Echoes of reverb: from cave acoustics to sound design Christos A. Goussios
Nikolaos Tsinikas
Niovi Kitsiou
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Fine Arts Film Studies Department Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece 00306974407843
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Architecture Faculty of Engineering Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece 00306977203701
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Fine Arts Film Studies Department Thessaloniki, 54124, Greece 00306978377085
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
ABSTRACT This work attempts to highlight some specific interconnections between certain human artistic expressions and their relation with sonic environments and architectural soundscapes, especially connections with some acoustic qualities of spaces, such as the reverberation. The main focus is the effort to discover applications of these acoustic qualities, as identifying characteristics of certain spaces, in order to serve the narration in fiction films through sound design. The use of the reverberation as a story telling tool in films is highlighted. The difficulty of the human definition and expressions concerning our sonic environment is mentioned through the partial absence of a sonic vocabulary. One the first part the unintended effect and reflection of acoustic characteristics of spaces on certain human artistic and generally creative procedures is presented and part of a related research-in-progress, is introduced. The second part of this work focuses on the intentional use of acoustic characteristics on film sound in order to imitate certain spaces and furthermore underline, multiply etc feelings, psychological situations, emotional experiences and many more in audiovisual narration.
General Terms Design, Experimentation
Keywords Reverberation, sound design, sound narration, myths
Categories and Subject Descriptors H.5.1 [Multimedia Information Systems]: Audio, Video; H.5.2 [User Interfaces]: Sonic environment, Soundscapes and social interaction; J.5 [Arts and humanities]: Arts, fine and performingMusic
1. INTRODUCTION Apart from the sounds that comprise the final soundtrack of every movie, it is also their qualities, usually as a result of processing, that provides the potential for the underlining and augmentation of the visual experience. These qualities can be transformed or modified basically with the use of effects. However, apart from Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from
[email protected]. AM15, October 07-09, 2015, Thessaloniki, Greece © 2015 ACM. ISBN 978-1-4503-3896-7/15/10…$15.00 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2814895.2814915
the parallel existence of the soundtrack of each film, there can be potential for narration through the use of the sounds, especially in certain film genres. In this work we focus on the possible use of the effect of reverberation in films as a storytelling means. Humans were always connected and influenced from the room and even open air acoustics. These acoustic conditions are results of physical qualities (caves, canyons, mountains etc) and can also be achieved through architectural design (ancient theaters, roman odea, Pantheon in Rome & Rotunda in Thessaloniki, churches, cathedrals, opera houses, concert halls but also everyday spaces, rooms, halls, public buildings etc).Specifically, some scientists support that the acoustics of caves influenced the drawings of their inhabitants, but also that the prehistoric civilizations had a wide knowledge on sound that was also applied to architecture, music and the arts in general [1],[2],[3],[4]. And from this starting point, most of the spaces can be separated, on those with cave and those with open air acoustics [5].
2. SONIC VOCABULARY AND SOUND MYTHS In everyday living we characterize sound as dry, crunchy, big, thin, intimate, that can have strength, clarity, definition, warmth. The difficulty to describe sound with sound terms or parameters, reflects the difficulty to really determine what sound is and what feelings sound can evoke. This might be a reason for the connection of sounds with mythology and the divine in general. There are many sound myths that testify the knowledge of past civilizations on acoustics (Echo, Sirens, Orpheus, Amphion, Apollo and Marsias, Aeolus etc) but also -as myths- a respect on the phenomena, and also a respect on the deities. Since the first quantitative measurements of sound parameters in the early 1920’s and even until nowadays that sound became, or is mainly treated, as a signal [6], the sound vocabulary remains non-sonic in a way, and words that attempt to focus on emotions, surfaces, colors, temperature, humidity, solids etc are being used.
3. THE EFFECT OF THE ACOUSTICS ON HUMAN COMPOSITIONS AND PERFORMANCES Most of the ritual spaces and temples, especially the very well known, were and still are characterized from certain acoustical parameters. The Pantheon in Rome (inner diameter: 43,3m, height to the oculus: 43,3m) is an example of a round temple, with a high ceiling that definitely has a unique acoustical identity, as well as the Rotunda in Thessaloniki, Greece (inner diameter: 24,5m, height: 29,8m). Most of the orthodox churches and the cathedrals have a long reverberation time that is connected to the devoutness
and worship and also corresponds and ideally promotes feelings such as faith, glory, devotion, grace on an attempt to create the appropriate ambience for a connection with the divine. Additionally these acoustical parameters of the cathedrals and their general architectural characteristics, influenced the ways of music composition, that was about to be performed in them [7],[8]. From Renaissance composer Willaert (1490-1562) with main focus on polyphonic church Music, and Baroque composer of vocal church works D. Gabrielli (1659-1690), to J.S. Bach (1685-1750), almost all the composers who were involved with certain ritual spaces (even subsequently composers whose compositions were related with certain halls in palaces) adjusted some of their compositions, or specific composition parameters, as the tempo, in the acoustic conditions of the churches that their Music was about to be performed. But also today, most of the musicians tend to adjust their performances according to the acoustical parameters of the spaces where they are about to perform. It is impossible for a musician to ignore the acoustical characteristics and neglect them during her/his performance. In a still-going experiment with three guitarists in three different spaces with specific acoustical parameters, an anechoic chamber, a huge abandoned old factory and in a forest, we had the chance to ascertain how these musicians adapted their performances following the needs and the sonic conditions of the above mentioned spaces of acoustic interest [9].A professional electric jazz guitarist, who is also a specialist on improvisations, had to perform in an anechoic chamber, initially without the use of his guitar effects. It was almost impossible for him to perform in this room that does not add any sonic qualities to the produced musician-instrument-amplifier sound. The performer was very uncomfortable basically due to the transmission and attenuation of sound which follows the Inverse Square Law in the anechoic chambers. Even with the addition of his effects, the guitar player couldn’t produce the musical sound he wanted since this sound is also shaped by performance spaces too.
Figure 2.A forest.
Figure 3.An abandoned old factory. Another guitarist, who performed with an acoustic guitar, had to play in an abandoned factory, where the reverberation time definitely exceeds 5 seconds. The performer had prepared a sequence of certain musical parts, but realizing the rare acoustic identity of the space he adjusted his playing to it, mainly regarding the dynamics, his ways of producing sounds (different techniques) and also the content of the musical performance he had prepared. The musician added harmonics, certain chords, very slow fades and very fast cuts. The musician who played the classical guitar, had to perform in the woods, in an environment that is converse to the spaces where he usually performs his Music. He had to adjust his playing too, since he discovered how the acoustics of this certain ambience influence the final sonic result. He said that he didn’t perceive any of the sounds that were produced in the forest while he was performing, and that he had an intense feeling of the way that the sound was propagated and transmitted.
Figure 1.An anechoic chamber.
4. SONIC ENVIROMENTS AND SOUND DESIGN Additionally, the fact that sound is not only what we hear (low frequencies, infrasound, ultrasounds etc), but also the acoustic memory which is retrieving the sounds that are related with certain images, without the need for them to be heard), creates an even wider field of interdisciplinary questioning and research, but also specifies a field of experimentation for people involved in creative sound professions. In this work we focus on sound design
for feature films, where all the above mentioned conditions, parameters, notes and facts are used and applied, on an attempt to create sonic environments that serve, strengthen and sometimes undertake the narration. Specifically for the use of reverberation in feature films, in order to create soundscapes and evoke emotions.
houses, and indicates power and authority. This is because even the slightest sounds that man can create, can be heard. Furthermore, when we meet with the inside of his office, we have the feeling of a dry environment that opposes the outside. As his personal feelings for Joe that oppose his general image of the ruthless boss of the Loopers.
5. REVERBERATION IN FILMS
5.4 Reverberation for narration
While exploring the connections of the acoustics and sound designing for films, it is almost impossible to find a feature film where there is no reverberation used in sound design or added on the final mix of the soundtrack. It is one of the frequent tools that can be used with a wide variety of applications. The use of reverberation is multiple and can be applied in different ways and for different reasons, technical or aesthetic.
Reverb can generally have a narrative dimension. For example the enveloping ambience of dreams, nightmares, thoughts and specific emotional experiences is part of the narration. Again in Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012) we meet with a ten year old kid, Cid, who has supernatural abilities and will become the Rainmaker. Three times (1:17’:00”, 1:32’:56”, 1:45’:10”) we watch and hear his extraordinary telekinetic abilities, in a full reverberant surrounding atmosphere. Another example for this category of the use of reverb as a storytelling tool is the way footsteps are heard or can be heard which always has the potential for a narrative explanation [10]. Confidence, indecisiveness, courage, shyness, suspense, power are reflected from the way footsteps sound: especially the cinematic footsteps .
5.1 Reverb that recreates existing places Reverberation can be used to recreate sound-spaces that correspond to the spaces that we see on screen. It is used to shape the soundscape that should be heard in order to persuade the audience for the existence of its corresponding landscape. In this case, the successful use of the reverb is based on the former knowledge, experience and acoustic memory of the viewers/listeners. Furthermore on the interconnection of all the film elements, sound, light, décor, costumes and the overall artistic design. There are certain spaces with characteristic acoustic qualities with which, most of the people of the western world, are familiar: churches, palaces, court houses, tunnels, canyons etc. Their acoustics can be persuasive for the existence of these spaces. In the starting sequence of the drama Tous les matins du Monde (Alain Corneau, 1991), we see Gérard Depardieu in a palace, where his clothes, the décor but also the acoustics, persuade us for the date, late 17th century, and also for the space, the palace hall where a rehearsal is taking place.
5.2 Reverb that creates virtual spaces With the use of reverberation it is possible to create part of the sonic parameters and acoustical values of virtual spaces that usually don’t exist. Mostly in science fiction films, where unknown planets, spaceships, constructions etc appear, their acoustic characteristics, are usually significant and notable. Starting from the Star Wars (George Lucas, 1977) to animation Wall-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008), and many more, it is part of the work of sound design pioneer and guru Ben Burtt to give voice and characteristic sonic dimensions to these fore mentioned spaces, but also to objects, conditions and characters of the film. In science fiction film Prometheus (Ridley Scott, 2012) the acoustic of the caves, tunnels and corridors inside the structure of the unknown planet are characterized from a certain reverberation time and other acoustic qualities. In this movie a very interesting acoustic space with a significant role in the narration, is the inside of the helmets which the scientist -who visit the distant planetwear.
5.3 Reverberation for emotion Reverberation can be used as an aesthetic creative mean on an attempt to produce or underline emotions. In the film Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012) Joe and Kid Blue are outside Abe’s -the bosses- office (14’:57’’). There is a long reverberant field, which reminds us of sonic environments such as these we meet in court
5.5 Reverb of impulsive sounds In many cases reverberation can be used as a simple tool to create remaining sound ambiences that fade out to present a new atmosphere. For instance the decay of the reverberant part of an impulsive sound helps on the succession of sequences and scenes since it has the possibility to create a neutral sonic condition that allows for a storytelling, scenery, place, time change. It can be the shutting of a door, the sliding of a drawer, a crash, a passing vehicle, a shooting whose reverberant decay can create this short time that is useful for a narrative shift. This short time interval provides also some time for the viewers/listeners to understand or stand on significant events, as a shooting, killing and death for example. In Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012) Joe’s car brakes right in front of a young boy (09’:08’’) which has some similar characteristics with Joe and we have some seconds to think of his childhood and the opportunities of the poor in this movie. At the last sequence of the film in 1:48’:07’’ Joe is shooting himself in order to save young Cid. The reverberation lasts until 1:48’:15’’ while all other actions -gun fall, body fall- are silent. It is followed by a sudden cut of the reverberation decay to silence when old Joe disappears. A quiet sonic environment starts succeeding with mother’s breathing and wind which is ripped from mother’s scream “Cid”.This quiet remaining or decaying sound, highlights another interesting side concerning the creative use of reverberation: the connection between the use of reverberation and silence in films.
6. CONCLUSIONS The limits between the fore mentioned categories are not perfectly clear, however this is not a disadvantage but on the contrary a proof for the different ways and the interconnections of using reverberation as a storytelling means in films. The connection of humans with sounds and sonic environments, our training through everyday listening but also from film screenings and the ways that our sonic memories are being retrieved, are possibly some of the parameters that can explain the ways that sound design can lead to successful story telling through the use of sounds and their process. The reverberation tools that can be used in film sound design, for practical and aesthetic reasons, but also for the
reinforcement of the narration, are certain but also without certain limits, which are unexplored. Interdisciplinary methods of research and analysis can lead to helpful results for the construction of persuasive and creative soundtracks of feature films.
7. REFERENCES [1] Toop D., Ocean of Sound, Greek translation, Oxi publications, Αthens, 1998 [2] Leigh Dayton, Science: Rock art evokes beastly echoes of the past, New Scientist Magazine, issue 1849, 28. Nov. 1992 [3] Lubman D., An archaeological study of chirped echo from the Mayan pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza, Acoustical Society of America Meeting, Norfolk, VA. 12-16. Oct. 1998. [4] Waller Steven, J., Psychoacoustic Influences of the Echoing Environments of Prehistoric Art, First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics, Cancun, Mexico, Dec. 2002. [5] Forsyth M., Buildings for Music, the MIT Press, MA, 1985. [6] Thompson E., the Soundscape of Modernity, MIT Press, MA, 2002. [7] Beranek L.L., Music Acoustics & Architecture J. Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1962 [8] Tomlinson Holman, Surround Sound Up and Coming, Focal Press, MA, 2008 [9] Theodoropoulos D., Goussios Ch., Kolaxizis I., Sonic imagery: musical acoustics and visual representations using digital cinema techniques, scientific project financed by John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, In Progress (2015) [10] Wyatt H. & Amyes T., Audio Post Production for Television and Film, Focal Press, MA, 2006 [11] Sonnenschein D. Sound Design, Wiese Productions, CA, 2001 [12] Sabine W.C., Collected Papers on Acoustics, Peninsula Publishing, Los Altos, CA, 1992 (Harvard University Press, 1922) [13] Chion Michel, Audio-Vision, Columbia University Press, NY, 1992 [14] Schafer R.M., The Soundscape, Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World, Knopf, New York, 1977. [15] Novak D. & Sakakeeny M., Keywords in Sound, Duke University Press, Durham & London, 2015
