Future Of Sound Design

What is The Future?

MIDI and digital audio technology helped to drive the rapid evolution of sound design during the 1980s and 1990s. Features of computerized theatre sound design systems were recognized as being essential for live show control systems at Walt Disney World and, as a result, Disney utilized systems of that type to control many facilities at their Disney-MGM Studios theme park, which opened in 1989. These features were incorporated into the MIDI Show Control (MSC) specification, an open communications protocol used to interact with diverse devices. The first show to fully utilize the MSC specification was the Magic Kingdom Parade at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in September, 1991.

Also, the World Wide Web has greatly enhanced the ability of sound designers to acquire source material quickly, easily and cheaply. Nowadays, a designer can preview and download crisper, more "believable" sounds as opposed to toiling through time- and budget-draining "shot-in-the-dark" searches through record stores, libraries and "the grapevine" for (often) inferior recordings. In addition, software innovation has enabled sound designers to take more of a DIY (or "do-it-yourself") approach. From the comfort of their home and at any hour, they can simply use a computer, speakers and headphones rather than renting (or buying) costly equipment or studio space and time for editing and mixing. This provides for faster creation and negotiation with the director.

Take all of this into account its safe in my opinion to assume that the internet will play a huge factor in how sound design is used in the future as like it's been said it allows software to be gathered quickly but also allows for the quick distribution of these sounds and also the gathering of sounds inaccessible in climates that can't access them.

Use Of Sound in Film: Star Wars Saga

When i was coming up with the basis of my project and i wanted to look at sound in film, i knew that i wanted to at least touch upon the sound used in Star Wars as some of these sounds have been come as iconic as the films themselves.

Where did these sounds come from?

They all come from Ben Burtt but where did he come from. 

During a student job cataloguing sounds,which had been donated to the University of Southern California's film school which he was attending, a call by Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz to U.S.C. led to a successful interview for Burtt.

 He spent a year recording anything that could be turned upside down and backwards to make Lucas world come alive. Burtt played a massive role in how the world of Star Wars was created "In my first discussion with George Lucas about the film, he - and I concurred with him - that he wanted an 'organic', as opposed to the electronic and artificial soundtrack. Since we were going to design a visual world that had rust and dents and dirt, we wanted a sound which had Squeaks and motors that may not be the smooth-sounding or quite. Therefor we wanted to draw upon raw material from the real world: real motors, real squeaky door, real insects; this sort of thing....basic thing in all films is to create something that sounds believable to everyone, because it's composed of familiar things that you can not quite recognize immediately" 

So How were some of these iconic sounds created?

• Imperial Walkers  

The sound of the Imperial Walkers were created by modifying the sound of a machinist's punch press. Added to this for complexity, were the sounds of bicycle chains being dropped on concrete 

• TIE fighter  

 The screech of a TIE Fighter is a drastically altered elephant bellow

• Chewbacca  

Wookie sounds are constructed out of pieces of walruses and other animal sounds. 

• Laser blasts  

The sound of a hammer on an antenna tower guy wire 

• The sound of battle.

Burtt said the noise was there from the beginning: “Oddly enough, it was the first sound I ever made for Star Wars. When I read the script, I immediately had something in mind. It was an old motor on a projector at the USC Cinema Department. I went and recorded it right away. The humming sound was partly based on that motor.”

• Podracers.

Each vehicle was different because Burtt gave each of them a personality. His team used the sound of actual engines from cars such as Porches and Mustangs and tools such as the Kyma (a sound synthesizer) and wave-table chopper to make the podracers come to life.

More sounds add how they were made can be found here: http://filmsound.org/starwars/

Use of sound in Film: Wall-E

Wall-E is another film that uses sound effectively but uses techniques that i won't be able to use but i am still able to learn from the techniques that are on show.

How does it use sound?

A good chunk of Wall-E is without dialogue, so sound really helps to carry the audience through the narrative. However when dialogue is used it comes from sound designer Ben Burtt (the architect of the sound of the Star Wars saga) created the voices for the central characters with Burtt making the noises for WALL-E by tweaking his own voice. After the animation was completed Burtt had the task of searching for literally thousands of sound effects to help finish the film, many of which were apparently recorded in a junkyard. 

Another way in which sound works differently in Wall-E than other animated film is that the movie opens with a scenes that have no dialogue and remains this way for quite some time so you are left with just sound and music to get the feel of the character and to understand the world that you're visiting which is an interesting way to use sound particular for a children's film.

Using Sound in film: Psycho

Psycho is another primary film that i wanted to look at particular it's shower while it wont have a impact in my project it will inform my opinion on different ways to use sound

How Does It Use Sound:

One of the big takeaways from the shower scene is how much little sound is used, granted its set in a shower so not much sound could be used but its the subtle of it as it leads you into a false sense of security as the sound of the shower is quite relaxing and then the shadow appears behind the curtain but there's no sound so uncertainty.uneasiness kicks in. The sound remains relatively low until the curtain is tossed back and the iconic sound echoes out which due to its volume adds the scare and overcomes the audience. This is an effective use of sound in my mind particularly if you use it in a audio drama way as sounds the only cue they have so if you overwhelm it, it can be very effective

Using sound in Film: Apocalypse Now

When working on research i wanted to look at films that many look at as using sound effectively, and one of these that i put as primary research and many say use sound well is Apocalypse Now.

How Does It Use Sound:

Something that Francis Ford Coppola did with this film was to mix sounds in post production which caused dialogue and special effects to come out of different speakers this giving audience a new type of emersion and gives a sense of perspective. What this does for the audience is firstly tells them in relation to themselves where the characters are in the film, it also allows for the audience to know how far away the action is happening and from which direction the sound is coming from.

Apocalypse Now was the first multi-channel movie to be mixed with a computerized mixing board. As both Walter Murch one of the most prominent sound designers in Hollywood and Coppola wanted the audience to feel like they were in a war-zone, surrounded by gunfire and bullets.Others also say this multi-channel “surround” style also works eerily well in the jungle sequences.

Also one prominent sound that impacts most of the film is the sound of helicopters which Murch talks about here "It was something that came up long before the film ever got made — back when George [Lucas] was going to direct it. There was a lot of discussion between George and me, and between us and John Milius, who was writing the script, that what made Vietnam different and unique was that it was the helicopter war.....The beginning of the film was a trigger for the psychic dimension of the helicopters. Later on, when you get into the attack on the village [when Robert Duvall’s ramrod Col. Kilgore tries to clear a VC-held coastal town], it’s dramatic and it’s fantastic, but it is fairly much “what you see is what you hear.” Whereas at the beginning of the film it’s some drunken reverie of this displaced person, Willard, who is trying to bring himself back into focus." [http://designingsound.org/2009/10/walter-murch-special-apocalypse-now/]

More info: https://soundandinteraction.wordpress.com/2011/10/10/the-sound-of-%E2%80%9Capocalypse-now%E2%80%9D/

How To Tell A Story

While in a previous post i have talked about some ways in techniques people use to create a good story here ill talk about how some say you can tell a great story. 

• Cook the story:  Some areas say that a great story has to worked on. While some  conversationalists tend to tell the story in its raw form –- simply retelling events in an objective way. Many argue that this is simple as reading something from the paper and saying it's your story, these writers state that to create a good story you have to work on it.

• Paint the scene: Too much detail will be boring and the same goes for too little detail. some research has this example.

Bad = “We went to a city.”

Okay = “We went to Detroit.”

Better = “We drove our little Honda to Detroit.”

Good = “We drove our little Honda through the war-torn city I call Detroit.”

Good, almost too much detail = “We drove our little 1997 Honda through the smog invested, war-torn city I like to call Detroit and it barely survived the 11 potholes we hit.”

Too much detail = “We drove our little 1997 Honda Civic through the smog invested, war-torn city I like to call Detroit and it barely survived the 11 potholes, 5 cracks, and two homeless people that we almost hit.”

• Establish the norm, and then contrast that with how an event didn't go as expected.  A great story is about something that isn’t normal and doesn’t happen all the time. It’s where things were normal until something happened that made them not so normal anymore. This is a very effective and highly recommended way to tell parts or all of your story. 

Now some points  on this area have issue to what i am aiming for due to the use of points such as ADD Dialogue or Including Your own Reaction these are somethings i am unable to achieve based on the idea that i intend to go with for the project.

Radio Drama: The Archers

The Archer's is another radio drama that i felt i should look at as it again is something similar to what i intended to do and how they use sounds and story would be a benefit to me 

What Is It:

The Archers is the world's longest-running radio soap opera. The British production, which has had more than 18,100 episodes, is broadcast on Radio 4, the BBC's main spoken-word channel. Originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", it is now described as "contemporary drama in a rural setting".

How Does It Use Sounds:

Similar to most of Radio Drama's sound plays a prominent role but with The Archers the sound used makes it feel warmer than compared to others as it feels homely which works in its favour. 

Storytelling: Values in indigenous cultures

While in a previous post ive talked about indigenous cultures and storytelling, i decided to do another post as one part of my minor project has to be about cultural research and the indigenous cultures interests me so without further ado

Values:  
Stories in indigenous cultures encompass a variety of values. These values include an emphasis on individual responsibility, concern for the environment and communal welfare [Hodge, et al]

These values are passed down from older generations to change and shape how their communities function. Storytelling is often attributed for passing on knowledge and understanding allowing the values of "self" and "community" to connect and be learned as a whole, For example in the Navajo tribe (mentioned in the other post) allows for community values to be learned at different times and places for different learners. With stories being spiritual in nature focusing on the perspectives of other people, animals and elements of the earth. Leading the children to learn the value of their place in the world as a person in relation to others. 

Generally stories are used as informal tools of these communities allowing for them to be used as an alternative method for reprimanding children's bad behavior. In this way, stories are non-confrontational, which allows the child to discover for themselves what they did wrong and what they can do to adjust the behavior. [Marie Battiste] Other Examples can be seen in the parents of the Arizona Tewa community, who teach morals by traditional methods these Lessons focus on several topics including historical or "sacred" stories or more domestic disputes. Through this type of storytelling, the Tewa community emphasizes the traditional wisdom of the ancestors and the importance of collective as well as individual identities.[Kroskrity, P. V.] Some Indigenous communities teach children valuable skills and morals through the actions of good or mischievous stock characters while also allowing room for children to make meaning for themselves.This technique allows the children to depend on their own experiences to make up their minds and fill in the gaps.

When children listen to stories, they periodically vocalize their ongoing attention and accept the extended turn of the storyteller. The emphasis on attentiveness to surrounding events and the importance of oral tradition in indigenous communities teaches children the skill of keen attention. For example, Tohono O'odham American Indian communities children who tended to move towards more cultural practices  were able to recall verbal story events better than those that did not. Body movements and gestures also helped to communicate values and keep stories alive for future generations.

Storytelling also serves to deliver a particular message during spiritual and ceremonial functions. In the ceremonial use of storytelling, the unity building theme of the message becomes more important than the time, place and characters of the message. Once the message is delivered, the story is finished. As cycles of the tale are told and retold, story units can recombine, showing various outcomes for a person's actions. [Kira VanDeusen]














[Hodge, et al]: Utilizing Traditional Storytelling to Promote Wellness in American Indian Communities.

Marie Battiste: Indigenous Knowledge and Pedagogy in First Nations Education: A Literature Review with Recommendations. 

[Kroskrity, P. V.]: "Narrative reproductions: Ideologies of storytelling, authoritative words and generic regimentation in the village of Tewa.

[Kira VanDeusen]: Raven and the Rock: Storytelling in Chukotka.

Storytelling: Techniques

In most media areas there are techniques to use to get the best version you can. Below are about 10 points that are given from a range of people to create the best stories.

1)Show it: Great and influential stories do not “tell”, they “show”.  Through storytelling elements like plot, character, conflict, theme, and setting, you can show your message and let your audience arrive at your meaning at a comfortable pace.

2) Focus on the active struggle: A story that only shows what happens to the protagonist is boring. Stories that depict a character’s active pursuit--of justice, love, triumph--are far more interesting because the character actually does something. 

3) There should be a plot: A plot serves as the guiding force in your story.  It helps ensure there is a beginning, middle, and end and all of the fun stuff in between.  This is important because it makes your audience feel comfortable and allows them to focus on other aspects of your story.  Also, a good ending will provide your audience with closure.  Leaving your character clinging to the edge of the cliff is only acceptable if you are setting yourself up for the next chapter.

4) Match your brand story to the format: Writing for the ear (e.g. sales calls, elevator pitches, videos, speeches) is not the same as writing for the eye (e.g. blog posts, ebooks, articles, ads). Adapting your storytelling to fit the format prevents the story from sounding wooden, generic, or rehearsed, and it strengthens the appeal to each different audience.

5) Keep the dialogue real: This is important because as a listener or a reader, we are immediately distracted when something sounds off, cliché, or is just out of place.  A good way to check and see if your dialogue sounds good is to read it aloud.  Often times, this is an easy way to pick-up on words that are disruptive to our ears.

6) Control your pacing: Tell your story too slowly, and the audience will lose interest. But go too fast, and they won’t be able to keep up. It’s okay to speed up and slow down the pace of the story according to its tension as long as you can gauge your audience and keep them with you. Pacing also applies to the speed at which you tell the story in person, when you must pace both the story itself and the way you tell it. This storytelling technique is critical in videos, speeches etc. since your voice is the medium.

7) Conflict: If everybody is happy-go-lucky and the sun is shining then what is the purpose of telling the story in the first place?  Stories are about conflict and trying to overcome it.  Will the main character succeed?  How will the conflict be resolved?  This is the reason your audience will stay engaged.  Stories can have more than one conflict too.  Try weaving smaller conflicts into various points of the story to support an overarching conflict.

8) Make it personal: Whether you are telling a story to pitch a product or to entertain, consider adding a personal touch.  A personal touch will give your pitch the “real” factor.  This can be delivered in the form of a testimonial.  If you are creating a story to entertain, draw on your own life experiences to add to the story.  This will make your story feel more authentic. 

9) Focus on the human element: The most powerful stories use emotion to connect with us on a human level. Facts and figures can be persuasive, but stories are memorable. 

10) The Delivery: You have constructed the perfect story, now how are you going to deliver it?  Are you going to write it down for people to read to themselves, is it meant to be read aloud by others, or will you be telling your story verbally to others?  The final delivery method matters.  You might have to change your story up a bit to ensure it is being told in the most beneficial manner.

Note: This top ten is just some of my personal picks on ways to create a good story and to be a good storyteller whether i will use some of these techniques with my projects is still up in the air.

Storytelling: Contemporary

Like most everything there are usually versions that many will class as contemporary in their society or adapting to the times and storytelling is no different

Modern storytelling has to developed over time, in addition to its usual forms such as fairy tales, folktales and legends its evolved and expanded from just these stories to also being used to represent history, personal narrative, political commentary and evolving cultural norms. Contemporary storytelling has also now be used address educational objectives. 

New forms of storytelling and influence of media in today's world have opened the door creating new ways for people to record, express and consume stories. Stories have also worked their way into the business world and have become part of marketing and advertising everywhere. The reason that companies of all sizes use storytelling in their marketing is due to it being an easy effective tool in attracting target groups to their products. These stories range from brochures to advertising commercials as well as other marketing tactics.  

Radio Drama: Thrilling Adventure Hour

Thrilling Adventure Hour is a key drama to use to get an understanding of how they work while its techniques are something i can't use it, it is a helpful reminder what to aim for.

What Is It:

Thrilling Adventure Hour was a staged production and podcast in the style of old time radio that was held monthly at Largo, a Los Angeles nightclub located in the former Coronet Theatre. 

How Do They Use Sound:

Due to its nature as in the style of an old radio show sound obviously plays an important part of this show they do this by incorporating songs and commercials from fictional sponsors. 

The show's original songs were written by Ben Acker & Ben Blacker (The two main writer/creators of the show) with the composer and band leader Andy Paley.

The roots of the Thrilling Adventure Hour began in Blacker's living room where he and Acker held a reading of their film script for a space western called Sparks Nevada, Marshal on Mars. Struck by the quality of the performances, they decided to launch a stage show with a radio concert, so that the performers had the luxury of holding scripts in their hands and minimal blocking. The concert allowed Acker and Blacker to not impose too greatly on their actor friends, while maintaining a regular deadline for generating material, honing their craft and workshopping content in front of an audience.

Radio Drama

One thing that i will look at for this project is radio drama's as they effectively use sound to tell granted they are able to use actors and dialogue but sound on its own do play important roles in drama as well.

So what is Radio Drama?

Radio Drama is classed as a dramatized purely sound based performance broadcast and made for radio (or in recent history has branched out into just audio drama and can be heard on CDs, cassette tapes, podcasts, webcasts) These drama obviously have no visual component and heavily depend on dialogue, music and sound to tell stories to the listener and help with the image of the characters and locations "It is auditory in the physical dimension but equally powerful as a visual force in the psychological dimension." Tim Cook

How are stories told?

Radio drama is the most intimate way a writer or creator can have with their audience, and yet it can also cheaply create anything that you can imagine. 

The pictures are better on radio. There's nothing you can't do, nowhere you can't go, and nothing that looks 'cheap'. Nobody will say that they can't afford to build that set, or the lighting's not quite right, or that the bad weather is going to delay production for days. The true 'budget' is that spent between you and the listener - the cost of two imaginations combined, so if you want to do Sci-fi go ahead or if you want to do a western but have no place to film than radio's for you. 

So How do They Use Sound?

Due to sound being a prominent part of this drama it takes the place of describing the scene usually as ways to create is do through sound. Take the example below

Storytelling: indigenous cultures

Overview: 

Storytelling has no greater impact on any society than it does with indigenous cultures ranging from the Aboriginals to Native Americans.

How does it affect them:

For these cultures storytelling is used as an oral form of language associated with practices and values essential to developing one's identity. This is because everyone in the community can add their own touch and perspective to the narrative collaboratively both individual and culturally shared perspectives have a place in the co-creation of the story. Oral storytelling in indigenous communities differs from other forms of stories because they are told not only for entertainment, but for teaching values. For example cultures like the Sto:lo community in Canada focuses on reinforcing children's identity by telling stories about the land to explain their roles.

 Storytelling is a way to teach younger members of indigenous communities about their culture and their identities. In studies such as Donna Eder's, Navajos were interviewed about storytelling practices that they have had in the past and what changes they want to see in the future. They notice that storytelling makes an impact on the lives of the children of the Navajos. According to some of the Navajos that were interviewed, storytelling is one of many main practices that teaches children the important principles to live a good life. Also in indigenous communities, stories are in many ways used to pass knowledge on from generation to generation.

What are some of the types of Storytelling in Indigenous cultures:  With various types of stories in each culture and communities, richness of stories is vast ranging from stories of mythology to philosophies and stories to exchange information. 
Example include: 

•  In the Lakota Tribe of North America,  young girls are often told the story of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who is said to be a spiritual figure that protects young girls from the whims of men.
• In the Odawa Tribe, young boys are often told the story of a young man who never took care of his body, and as a result, his feet fail to run when he tries to escape predators. 

 Narratives can be shared to express the values or morals among family, relatives, or people who are considered part of the close-knit community. Many stories in indigenous American communities all have a "surface" story, that entails knowing certain information and clues to unlocking the metaphors in the story. Such as the Odawa Tribe story which is obviously a metaphor for keeping/watching after yourself and to take care of your body. The underlying message of the story being told, can be understood and interpreted with clues that hint to a certain interpretation. (Reference)









Donna Eder's Study:  Bringing Navajo Storytelling Practices into Schools: The Importance of Maintaining Cultural Integrity

Jo-Ann Archibald: Indigenous Storywork: Educating the Heart, Mind, and Spirit.

How Sound effects Us

Due to manner of my project i feel its important to look at how sound effects us and see if this could play a part in my project.

All sounds that are distracting, annoying, or harmful to everyday activities such as work, rest, entertainment, study and so forth are regarded as noises. In fact, any sound judged by the recipient as undesirable can be considered as a noise. Whether or not a sound is undesired by a person will depend on a number of factors, e.g.

• Loudness.

• Frequency.

• Background noise level.

•  Origin of the sound.

• Recipient's state of mind and temperament.

• Time of occurrence.

• Information content.

While this doesn't factor heavily into my project it is worth noting.

Storytelling: Oral Storytelling

Well i have mentioned Oral Storytelling before i haven't gone into much detail about granted it is what it says on the tin however they is still a fair bit to know.

What is it:
Oral storytelling is an ancient and intimate tradition between the storyteller and their audience. The storyteller and the listeners are physically close, often but not always seated together in a circular fashion. Through the telling of the story people become psychically close, developing a connection to one another through the communal experience. The storyteller reveals, and thus shares, him/herself through his/her telling and the listeners reveal and share themselves through their reception of the story. 

The intimacy and connection that the teller and listeners have often deepens the flexibility of oral storytelling which allows the tale to be moulded according to the needs of the audience and/or the location or environment of the telling. Listeners also feel their connection to the creative process as they are involved in its creation due to their presence.

How flexible the oral storytelling is extends to the teller. Each teller will incorporate their own personality and may choose to add characters into the story. As a result, there will be numerous variations of a single story. Some tellers consider anything outside of their narrative as extraneous while other storytellers choose to enhance their telling of the tale with the addition of visual and audio tools, and embrace specific actions with creative strategies and devices.

Why is this a thing?:
Well many argue that oral storytelling has been around as long as human language. Storytelling fulfills the need for human beings to cast their experiences in narrative form. Our ancestors probably gathered around the evening fires and expressed their fears, their beliefs and their heroism through oral narratives. This long tradition of storytelling is evident in many ancient cultures as previously mentioned. Community storytelling offered the security of explanation; how life and its many forms began and why things happen, as well as entertainment and enchantment. 
With many communities being strengthened and maintained through stories that connected the present, the past and the future.

Telling stories is a nurturing act for the listener, who is connected to the storyteller through the story, as well as for the storyteller who is connected to the listeners through the story.

Where did it come from?: 
Many state the early form of oral storytelling originated in simple chants, particularly when people sang chants as they worked at grinding corn or sharpening tools. Our early ancestors created myths to explain natural occurrences. They assigned superhuman qualities to ordinary people, thus originating the hero tale. 

Early storytelling combined stories, poetry, music, and dance. Those who excelled at storytelling became entertainers, educators, cultural advisors, and historians for the community. Through storytellers, the history of a culture was handed down from generation to generation.

The importance of stories and storytellers throughout human history can be seen in the respect afforded to professional storytellers, from the 1800s Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm to present day storytelling festivals the importance of oral storytelling is continue to be prevalent and recognised.

Storytelling: History

History:

Storytelling as an way to convey stories predates writing, with the earliest forms of storytelling tend to be spoken in nature combined with gestures and expressions. They have also been know to be part of religious rituals, with some archaeologists believing that cave art was must likely worked as forms of storytelling for many ancient cultures such as the Australian Aboriginals who used cave arts to refer back to incase they forget the stories they were telling.

The story then evolved for being solely oral to a combination of oral narrative, music, rock art and dance, which many believed brought understanding and meaning of human existence through remembrance and re enactment of stories. In certain cultures forms of tattooing may also represent stories, with information about genealogy, affiliation and social status being displayed through these tattoos.

Following on through the years with the increase of writing and the use of an wide spread and stable Media, stories have now moved on to be recorded, transcribed and shared across the regions of the world.

In recent history oral stories continue to be created, improvisationally by impromptu storytellers, as well as committed to memory and passed from generation to generation, despite the increasing popularity of written and televised media in much of the world.

Storytelling: What is It?

What is Storytelling:

In basic terms storytelling is a social and cultural activity of sharing and creating stories, often with improvisation, theatrics. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture around the world as a means to entertainment, to education, for societies to preserve their cultures and for cultures to instill moral values upon the younger generation.

What does storytelling entail?  

Stories and storytelling tend to include plots, characters and narratives. The term 'storytelling' is used in a narrow sense to refer to the art of oral storytelling and also in today's worlds a looser sense to refer to techniques used in other media to unfold or disclose the narrative of a story.

Sound Designer: History

Like Foley work, sound design has an interesting history that i may have looked over if not for this project.

History: 

The terms sound design and sound designer were introduced to the motion picture industry in 1972. At that time, The title of Sound Designer was first granted to Walter Murch by Francis Ford Coppola in recognition for Murch's contributions to the film Apocalypse Now. The original meaning of the title Sound Designer, as established by Coppola and Murch, was "an individual ultimately responsible for all aspects of a film's audio track, from the dialogue and sound effects recording to the re-recording (mix) of the final track".

The term sound designer replaced monikers like supervising sound editor or re-recording mixer for what was essentially the same position: the head designer of the final sound track. Editors and mixers like Murray Spivack (King Kong), George Groves (The Jazz Singer), James G. Stewart (Citizen Kane), and Carl Faulkner (Journey to the Center of the Earth) served in this capacity during Hollywood's studio era, and are generally considered to be sound designers by a different name.

Origins: 

Many argue that origins of Sound Design can be found in prehistoric times as the use of sound to evoke emotion, reflect mood and underscore actions in plays and dances began during this time. At its earliest however, it was used in religious practices for healing or recreation. In ancient Japan, theatrical events called kagura were performed in Shinto shrines with music and dance. 

Possibly the first use of recorded sound in the theatre was a phonograph playing a baby’s cry in a London theatre in 1890.  Sixteen years later, Herbert Beerbohm Tree used recordings in his London production of Stephen Phillips’ tragedy NERO. The event is marked in the Theatre Magazine (1906) with two photographs; one showing a musician blowing a bugle into a large horn attached to a disc recorder, the other with an actor recording the agonizing shrieks and groans of the tortured martyrs.

Between 1980 and 1988, Charlie Richmond, USITT's first Sound Design Commissioner, oversaw efforts of their Sound Design Commission to define the duties, responsibilities, standards and procedures which might normally be expected of a theatre sound designer in North America. This subject is still regularly discussed by that group, but during that time, substantial conclusions were drawn and he wrote a document which, although now somewhat dated, provides a succinct record of what was expected at that time. It was subsequently provided to both the ADC and David Goodman at the Florida USA local when they were both planning to represent sound designers in the 1990s.

Sound Designer: What Is It

For this post i aim to talk about sound design as this is also similar to what i'm doing for my project and i feel it deserves a look at 

What Is It:

Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements, this general what i intend to do with my minor along with Foley work. Sound design most commonly involves the manipulation of previously composed or recorded audio, such as sound effects and dialogue. In some instances it may also involve the composition or manipulation of audio to create a desired effect or mood. A sound designer is one who practices the art of sound design.

It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production, radio and video game development.

In motion picture production, a Sound Designer is a member of a film crew responsible for some original aspect of the film's audio. In the American Film Industry the title of Sound Designer is not controlled by any industry organization, unlike titles such as Director or Screenwriter.

The role of sound designer can be compared with the role of supervising sound editor; many sound designers use both titles interchangeably.The role of supervising sound editor, or sound supervisor, developed in parallel with the role of sound designer. 

The demand for more sophisticated soundtracks was felt both inside and outside Hollywood, and the supervising sound editor became the head of the large sound department, with a staff of dozens of sound editors, that was required to realize a complete sound job with a fast turnaround

Foley: Creation

Foley: How is it created

Foley is made by a sound artist mimicking actual sound sources in a recording studio, often there are many little sound effects that happen within any scene of a movie. Foley art is can often be broken down into three main categories which are Feet, Moves, and Specifics.

Feet:

To produce the sound of walking down a staircase for example, two Foley artists stomp their feet on a marble slab in a recording studio while watching the footage. Foley studios carry many different types of shoes and several different types of floors to create footstep sounds. These floors, known as Foley Pits, vary from marble squares to gravel and rock pits. Creating just the right sound of footsteps can greatly enhance the feel of a scene. Foley Artists are often referred to as "Foley Walkers" or "Steppers" when working in the 'feet' subset of Foley

Moves:

The “move's” category makes up many of the more subtle sounds heard in films, for example, the swishing of clothing when two actors walk past each other. This sound is created by rubbing two pieces of the same material together near the microphone at the same rate that the actor’s legs cross. (Note:Cloth is not always used)

Specifics:

Foley can also include other sounds such as doors closing and doorbell rings; however, these tend to be done more efficiently using stock sound effects, arranged by sound editors.

Foley effects help the viewer judge the size of a space. For example, a large hall will have strong reverberation, while a small room may have only slight reverberation. Open outdoor spaces usually have no echo/reverb at all.