How to add sound to amateur films (1954)

but there are two ways out of the dilemma. Which you choose depends on how you are using sound. If you want the postman's rat-tat to have dramatic effect, you will not want to water it down with all the other sounds. So you must write your script so that there is a logical reason for hearing only the knock. And the solution here consists of putting your audience on the other side of the door. We can show perhaps the hall clock, or barometer or hat-stand. Then there is a knock and a letter falls on the mat. Somebody comes to pick it up. Here, the sound of the knock is no longer synchronised closely to the picture. As in the lorry sequence before, we have no need of very precise timing. But more important, because we have not seen the knock we do not expect to hear incidental sounds from sources we can see. The other way out involves the reservation of sound effects purely for atmosphere in cases where the lack of true synchronisation is not apparent. In this way you can introduce the appropriate effects for trains, traffic, seagulls, waves and the like. But wherever accurate timing would be essential, resort to mood music. Occasionally you can compromise. Your postman sequence may be one of many similar shots showing him on his rounds. In this case it will be in order to superimpose each knock on suitable sprightly music. The music then appears to mask the loss of the other, quieter sounds. For this sort of sequence, the professional would undoubtedly employ a specially composed piece in which the knocks form part of the music. You can but choose a record off the shelf and try to synchronise your action in the film to the music. Blind Shots Magnetic tape always presents timing difficulties. It is easy enough to provide sustained effects, such as the running of a car, but problems arise when a sequence covers 127