Sound Sound, Spin that Ish

Observation 1
As I sit in my room, I can hear the footsteps out in the hall. Some sound heavier than others. I hear the distinct closing of bathroom doors versus room doors in my on campus apartment. In the hall I can hear either hearing the door to the staircase shut, or an apartment door shut, being able to tell which is which. This time the staircase door came first. I can hear my roommate singing rap songs as she dances across the kitchen. I can hear the opening and closing of drawers in the other rooms. Periodically a skateboard clicks and clacks across the sidewalk outside. I can hear the television turn on in the living room.


Observation 2
Wandering around the house at home I observe our dog’s paws ticking quickly as he scurries across our wooden kitchen floor. The squeaking of his dog toys is shrilling. My brother drives up our street in his jeep. I can tell it’s him because of his compressed-sounding engine. My mom tries to keep the dog under control as I hear her hands flying across her laptop’s keyboard. Every so often her cell phone plays the “New York New York” song probably waiting to give an updated score of the Yankee game. Oh, that’s probably my mom calling me for a favor.

Murch:
Murch is right in saying that sound is one of the most important out of all the senses.  However, he makes it sound like sight is a bad thing and doesn't deserve to be as important as it is, and this is where I disagree.  His talk of sound owning the throne was a bit too dramatic, but despite my favor for sight I do think that sound should be more appreciated.  Their importance should be equal.  Sounds can be very beautiful and what you can do with them is unlimited but the same thing goes for sight and what you can see and observe.  When it comes to a film I would say that I think that sound and sight work off each other. At first, I'd say that sound does not make a movie more than sight, but if I think about it I do not care for silent films as much because there is no sound...at least there is no talking, but there is boring music (No offense to silent films). 

Our group's recordings of sound seemed to go rather well.  While doing the assignment, we were able to pay close attention to the sounds and thought about what else they could possibly sound like.  We did have trouble putting it back on the tape though.  That's always an issue...Aside from the issues, it was neat to see that each group had a very different variety of sounds.  No groups sets of sound sounded all that similar.

Moritz:
I really don’t have much to say about Moritz’s article, but I particularly liked the information given for Walther Ruttmann. His ideas for what to do with a film sounded beautiful. The ideas that these artists like Ruttmann or Eggeling come up with for how to make a film are phenomenal. I really like the mention of Ruttmann’s use of picture and the animation cut outs. I think it would be cool to see the type of filmmaking this article discusses. It would have been really fascinating to watch how these famous names made their films.

Bio/Manifesto

I’ve always thought of myself as a behind the camera person. I love editing and animation as well, but I’d love to be a DP for a career. I love working with a camera. The concept of film is one of the most beautiful things. It is what allows you to capture any moment in time. I think it is incredible that you can keep any memory you want and have it stored to watch whenever you want because one of life’s most precious gifts is memory. I like to hold on to any great moment or any special point in time that occurs. My favorite part about experimental is that the film moves similar to the thoughts in your head. It’s scattered and all over the place.

Reading Responses

Richtor is right about film losing originality. I feel like film is becoming too mainstream and it’s all about how much money you can get for the film. It’s almost as if art is almost being thrown out the window. Richtor is right by saying that experimental films are the only ones left with a sense of art and originality. He is right that actors are looked at more than the art of the film itself. Yes acting is very important, but it all depends on how the actor is portrayed. For example, lighting is crucial to a film and so the cinematographer is depended on to make the film a beautiful art form to the best of its potential. An actor can say a great line, but unless they are portrayed right, it is more likely to mean nothing. The camera should be at the best angle for a character and the lighting should be a correct amount for a character.

I totally agree with MacDonald about how most people do not become exposed to experimental films until way after being familiar with narratives their whole lives. I wish I could say I was not one of them. In the beginning it was hard for me to like experimental films. I have loved watching movies my whole life but the only ones I was used to were narratives. They told stories and made sense. It is still hard for me to make sense of experimental films and finding their themes that lie within but I feel as if my appreciation for these films has increased. I love how there are no limits to these types of films and they bring back the originality that I feel that today’s Hollywood narratives have lost.

Bela Balazs's article about sound gives a better realization of how significant sound really is.  I like the way she compares it to seeing something and how sound can be taken for granted unless you see what  the sound is associated with.  What I like the most is how she talked about how hearing sirens does not really seem to matter to someone unless you see a scared look on another's face.  Until I read this example, I had never really thought about how much I had taken sound for granted.  I also loved the way she talked about the different levels of sound and how something can sound like something but come to find out it is a something completely different.  I hope that after reading this article I will develop a better appreciation for sound that can even further develop with the knowledge I gain from this class.