Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound

If you're a fan of cinema and audio, Making Waves: The Art Of Cinematic Sound is a fascinating and informative documentary movie.

But I had a few issues with the film. 1. Even though Ioan Allen was interviewed, Making Waves neglected to mention other major contributions of Dolby Laboratories to surround sound in movies, like Dolby Stereo and Atmos.

2. They hardly mentioned anything about Jack Foley--you know, the man they named foley sound effects after.

3. Making Waves featured so many legends in the movie industry, so how can you talk about film scores and not interview John Williams!?!

4. And what about Lucasfilm THX, who helped elevate presentation quality standards for movies in cinema and home?

Granted, there's a lot to cover in the history of cinema sound, but the film overlooked some of the most significant contributions.

Greetings again from the darkness. Did you hear that? While watching a movie, you are likely aware of explosions and spoken dialogue, but it's quite astounding how many other sounds can make up a movie-watching experience. While it's true that we think of movies as a visual medium, it's not a complete description. Oscar winning director Steven Spielberg said, "Our ears lead our eyes to where the story lives."

Midge Costin was a noted Sound Editor from 1986 through 1998 on such films as CRIMSON TIDE, CON AIR, and ARMAGEDDON. She then transitioned to education and has spent 20 years at the renowned USC Film School, holding the Kay Rose endowed chair in the Art of Dialogue and Sound Editing. She is truly a sound expert, and in this, her directorial debut, she beautifully lays out the art form of sound that takes place within the art form of cinema.

Ms. Costin structures the film with an historical timeline, personal profiles of some of the most important figures in sound, and a breakdown of sound segments and technology. Along the way she includes film clips to provide specific examples, and interviews for industry insight. The film takes us back to 1877 and Edison's phonograph, and on to 1927 when THE JAZZ SINGER delivered Al Jolson's voice. 1933's KING KONG mesmerized with the first true sound effects, and we learn the direct connection between movie sound and radio. We really get the inside scoop on the breakthroughs of American Zoetrope (founded by Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas), and the importance of Barbra Sreisand's demands for A STAR IS BORN (1976), Robert Altman's multi-track NASHVILLE, and the "Wookie" sounds of STAR WARS. Of course, many other films and filmmakers (including Stanley Kubrick) are singled out for moving sound forward.

Some of the most interesting data comes courtesy of the "nerds" known as Sound Designers. Walter Murch (APOCALYPSE NOW), Ben Burtt (STAR WARS), Gary Rydstrom (JURASSIC PARK), and Lora Hirschberg (INCEPTION) are all Oscar winners, and their insight is fascinating along with that of Cece Hall, Bobby Banks, and Anna Behlmer - the latter of whom recounts her experience as a woman doing the fighter jet sounds for TOP GUN.

Cinema sound is divided into Music, sound effects, and voice, with each of these sections have sub-categories. Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR), digital layers (through Pixar), ambience, and the custom effects of the Foley are all parts of the circle of talent delivering puzzle pieces to the Sound Mixer for assembly. If all of this hits you as a bit too technical, you should know that it's presented in a manner that makes it easy to follow. Sound is what pushes cinema into an immersive experience for viewers, and you'll likely walk away from Ms. Costin's film with an appreciation of just how many elements go into what you hear during a movie - and that's worth listening to.

I was disappointed. Instead of going into the depths of sound, the film mostly focuses on talking heads, including directors as well as sound pros. There's a short history of sound in films (not just speech), and a short segment about the categories of sound production. These were good but far too short and shallow. I felt like I'd seen a promo, hagiography even, for the sound professions instead of a doc. Those professions deserve a much deeper and more detailed documentary.

Making Waves is both an informative, friendly introduction to the world of film sound and a passionate advocation of the art. There are in-depth interviews with some of the biggest names in Hollywood sound design - Ben Burtt, Skip Livesay, Randy Thom, Gary Rydstrom and the industry's superstar, the always-entertaining Walter Murch - and in directing - George Lucas, Stephen Spielberg, David Lynch, as well as a great many others.

There's an entertaining history of film sound and a breakdown of all the elements that go into the finished whole. In a concise 90 minutes it manages to include most of the major technological innovations and pioneering films and figures. It also manages to give a strong voice to the many women who have worked at the highest level on blockbuster films (e.g. Cecilia Hall on Top Gun, Anna Belhmer on Braveheart).

On the downside, it is very Hollywood-centric (or perhaps California-centric - at one point George Lucas says "so we relocated to San Francisco" like it was some giant leap for filmmaker kind). But to be fair, the filmmakers did admit in the post-screening Q&A that they wanted it to be much more of an international story but they already had over 200 hours of transcripts just from the US and didn't have the funds to travel for interviews.

That aside, it would be hard to ask for a better film about this fascinating but obscure subject.

An in-depth exploration of the evolution of sound in cinema over the years, Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound offers an informative & interesting insight into the creative process of a filmmaking component that plays as integral & essential a role in storytelling as any and it also covers the various breakthroughs & advancements that made it an inseparable part of cinema.

Directed by Midge Costin, the documentary acquaints the viewers with the visceral & emotional power of sound in a film and how the aural elements enrich the imagery & elevate the cinematic experience by influencing our reaction & response almost subconsciously. It features interviews from legendary sound designers & filmmakers and also incorporates clips from films that raised the bar.

The film also provides an overview of the origins of sound in cinema, technological limitations in those early years, ups n downs throughout the decades, groundbreaking feats during the 1970s, and also details the different aspects of sound design (voices, SFX, ADR, editing, mixing, score) and how these separate pieces together work in tandem to deliver the aural experience that works best with the visuals.

Overall, Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound is an illuminating, entertaining & enthralling documentary that illustrates the collaborative effort that goes into making a motion picture and showcases how sound makes as important a contribution as camera in the filmmaking medium. After all, we experience films as much with our ears as we do with our eyes. An absolute delight & a definite must-see for every film lover.