How to add sound to amateur films (1954)

glasspaper from the microphone, you get a balance. In this, as in a multitude of home-made effects, it is difficult to reproduce the complexity of the original sound. In the waterfall effect, for example, there will be discontinuities as you draw breath. Although the real sound contains irregularities also, it includes a continuous background noise represented only in part by the steel wool or glasspaper. You can, however, get over this by superimposing two or more recordings (p. 80). The final sound then represents the breathing of several people who draw breath at different times. You can use a similar technique to build up crowd and traffic noises. Sound as a Link In a well-constructed film, sound is not just something "stuck-on'\ It forms an essential part of the whole and can carry information which would otherwise require several additional shots. Consider a simple sequence showing Jack scrambling in the back of a lorry which subsequently heads for Leicester. A silent film might show this as follows : Jack scrambles in the back of lorry. The driver slams his door and settles to the wheel. Lorry wheel begins turning. Lorry appears round bend. Camera follows until in close-up and then stops on signpost, "Leicester". In a sound film, you could use exactly the same script, merely adding the appropriate sounds in synchronisation with the pictures. But you get a much neater effect if you make the sound tell part of the story: Shot Sound 1 MS Jack scrambles in back of lorry Door slams, engine starts. 2 CS Signpost: "Leicester". Tilt to Lorry approaches at lorry as it disappears in a cloud speed, passes and of dust. recedes. e 125 1 MS 2 MS 3 CS 4 LS