I was conducting research in David Sonnenschien’s Sound Design (2001) and found some useful information when it comes to reading the scripts for film. He explores how reading a written script it is the “first listening” of the soundtrack. He states how you can receive different impressions of the story without visual content, and this way you can consciously search for creative solutions. This gave me the idea to ask our animation client for a script for her animation (See Figure 1). This way we could clarify any vague description of what she wanted the soundtrack to sound like, and it would give our sound design and foley work more focus.
Sonnenschien suggests that in terms of objects, actions, environments, emotions and transitions, you should ‘listen’ out for key words that immediately impress you. He notes that these ideas and key words can be tracked down in greater detail, and then can be developed throughout the story. Key ‘voices’ we will listen out for in the script from our animation client (Charlotte) will include:
- Sounds linked to people, objects and actions on screen that are explicitly described.
- Environments that can be fleshed out with sonic ambience.
- Key words in both scene description and dialogue that give clues to the ‘feel’ and emotions of the scene, from both the character and audience. This is particularly relevant to us, as the animation has an emotional plot twist in it.
- Moments of physical and dramatic transition, which is directly relevant to the animation’s storyline due to the dramatic transition of fighting and friendship.
“Scriptwriting convention pays a certain homage to the power of audio by requesting that each sound be capitalized in the body of the scene description (e.g. the oncoming truck’s HORN BLASTS as the out-of-control car swerves violently, its WHEELS SCREECHING).” (Sonnenschien, D. 2001: 3) Adjectives and adverbs will hint to us what feelings should be expressed, particularly to affect the audience.
Having a script will improve the accuracy of the sound required for Charlotte, our client. As with every character, object and action on screen there can be generated a potential sound that can offer further impact and drama to the scene and story. This ‘sonic colouring’ is a challenge for a sound designer to reveal. It is also our job to create the reality of explicit locations and times. This is obviously dependant on the style/genre of our animation (using eeriness and silence). Sound will also give clues to the emotions and other connotations from characters Charlotte wishes to represent in the story.
I found this research important in achieving Learning Outcome 2.
Figure 1
References
- Sonnenschien, D. (2001). Sound Design. California: Michael Wiese Productions.