SineBuano.com

Martin Scorsese once said that, “Cinema is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.”

That could be taken in the context that Cinema is made of two parts: Sight and Sound. Both are important and Cinema cannot be true Cinema if either parts or both are lacking.

Even at the start of the Silent Film era, sound has always been the constant companion to these silent film viewings in the form of live or recorded music. We can go back even further to shadow plays performed during the Renaissance or to shadow puppets in early Southeast Asia, these dramas were always made alive with the sounds of singing, drums and gongs.

Film is an audio-visual medium. Good visuals is only half the effort. The solid, seamless and superb union of sights and sounds usually what sums up any good film.

There are a lot of films, both local and international, that present great visuals but often fall short when it comes to the sound department. This is most likely due to lack of resources such as time, equipment and skilled personnel to deal with best capture or creation of sound.

As filmmakers, we strive to create an emotional experience for our audience and we cannot just rely on visuals alone but also ensure that the sounds of a particular project are also best or “natural”.

By going that extra mile of effort in capturing the ideal sound during a film production since “live sound” is essential (studio generated sound can be a poor substitute), we become true artists in the craft — striving to breathe Life into the work, making it gasp, cry out, giving it a pulse, a heart leap and letting the audience hear it.