Chion Reading

Chion's writing style makes reading his works long and arduous. That being said, I actually enjoyed this piece! I've had an interest in the relationship between sound and image for a long time. In the blog that we have regarding Scratch Film Junkies, one of my strongest points is regarding the relationship of the sound to the project. Also, the film Autumnal that was played in class. I noted that if the accompanying sound was lighthearted and gay, the piece would take on entirely different meaning.

I thought it was brave of Chion to ask the hard questions in this paper. By the second page, he was questioning the talent of Bergman. He asked if the sound made the movie appear brilliant, not neccessarily the filmmaker. That's quite a bold question, but honestly its fair. Should all the credit have gone to the sound designer for some of the most masterfully edited films? I think its worth a thought.

I wanted to quickly note that the connection of sound to images being "added value" is a nice way to put it. It isnt neccessary by any means, but sound's application to film does add to the final product.

Next, I thought the idea of "verbocentric" filmmaking was quite interesting. After I read this article, I realized that I too hear dialogue and speech first and foremost. All ambient sound follows in suit. Humans listen for other human voices first. It is in our DNA. Its interesting to compare humans that can hear to the deaf. We realize that their are significant differences in how we view films and respond to speech and tonal qualities.

While reading the beginning portion of this article, I had to read and reread some of Chion's points to fully understand them. One such point was this "The added value that words bring to the image goes far beyond the simple situation of a political opinion slapped onto images; added value engages the very structuring of vision - by rigorously framing it." I never really realized how much sound can create and maintain parameters on a film. Truly, the sound can control the flow and structure of a film. I think thats incredible since its not in the typical film discourse in layman film viewing culture.

Also, I wanted to note that Chion's dicussion of empathetic music was very interesting to me. I have always wondered about the sounds that connect us humans. It seems that there are common sounds and tones that many human groups respond similarly too. Is that why so many cultures respond positively to drum beats. I didn't quite understand Chion's position on "indifferent" music and sound. I'll have to reread that section or ask him next time I see him.

The portion of his article that discussed the influence of sound on motion and speed was great. I instantly conjured images of The Fast and the Furious, which is always good. A really great fast tempo can make you feel like you flying through the air like Harry Potter on a broomstick if it hits you just right. It was interesting to find out why certain sound and their relationship to images creates that feeling of speed and movement. I loved the example of using the woosh from the Star Wars movement.

The portion about foleying was interesting as well. I think that its fascinating that I have never heard the sound of anyone getting punched in the face or kicked in the head, but when I visualize these occurances, my brain automatically substitues in a sound from a Chuck Norris or Jackie Chan movie. We movie viewers rely on films to tell us what certain things sound like. The example of the crushed watermelon making people cring because of its likeness to a child being crushed was a good example.
The entire paper was pretty informative.