Sound Design

In Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), many sound design techniques were employed to give a layered effect “In this final stage of sound construction and design, a paradox arises. Specifically, the sound mix seeks to be self-effacing through the manipulation of volume levels, uniform placement of sound elements, and attentiveness to image (in terms of scale, synchronization, and content); yet the sound mix also calls attention to the sound design as a construction and form of spectacle through the manipulation of sound perspective, anthropomorphism, and localization of sound elements within the exhibition space” (Whittington 193). In my own film I will be incorporating the song “My Body is a Cage” by Arcade Fire, from the which the original concept for the project derived. I intentionally filmed certain elements that are present within the song. For example, one of the lyrics which is “my body is a cage”, will be reflected with images of bird cages. In this way my film reflects the notion which was employed in Terminator 2, which emphasized an importance of image. The song also moved me to incorporate cages throughout the piece. I used the notion of cages to influence the lighting. For example, I used a light outside of my window so that the blinds would cast shadows on my characters, giving a cage like feel. This influence of cages is also representational of my created sound design which will include the sound of the bird cage opening and closing. In my film I also incorporated shots of eyes opening and closing, implying that our minds are also cages, I also used a panning shot of one of my character’s bodies to imply what the title suggests, which is that our bodies act as cages to contain our souls. To emphasize this element I will be incorporating the sounds of breathing and heart beats.