Please turn in your homework on identifying the positive and negative outcomes of sound in film from the article/handout "The Movies Learn to Speak" by Andrew Rausch
TASK #1: Due to testing, we will be unable to access the lab this week. Please continue researching/writing your Metropolis analysis papers on your own. See supporting materials on the blog post(s) below this one. Analysis papers are due Monday, April 3.
TASK #2: Please read and take notes on the following links/information on sound:
Joseph P. Maxfield (AT&T’s Bell Laboratories) invented the first phonograph linked to film (licensed by Victor as the Orthophonic Victrola) which became the basis for the
Vitaphone sound-on-disc system.
The Vitaphone allowed actors to lipsync their performance while the sound was recorded after; (This helped to popularize animation!) An example is from the very young Disney Studios: Steamboat Willie (1928. The first Mickey Mouse cartoon--based on Buster Keaton's Steamboat Bill).
The first sound film was Don Juan in 1926. The Jazz Singer (cantor scene); The Jazz Singer (1927), directed by Alan Crosland, starring famous vaudeville actor, Al Jolson is popularly given this award. Really both films were songs (or just music in Don Juan's case) that were played along like a record as sounds were synched with the film. The Jazz Singer gave birth to the Hollywood musical genre.
Warner Bros. and Fox Film began wiring their theaters for sound as early as 1926. By 1928, Western Electric developed a sound-on-film system, which later developed a new competitive major studio: Radio-Keith-Orpheum or RKO.
The conversion to sound created both positive and negative effects for film:
Positive:
For more details and examples check here.
Sound Film Comedian Stars
Hal Roach was born in Elmira, NY (near us!), before moving to Hollywood. He worked for the Pathe Exchange Co. before working for MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) as a producer. He is best known for producing the comedy teams of Laurel & Hardy and The Our Gang comedies (or Little Rascals).
Laurel and Hardy
Not all silent film stars made the transition to talkies. One comic duo that did, however, was Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. This iconic duo made over 100 films together, initially short films, before expanding into feature length films by the end of the 1930s. More can be examined by clicking on the link of their name above. Here are a few clips/films:
HOMEWORK: Complete your Metropolis analysis papers (these are due Monday, April 3). For next class (Thursday, March 30) watch any one of the LITTLE RASCALS shorts linked above. Note how diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used with the new technology from the golden age of film. Explain in your answer or reflection how the short film uses sound effectively in the story/narrative of the short film. Post your answer in the COMMENT section of this blog post by end of day Thursday.
TASK #1: Due to testing, we will be unable to access the lab this week. Please continue researching/writing your Metropolis analysis papers on your own. See supporting materials on the blog post(s) below this one. Analysis papers are due Monday, April 3.
TASK #2: Please read and take notes on the following links/information on sound:
The Invention of Sound in Film
Joseph P. Maxfield (AT&T’s Bell Laboratories) invented the first phonograph linked to film (licensed by Victor as the Orthophonic Victrola) which became the basis for the
Vitaphone sound-on-disc system.
The first sound film was Don Juan in 1926. The Jazz Singer (cantor scene); The Jazz Singer (1927), directed by Alan Crosland, starring famous vaudeville actor, Al Jolson is popularly given this award. Really both films were songs (or just music in Don Juan's case) that were played along like a record as sounds were synched with the film. The Jazz Singer gave birth to the Hollywood musical genre.
Warner Bros. and Fox Film began wiring their theaters for sound as early as 1926. By 1928, Western Electric developed a sound-on-film system, which later developed a new competitive major studio: Radio-Keith-Orpheum or RKO.
The conversion to sound created both positive and negative effects for film:
Positive:
A. Led to a revival of national film elsewhere in the worldNegative:
B. Cinema owners did not have to hire musicians for an in-house orchestra
C. Silent films were easier to distribute across the world (no need to translate) which later creates the need for dubbing (1932 -- ex. Paramount studios); before this, multi-lingual films make stars like Marlene Dietrich, Maurice Chevalier, Bela Lugosi, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, and Peter Lore more important--since they can speak different languages (and therefore sync their voices to film).
D. Film became a single media event
E. Films came to the theatres as final products, whole and complete
F. The immersive qualities of film and the viewer become inseparable
G. Dialogue became a necessity to tell the plot of a film
A. Produced panic and confusion in HollywoodSOUND VOCABULARY:
B. Many musicians lost their jobs
C. Early sound films from America were boycotted by certain countries; films were not as widely distributed, more costly to translate.
D. Silent film culture was destroyed
E. Films did not require additional music, some ambiance was lost -- sound film was seen as the killer of “film as the seventh art form”
F. Film was no longer a “theatrical” or “artistic” event
G. Dialogue became a necessity to tell the plot of a film
- Diegetic sound: Sound that occurs in the universe of the film. Character dialogue or sounds that a character can hear that occur in the setting or location, etc.
- Internal Diegetic Sound: Sound that only we (the audience) can hear in the mind of a single character. The internal thought process of a character (like 1st person POV in fiction).
- Non-diegetic sound: Sound that only the audience can hear. Music scores and themes, the voice over of a narrator that is not present, etc. (generally 3rd person omniscient POV)
For more details and examples check here.
Sound Film Comedian Stars
Hal Roach was born in Elmira, NY (near us!), before moving to Hollywood. He worked for the Pathe Exchange Co. before working for MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) as a producer. He is best known for producing the comedy teams of Laurel & Hardy and The Our Gang comedies (or Little Rascals).
Laurel and Hardy
Not all silent film stars made the transition to talkies. One comic duo that did, however, was Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. This iconic duo made over 100 films together, initially short films, before expanding into feature length films by the end of the 1930s. More can be examined by clicking on the link of their name above. Here are a few clips/films:
- Angora Love (1929) an example of a short, silent film
- The Music Box (1932) Winner of the Academy Awards for Best Short Subject
- Sons of the Desert (1933) full film
- Babes in Toyland (1934) full film
- Way Out West (1937) (clip/song)
- The Flying Deuces (1939) (full film)
- Nothing But Trouble (1944) (trailer/clip)
- Utopia (1951) (full film)
- Pups is Pups (1930)
- Love Business (1931)
- Free Eats (1932)
- Birthday Blues (1932)
- Mush n Milk (1933)
- Honkey Donkey (1934)
- Spooky Hooky (1936)
- Hearts and Thumps (1937)
- Waldo's Last Stand (1940)
HOMEWORK: Complete your Metropolis analysis papers (these are due Monday, April 3). For next class (Thursday, March 30) watch any one of the LITTLE RASCALS shorts linked above. Note how diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used with the new technology from the golden age of film. Explain in your answer or reflection how the short film uses sound effectively in the story/narrative of the short film. Post your answer in the COMMENT section of this blog post by end of day Thursday.
6 comments:
Sound in The Little Rascals, both diegetic and nondiegetic, progresses the narrative of the story and allows for music to create tone. The episode, “Hearts Are Thumps”, opens with nondiegetic sound, being upbeat orchestra music that establishes a light and energetic tone that surrounds the children on Valentine’s Day. Nondiegetic sounds is used later as well, when Spanky and Buckwheat replace the lunch that Darla prepared with soap that Alfalfa will eat. During this scene, the music changes to a slower pace and a more devious tone, demonstrating to the audience that they are up to no good. Diegetic sound is obviously utilized throughout the film through dialogue, but it is also used when Alfalfa sings in front of the whole class while Darla plays the piano. Sound throughout this episode, no matter if it is within the world of the show or not, is employed to develop and advance the plot episode, as well as emphasize the humorous situations that made this show popular for decades.
Sound in The Little Rascals short film "Spooky Hookey" is both diegetic and non-diegetic. It starts with diegetic sound in the form of the children's shout as they're getting out of class, a truck going by playing "circus" music to advertise the circus the kids want to attend, and throughout the film as a whole with the dialogue. Diegetic sound is also used to set the mood of a new scene; the kids have returned at night and there's loud wind, rain, and lightning, making it seem as if they're going to get in some sort of trouble or they're going to get scared in some way. There is also diegetic sound in the things that scare the kids when they're trying to get the note from the teacher's office, such as the owl, Porky's toy, and Porky smashing the light bulb on ground. Non-diegetic sound is not very prevalent as it's only used in the intro and outro.
Diegetic and non-diegetic sound are both used in the Little Rascals film “Pups Is Pups,” which follows the gang as they make their way to a dog show and their run-ins with animals along the way. Like many early sound films, music was utilized to convey the tone to the audience, remaining a staple in filmmaking to this day. For example, each of the times Dorothy jumps in a mud puddle, playful music is playing in the background, letting the audience know each of these scenes is meant to be funny and even cute. Furthermore, while telling each other what they would do with two-hundred dollars, the music has a romantic and dreamlike tone, leading the audience to infer that the gangs' dreams are unrealistic. Diegetic sounds are also used greatly, especially the sounds of animals as well as through—obviously— dialogue. For example, while playing hide and seek with Wheezer, one of his puppies gets in a scuffle with a chicken, who both begin barking and clucking. The Little Rascal films are a perfect example of early sound filmmakers attracting audiences by taking advantage of the new, alarming technology available in Hollywood.
In the Little Rascals short “Honkey Donkey,” diegetic sound in the form of dialogue, animal noises and sound effects and non-diegetic sound in the form of music is used to portray a specific ambiance for the film. It begins with a cheerful little tune, common for this type of film, that establishes a bit of the setting and leads the audience toward the introduction of characters. Shortly after, diegetic sounds of a busy street surrounding a car create a hectic tone that foreshadows the trouble the children will get themselves into. Diegetic sound is also utilized in Algebra, the donkey’s, strange cackles as well as the sneezing and ringing of an alarm clock by Spanky that respectively startles and settles the mule. This type of sound is also used to enhance the slapstick elements of the piece as the chauffeur gets clocked on the head by Alfalfa and loses consciousness, a loud crash is heard as chaos ensues upstairs, and the boy’s mother falls into the outside fountain with a splash. Overall, the various uses of sound in this feature highlight its comedic facets and implies a certain cheerful style, elements that would evolve to be used in other classics.
In the Little Rascals short "Mush and Milk" diegetic sound is used more often than non-diegeic sound. The diegeic sounds come in the form of dialogue, sound effects,and the music that comes from the mouth pipe during class. The non-diegetic sound is the background music. The non-diegetic sound carries on during the short as Cap is teaching class and as the the kids are gathering milk and eggs. The jaunty music occurs when the kids are causing mischief or are joking with each other or making fun of the woman in charge of the orphanage. The Little Rascals shorts are a great representation of early talky films because of the use of sound and how it coincides with the events of the short.
The Little Rascals short film, "Waldo's Last Stand", utilizes both non-diegetic and diegetic sound in order to remain in control of the audience's attention and the pacing of the plot line. Non-diegetic sound is first introduced with the beginning of the short, as music plays throughout the opening credits, easing the audience into the story. When Waldo is first pictured on screen selling lemonade, diegetic sound is introduced. The dialogue that begins and develops as more characters enter the scene is diegetic, meaning that the characters are cognizant of it as it happens. This, along with the music the little rascals play together, the singing, the sound of the girls tap dancing, the donkey, and virtually every other sound in the short, with the exception of the music that plays as "The End" appears across the screen, is diegetic. The use of non-diegetic sound in the beginning and the end develops the tone of the short, keeping it light for the audience, and effectively capturing their attention, while the use of diegetic sound carries the story.
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