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A post on noticing sound. 

Today’s lecture was mainly about sound; different ways of listening to sound, different types of sound (speech, music, sounds and noise) the distinction between listening and hearing, aural semiotics, sound perspectives (figure, ground and field), and the affordance of sound as a medium.

The idea that stood out for me, was that created by the example of John Cage’s infamous piece, 4′ 33″ (1952). This performance lends itself to the notion of listening to sound, as opposed to simply hearing it; being utterly aware of the aural environment. It reminded me of a more physical practice from iconic performance artist, Marina Abramovic, as shown below. Both Cage and Abramovic’s work forces attention, ensuring that minuscule, routinely ignored sounds and actions are brought to the fore.

This relates to sound design in film, as some of the most masterfully designed soundscapes go unnoticed, as the audio is felt, rather than heard or listening to. The aim of sound in film is not to stand as work in and of itself, but to perform cohesively within the film to mould the audience’s emotional discourse and create an underlying dialogue which informs and gives depth to the film’s predominant messages.