International Journal of Film and Media Arts

Sonic Alchemist: AI’s Role in Amplifying Creativity in Film Sound

2023-12-29T10:26:24+00:00

Defying mainstream views of AI as tools that mimic or replace human input, this paper presents Sonic Alchemist: an avant-garde AI software taking a fresh approach to sound design. Built on the Beginner’s Mind principles, it empowers users to defy familiar paths and habits, fostering collaboration between human and machine. Unique features like automatic sound effects matching and a weight-based sound selection system further enhance this partnership. User feedback and case studies highlight Sonic Alchemist’s capacity to evoke new insights and unexpected solutions, reinforcing its role as a creative ally. Analysis of industry reception and user responses during testing underscores its potential to transform sound design in visual media. This study underlines the enduring significance of human originality, even in the AI era, portraying Sonic Alchemist as an inspiration tool and a champion of human creativity. It asserts that the willingness to unlearn and rediscover is key in creative innovation, even when assisted by advanced AI tools.

“Sound-Conscious” Screenwriting: Considering sound as storytelling tool in the screenplay

2023-12-29T10:36:33+00:00

This essay considers issues relating to how sound has been treated historically by screenwriters, and advocates for a more “sound-conscious” screenwriting practice. From my own position as a screenwriter and educator of student screenwriters I begin by looking at common assumptions about the use of sound in screenplays and explore the challenges of including sound as part of a screenwriting practice; then I develop a framework by which screenwriters can identify different categories of sound in order to recognise potential for using sound as a storytelling tool within screenplays. This leads to an analysis of two examples of what could be defined as sound-conscious screenwriting, The Conversation (1974) and A Quiet Place (2018) and the framework is also applied to a sample of recent unproduced screenplays. I conclude with thoughts about how ‘sound-consciousness’ can be encouraged through the pedagogy of screenwriting.

Sound Dramaturgy

2023-12-29T10:26:19+00:00

Sound dramaturgy as part of the aesthetic design of documentary films is invisible but most relevant, although often overlooked. The chapter gives a short introduction to dramaturgy and the importance of sound dramaturgy as most impactful for documentary film productions. The main discussion focusses on sound dramaturgy in films as The End Of Time (Mettler); The Island Of The Hungry Ghosts (Brady 2018), The Wale And The Raven (Leuze 2019) and El Sembrador de Estrellas (The Sower of Stars) by Lois Patiño. An analysis and discussion of the components of sound and music as part of the overall dramaturgical concept, the narrative flow, and their contribution to the final production and its sensual impact on the audience will allow a more informed
understanding of such approach.

The future of audio-visual designers with a focus on sound

2023-12-29T10:26:13+00:00

Sound designers have historically been associated primarily with the realm of films, TV-movies, and series production. However, the scope of their influence is expanding significantly beyond these domains. Notably, professionals in the fields of museum curation, festivals, theatres, and planetariums are increasingly recognizing the transformative potential of incorporating audio-visual elements into their presentations, thereby enhancing the overall quality of audience engagement.

Traditionally, many museums have relied on subpar audio guides and monotonous recordings played through inadequate loudspeakers to accompany their exhibits. In stark contrast, innovative exhibition concepts are foregrounding the profound impact of audio-visual installations. These installations completely rethink exhibition experiences, offering visitors entirely new dimensions of engagement within the realms of art, history, and science.

In the context of planetariums, a substantial majority of shows continue to feature cosmological themes and scientific narratives presented in full-dome environments. Nevertheless, universities and younger audio-visual designers are now pioneering groundbreaking advancements in immersive audio-visual experiences.

The evolution of theatre is yet another arena undergoing a profound metamorphosis due to the integration of audio-visual elements. As multimedia theatre forms such as picture theatre, new music theatre, and dance theatre increasingly embrace interactive electronic media, the traditional theatrical experience is undergoing a paradigm shift. This departure from convention is ushering in a new era of audio-visual performance quality that transcends prior artistic boundaries.

Given these transformative trends, the study of sound design is compelled to evolve in tandem. Incorporating visual tasks into the curriculum is becoming imperative, as sound designers navigate these innovative frontiers of multimedia integration. By embracing cross-disciplinary approaches that encompass both sonic and visual dimensions, aspiring sound designers will be better equipped to shape the future of immersive audio-visual storytelling across a diverse array of creative platforms.

Film and the Disembodied Voice

2023-12-29T10:26:10+00:00

The use of voice-over often divides both filmmakers and critics - its opponents objecting to the borrowing of a literary device. By examining a multitude of examples this paper seeks to demonstrate that it has often enhanced the effectiveness of film narrative both in the actual storytelling and the emotional impact, by applying a sensitivity in the writing and a careful casting of the voice and performance of the unseen actor or actors.

The Construction of a Different Fantasmatic Body – Post-Cinematic Experience Between ASMR and Multi-Vocality

2023-12-29T10:26:06+00:00

This essay will explore how in a post-cinematic environment, the voice introduces new forms of subjectivity that are distinct from those of the traditional cinematic discourses. According to Mary Ann Doane, to an audience, the “body reconstituted by technology and practices of the cinema is a fantasmatic body, which offers a support as well as a point of identification for the subject addressed by the film.” (see: M.A Doane, Yale French Studies , 1980, No. 60, Cinema/Sound (1980), pp. 33/34.) The voice, the dialogue and the sound are part of this fantasmatic body together with the image, the space and spectator in the cinema.

But what happens when the framework of image production and image perception radically changes, creating a post-cinematic condition? A post-cinematic state – a condition of streams and networks that is the status quo of today’s digital culture. A state that not only affects aesthetics, but also changes the relationship between viewers, images, screens – and the very idea of subjectivity.

It is here that the voice emerges in new forms. Here it plays an important role in our perception and understanding of the world and of ourselves. By examining various post-cinema phenomena such as ASMR or Networked Voices, as seen in recent experimental films by artists such as Ryan Trecartin and Lizzy Fitch, this essay will demonstrate how the voice in post-cinema creates a multiplicity of perspectives that play a key role for new technologies that constitute a subject very differently.