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برچسب: Sound

  • The Wilhelm Scream: Hollywood’s Legendary Sound Effect


    Introduction

    Have you ever heard of The Wilhelm Scream? It might just be the most famous sound effect in the history of Hollywood. Sound effects are among the most critical yet often overlooked elements that contribute to a successful movie. Even early filmmakers realized the important role that sound effects played in drawing an audience “into” a film and making them suspend their disbelief.

    However, since this process usually tends to happen subconsciously, sound effects often don’t get the same respect that other film elements might garner. There are a few people, for example, who mention them in the same vein, while praising a film’s cinematography or musical score.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FHw2aItRlw

    However, in the history of cinema, there’s one definite “star” in the category of sound effects. It’s one that even the casual movie-goer should have no trouble recognizing. You can hear it in literally hundreds of films, and it’s become sort of an in-joke within the movie industry. It goes by the name of The Wilhelm Scream. Yet how exactly did this sound effect become so popular, and where did it come from?

    Ben Burtt

    Let’s start by talking about the gentleman who made The Wilhelm Scream famous. His name is Ben Burtt, and he’s one of Hollywood’s top sound men. Having worked on dozens of movies, he’s been responsible for the sound design of the Star Wars movies, the Indiana Jones movies, as well as most of the other films directed by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. He also created sound effects for many of Pixar’s films.

    Along the way, Ben Burtt has been nominated for twelve Academy Awards and has won four times. Burtt is also the person who is responsible for the lightsaber hum in the Star Wars films, which is a film projector idling combined with feedback from a broken television set. Burtt is also the man behind Darth Vader’s breathing, which is Burtt himself wearing an old Scuba regulator.

    In the late 1950s, which was way back before Burtt became incredibly successful in his chosen field, he was just like any other kid who loved going to the movies. While there, he became aware that he had a knack for remembering different sounds. He also noticed that all the movies made by Warner Bros. had a very distinctive scream as part of their soundtracks.

    The “Wilhelm’s” Origins

    Usually, this distinctive sound was uttered by some poor unfortunate cowboy who may have fallen from a great height or had been shot by an arrow in an Indian attack. Burtt remembered one film in particular: The Charge at Feather River, released in 1953 and directed by Gordon Douglas.

    Original Movie Poster for ‘The Charge at Feather River’ (1953). Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

    This particular film featured the same cry of anguish no less than three different times. One of the characters was named “Private Wilhelm.” It was just his bad luck to be hit in the leg by an arrow. This prompted him to let loose the scream which would one day be heard around the world.

    When Burtt grew up, he embarked on a successful career in the movie business. However, he never forgot that particular scream. Having access to the Hollywood stock sound effects libraries, he began to do some research. Lots of movies had used the scream he remembered, but Burtt was interested in finding the very first one. This turned out to be from the Warner Bros. western Distant Drums (1951) with Gary Cooper.

    “Man Being Eaten by an Alligator”

    Looking through the original sound effects for Distant Drums, Burtt came across a reel with a very unassuming title: “Man Being Eaten by an Alligator.” The reel was edited into a scene that featured a soldier being attacked by an alligator. This was straight from the stock footage library.

    When Burtt played back the reel, he realized he had struck Hollywood gold. There was the famous scream he knew so well, as well as the sound effects coach giving cues to the actor who recorded it. Even though it was uncredited, some people claim the scream belonged to Sheb Wooley, who went on to record the novelty hit song “Flying Purple People Eater” in 1958.

    Burtt called the sound effect “The Wilhelm Scream,” which was based on the character’s name in Charge at Feather River. Additionally, as a sort of private joke, Burtt soon began to include it in every film that he worked on. It would go on to become his signature.

    A hapless character about to be eaten by an alligator in ‘Distant Drums’ (1951). But not before letting loose with the first instance of “The Wilhelm Scream”

    The “Wilhelm” in Star Wars

    Here are three instances from the original Star Wars films where you can hear the legendary Wilhelm Scream:

    Star Wars (1977). Just before Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia swing across the chasm in the Death Star, a stormtrooper is shot and falls in.

    The Empire Strikes Back (1980). In the battle on the ice planet Hoth, a rebel soldier screams when his big satellite-dish laser gun is struck by laser fire and explodes.

    Return of the Jedi (1983). During the battle on Jabba the Hutt’s ship, Luke slashes an enemy with his lightsaber. The bad guy lets loose a Wilhelm as he falls into the Sarlac pit.

    “The Wilhelm Scream” in Other Films

    Soon, other Hollywood sound designers picked up on what Burtt was doing and started inserting the Wilhelm into their movies too. It soon became Hollywood’s audio version of “Kilroy Was Here”:

    Now, the “Wilhelm Scream” is everywhere. At last count, over 200 films feature it. In addition to the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, here’s just a partial list:

    Aladdin, Batman Returns, Beauty and the Beast, Blades of Glory, The Fifth Element, Gremlins 2, Hellboy, Hercules, Howard the Duck, A Goofy Movie, Kill Bill, Vol 1, King Kong (2005), Lethal Weapon 4, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Return of the King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Poltergeist, Reservoir Dogs, Sin City, Small Soldiers, Spaceballs, Team America, Tears of the Sun, Them, Titanic, Wallace and Gromit, and Willow.

    If you still don’t think you recognize the famous “Wilhelm Scream”, try watching this series of clips from YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNvZYzg7o68

    We’re pretty sure that from here on out, you’ll become an expert in spotting this ultra-famous sound effect.

    More from Cinema Scholars:

    FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – A Retrospective Review At 50
    POSSESSION (1981): A Retro Review

    Keep up with Cinema Scholars on social media. Like us on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.





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  • The History of Sound – first-look review

    The History of Sound – first-look review



    When Lionel Worthing (Paul Mescal) and David White (Josh O’Connor) meet over the top of a piano in a Boston college bar, the spark between them is instant. One is a talented vocal student, the other a composition major preoccupied with recording and cataloguing the folk music of rural communities – their shared passion for song is what brings them into each other’s orbit, and the onset of the First World War is what cruelly divides them for the first time. While David goes off to fight, Lionel returns to his family’s farm in Kentucky, where the work is hard and honest. By the time they meet again, they’re both a little worse for wear. A sojourn to rural Maine to continue David’s folk recording project provides both with a new sense of purpose, and rekindles their tentative romance, but like all great ballads, there’s tragedy on the horizon.

    Oliver Hermanus’ sixth feature takes him to North America for the first time, casting two bona fide heartthrobs: Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. When The History of Sound was announced in 2021 it set the internet ablaze, with many excited about the prospect of a tender gay romance starring two of the hottest young actors in the industry – but the resulting film is perhaps more restrained and delicate, sparing in its sexual content, for better or worse. In fact, there’s something even a little distant about the film, in which Lionel and David’s romance amounts to a few months across several years, and much of the focus is on its aftermath. The film is more concerned with how this pivotal moment in Lionel’s life changed everything about the person he would become.

    Get more Little White Lies

    Josh O’Connor, seemingly incapable of delivering a bad performance, is wonderful and tragic as David, charismatic and glib and fantastically handsome. Who wouldn’t fall in love with him, or the way his tired smile never seems to reach his eyes? It’s a pity there isn’t more of him, and Mescal opposite is perhaps a little lost as Lionel, despite his best efforts to deliver a serviceable American accent and the charming chemistry between them. There’s just something a little too interior about his performance – it’s difficult to buy that his relationship with David really is as significant as the film wants us to believe it is. It’s also a little unfortunate for Mescal that he’s outperformed by Chris Cooper as an older version of Lionel; he delivers a searing emotional monologue in the film’s final act which provides some much-needed resonance. But to Mescal’s credit, his singing sequences are quite beautiful, as are O’Connor’s, and the folk soundtrack evokes Inside Llewyn Davis in its soulfulness.

    The film feels weighed down by some unnecessary sequences that don’t help to drive the story forward, occasionally forgetting that the crux of the film should be Lionel and David’s relationship and its long shadow; a sharper cut might prevent the film from sagging once the lovers part ways. While comparisons with Brokeback Mountain are inevitable among those with a limited understanding of queer cinema, The History of Sound has far more in common with Merchant Ivory – particularly The Remains of the Day and Maurice – in its pervasive melancholy and sense of profound regret at past inertia. It’s not repression that powers The History of Sound, but the tragedy of understanding something far too late to chase it. Its buttoned-up nature and chasteness might frustrate those hoping for a more salacious story, but Hermanus and writer Ben Shatuck (adapting from his own short story of the same name) have produced a unique and moving romance for those willing to listen.

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  • ADR / FOLEY Project – Playing with Sound


    (Mostly) Free Video Editing

    Programs & Resources

    Filmora

    ​Filmora – A free editing software with a lot of great presets. This program is perfect for new editors but even a savvy editor can have fun and elevated projects with this software. There is a text, animation and sound package included and an option to upgrade. 

    IMovie

    ​iMovie – A free editing software available on iphones and Mac computers. Great for beginners and for making simple quick edits. There is a text, animation and sound package included. 

    WeVideo

    ​WeVideo – A free editing app available on phones, PC and Mac computers. This program is cloud based. You shoot video on your phone and upload the footage into your WeVideo App. When you open the project on your computer it is there waiting for you. Does not have reverse or a proper cropping tool. Upgrade option available.

    CapCut

    ​CapCut – A free editing app available on phones, PC and Mac computers. Great for editing on the run. If you like fan edits this program is loaded with great animated text and powerful preset transitions making beginners look like pros.  

    Final Cut X

    ​Final Cut Pro – Is NOT a free editing software but has nearly all of the capabilities as pro editing software. The interface is very user friendly and as easy to use as a basic editing program.

    Adobe Premiere Pro

    Premiere Pro – Is NOT a free editing program. This is a professional level program. Premiere is a part of the Adobe Suite and works via “Dynamic Link” with other programs like After Effects. The user interface is complicated and you will need a teacher and tutorials to navigate the program. 

    DiVinci Resolve

    DaVinci Resolve – Is a free editing program. This is a professional level program. The cool part is the option to make the interface look like Final Cut or Premiere. There is a learning curve to the program but it is free. Also known for its color grading capabilities. 

    Film and Television Lessons

    Adobe After Effects

    After Effects – Is NOT a free editing program. This is a professional level program. It can work with Premiere Pro via “Dynamic Link” as well as with other Adobe programs. The user interface is extremely complicated and you will need tutorials to navigate the program. Also, you should go in with a plan of what effect you would like to try, then practice executing that effect.

    Scripts, Storyboards, Writing, Camera, Shots, Lessons, Editing Exercises and Film Projects.

    Screengoat builds your skills as a filmmaker with tools and resources to help you become a GOAT. 

    animoto.jpeg

    Animoto – Is a free editing program but is more like an animated PowerPoint program. This is what we love about it. You can create animated title graphics over chroma key green or animated backgrounds for titles or bumpers in seconds. Super easy to use. The program leaves a watermark but it is easy to crop out. The program also has a lot of public domain images and music. Kicks Presentation up a knotch. 

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  • How Sound Can Make Or Break A Film — Every Movie Has a Lesson

    How Sound Can Make Or Break A Film — Every Movie Has a Lesson



    When we think of cinema, visuals often take center stage. But behind every iconic scene lies an equally important yet sometimes overlooked element: sound. Whether it’s the eerie silence of a horror movie, the swelling score in a romantic moment, or the sharp crack of gunfire in an action film, sound is crucial in shaping how we perceive and experience a film. In fact, it’s often the audio, not just the imagery, that leaves a lasting impact on viewers.

    Setting the Tone

    From the opening credits, sound lays the emotional groundwork. A well-composed score can immediately cue the audience into the film’s mood—suspenseful, joyful, melancholic, or tense. Consider the chilling theme from Jaws or the soaring orchestration of The Lord of the Rings. These auditory cues prepare viewers for what’s to come and subtly manipulate emotional responses throughout the story.

    Dialogue and Performance

    Audio clarity is essential to understanding the characters and plot. Poorly mixed dialogue or unbalanced audio can pull viewers out of the moment and make even the best writing fall flat. On the other hand, a crisp, well-recorded conversation can elevate a scene, allowing actors’ performances to shine and emotions to resonate authentically.

    Sound Design and World Building

    Sound design plays a vital role in building believable worlds. Sci-fi and fantasy genres rely heavily on audio to make the unreal feel real. From the hum of a spaceship engine to the rustling of alien flora, each sound contributes to immersion. Even in grounded dramas, ambient noise like city traffic or birdsong can subtly enhance the setting and atmosphere.

    The Psychological Impact

    Sound doesn’t just fill in the gaps—it actively influences perception. Directors use audio to create tension, suggest danger, or offer relief. Alfred Hitchcock famously said, “If it’s a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on. But when the sound is turned on, you should feel it.” His films often use silence and ambient noise to amplify suspense, proving that what’s not heard can be just as impactful as what is.

    Music as a Narrative Tool

    Music can tell a story all on its own. Think of how a recurring theme or leitmotif can signify a character’s presence or emotional arc. Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and other legendary composers understand how to weave music into the narrative, making it an indispensable part of the storytelling process. Without its music, a film might still make sense, but it may not make magic.

    The Danger of Bad Sound

    Conversely, poor sound can ruin a film. Distracting background noise, inconsistent levels, or mismatched sound effects can make scenes feel amateurish and break the viewer’s immersion. In some cases, even a visually stunning film can be written off if the sound quality is subpar. This is especially true in indie films or student projects where technical sound issues are common.

    Training for Excellence

    For those interested in mastering the art of sound in film, proper education and hands-on experience are key. Audio courses in Leeds in the UK offer aspiring sound designers, engineers, and composers the opportunity to learn from industry professionals in state-of-the-art facilities. With a focus on both technical and creative aspects, these programs provide the foundation needed to contribute meaningfully to any cinematic project.

    Summing It All Up

    Sound isn’t merely a background component of film, it’s a powerful storytelling tool. It can heighten emotion, build worlds, and immerse viewers in ways visuals alone can’t. Great sound design complements and elevates a film; poor sound, however, can be its downfall. As cinema continues to evolve, one thing remains clear: if you want to make a truly unforgettable film, never underestimate the power of sound.



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