Hollywood Soundscapes

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Hollywood Soundscapes

Film Sound Style, Craft and Production in the Classical Era

Films, cinema Films, cinema

Author: Helen Hanson

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Language: English

Published by: British Film Institute

Published on: 25th July 2019

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 200 pages

ISBN: 9781838716219


Introduction

The technical crafts of sound in classical Hollywood cinema have, until recently, remained largely unsung by histories of the studio era. Yet film sound – voice, music and sound effects – is a crucial aspect of film style and has been key to engaging and holding audiences since the transition to sound by Hollywood's major studios in 1929.

Restoring Sound Technicians

This innovative new text restores sound technicians to Hollywood's creative history. Exploring a range of films from the early sound period (1931) through to the late studio period (1948), and drawing on a wide range of archival sources, the book reveals how Hollywood's sound designers worked and why they worked in the ways that they did.

Development of Sound Conventions

The book demonstrates how sound technicians developed conventions designed to tell stories through sound, placing them within the production cultures of studio era filmmaking, and uncovering a history of collective and collaborative creativity.

Emergence of Skilled Sound Personnel

In doing so, it traces the emergence of a body of highly skilled sound personnel, able to apply expert technical knowledge in the science of sound to the creation of cinematic soundscapes that are alive with mood and sensation.

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