Sonic Environments in Film and Audiovisual Media

Kurzbeschreibung und Leitidee

In this course, the students will learn to critically engage with sound practice in film and audiovisual media focusing on the specific use of environmental sounds or ambience. The course addresses pertinent questions about the aesthetic choices made in sound design and production practice, i.e., location recording, editing and sound design for film, video and digital media production on a basic level. Both practical insights and theory will deal with narrative discourses that arise from the different ways of combining or converging environmental sound and moving image to make meaning, the issues of ecology and mediation, and audiovisual relationships.

Lerninhalte

A number of theoretical and practice-driven scholarly texts on sound design and production will be discussed. The screenings and listening sessions will be followed by group discussion involving related theories in sound studies dealing with film and audiovisual media. Several relevant film soundtracks will be discussed. The students will actively take part in the discussion to encourage critical making by way of presenting individually and in groups. The outcome will be short critical texts written by the students. By taking part in this intensive course, the students will be able to independently develop critical attitudes towards sound practices in film and media.

zu erreichende Kompetenzen

1. Students will learn to critically analyze sound practice in film and media arts. 2. Students will be introduced to the theoretical perspective of sound production. 3. The course will encourage the students to consider the narrative potential of sound, and sound design strategies practiced in historical and current works. 4. The course will help students to garner knowledge in sound design. 5. Knowledge acquired in the course will enable the students to conceptualize and historicize their creative practices in music, sonic arts, film & media arts.

Chion, Michel (1994). Audio vision. Columbia University Press. http://pzacad.pitzer.edu/~mma/teaching/ms52/readings/audio-vision3-13.pdf Chattopadhyay, Budhaditya (2021). “Introduction”, in The Auditory Setting: Environmental Sounds in Film and Media Arts. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/pub/media/resources/9781474474405_The_Auditory_Setting_-_Introudction.pdf Chattopadhyay, Budhaditya (2022). “Room Ambience: Home as Heard in Film and Media Arts”. Journal of Sonic Studies 22 (Special Issue: Home). https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/1440447/1440448 Further readings: Altman, Rick (ed.) (1992). Sound Theory Sound Practice. New York: Routledge. Beck, Jay (2008). Lowering the boom: critical studies in film sound. University of Illinois Press. Chion, Michel (2009). Film, a Sound Art. Columbia University Press. Chattopadhyay, Budhaditya (2021). The Auditory Setting: Environmental Sounds in Film and Media Arts. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Holman, Thomlinson (2005). Sound for Digital Video. Focal Press.