite figure it out so I left a note to the sound designer:
what is the sound of one hand clapping?
Like silent movies, writing for audio has taught me a few things:
a "weird" surprising reading of a line is more interesting than a "realistic" one.
whatever gets the audience to lean in and pay attention is best.
closely related: actors are fucking geniuses.
they deserve every penny they get.
2) editing is the ultimate form of production.
yes, this is literally true – it comes last! – but it's also true conceptually.
with audio, you can easily restage what the actors are doing, and where they are, as they deliver their lines.
i think the next closest mode of production, in terms of freedom, would be video game / computer generated graphics where you can also try out different blocking, staging… (but that ofc has its own capital issues)wrote some romantic dialogue at the beach during sunset?
but it might play better in a crowded disco?>
as quick as you can snap your fingers, you can test it!
3) There are no background sounds!
Only different registers.
when I am composing a scene in the edit bay, I am playing music again.
The characters' dialogue, the music, the background sounds are all different instruments, playing the same song. (melody, harmony, point, counterpoint.)
All sounds are always present in the listener's mind, albeit on a different register.
Yes, this sounds obvious but it allows for some interesting conversations between the different elements.
This came to me as I was changing the timing of a distant clocktower bell during a lyrical monologue about factories. I used the clocktower as a musical undertone. It was both a literal thing and an emotional thing.
I think that kind of synecdoche is special as it allows you to make deeper connections between ideas.
It's like lining up a shot with all the elements (foreground, middle and back) all in... harmony & tension.
4) the design of the "deck" matters
executing commands without looking at my hands reminds me of the pleasures of learning a trick on a skateboard.
the pleasure of fluency; when the instrument becomes an extension of the mind.
while I have more nice things to say about the Pro Tools keyboard interface (as well as Premiere), I'm still convinced a more physical interface, with knobs and dials, would be superior. (still not interested in this which reminds me of this, when all I need is this)
when I am editing for rhythms, I am often moving my entire body.
to have all that energy get focused into the tiny surface area of keycaps is... a choice.
i don't think it's the best one!*
5) having the necessary time is awesome.
as I wrote in last week's newsletter, i've been in the kitchen when time ran out and I had to serve an undercooked meal with a smile on, and that shame leaves a mark.
conversely, just barely having enough time to do a good job feels like heaven.
i can only imagine what it feels like to have more than enough time.
such is the meaning of wealth and power: to have more time.
the ruling class gets to play in timelessness. (some even play at turning back their clocks!)
the working class is ruled by a merciless clock.
the gap between those two modes of existence, on and off the clock, is huge.
perhaps the labor story of the 21st century.
looking forward to telling it!
happy holidays!
To paraphrase Fr. Brendan Busse:
take care,This is a tough time and there's plenty of darkness and [the most powerful being] doesn't send rescue helicopters, they send a child.
jose
footnotes
* how is it that computer desks / chairs aren't as well designed as car seats / dashboards?
i really feel like this is a milkshake that is not being made.
yes, you can get "fine" chairs and standing desks are cool, but... you really should be designing the whole interface at once: input, monitor, chair, desk. it's a system!
why is apple trying cars when computer furniture is right there! (or... are they designing a car interior... without the car? because...)
one day we'll meet an alien race and we'll know they're more advanced by the superior quality of their work seating.
Look at that image! I can almost smell that fine Corinthian leather. HR Giger: genius!
Also, is not Alien (1979) the best labor movie of all time?
OK, maybe just of that decade. As for the 1960s...
Remember the image I shared at the top?
Ladies and gentlemen: Akira Kurosawa's High and Low.
A movie about a boss who moves a mountain to save the life of his employee's kid.
It's one of the best movies I've ever seen. A masterpiece in every way. Check it out this Christmas
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