Museum of the Moving Image

In the Museum of the Moving Image we were shown a number of demos about the way moving images are created and experienced. The demo that particularly resonated with me was the post production of sound editing in “Titanic.” It was news to me that the multi-million dollar film used cans and chairs to create sounds to put in the film. I had always assumed that in postproduction the sounds were always created electronically. It was interesting to be reminded that this was not always the case. We were also shown the way different layers of sounds work together to create the intended sound for a scene. There has to be vocals, background noise, and sound effects in order for the scene to look realistic. The editors used people’s screams, sound effects of random objects, and the actors’ voices to create the desired scene. I was also unaware of how vital it is to have all of these elements working together because the tour guide showed us what it would sound like if one of them was missing. I never realized how one small detail could make such a difference. Another technique that captured my attention was the subliminal effects of a particular sound. “Titanic” used the sound of a lion roaring in the midst of a flood scene to induce a feeling of terror. It sounded like the actual water itself and created a sense of fear. I was also surprised that the woman falling on the floor was actually a chair being thrown, and a part of the ship collapsing was actually an aluminum can being crumbled. It is amazing how the perfect combination of sounds and images create the perfect effect of a scene.