Lecture 4: MUSIC 246
Part A - Transition to Sound
Solution to the problems of musicla accompaniment - recorded and synchronized sound
Transition to Sound:
- hard to synchronize sound and film
- sound and silent films existed together for several years
- economic issues
- have to buy sound system, hard for theatre to equip.
- ”talkies” were initially seen as a fad
- Sound On Film (Phonofilm, Moivetone)
- Photograph of sound waves on the edge of the film - excellent synchronizaiton, poor quality.
- Sound On DisK (Warner Brothers’ Vitaphone)
- Audio recording on a phonograph disk, synchronized with the film projector - excellent audio quality, poor synchronization.
First full length feature film Don Juan 1926
- recorded score primarily by William Axt, performed by the New York Phillharmonic
- Vitaphone - recorded music and some sound effects. No dialog, still a silent film.
- Also had a second score created for “live” performance - Why?
The Jazz Singer (1927)
Fist feature length film to have dialogue Blue Skies
- primarily silent, with several minutes of synchronized sound.
- most of the score is compiled or adapted
- made use of the Vitaphone System
- Whys is it still primarily a silent film?
- a financial hit
- signaled the “beginning of the end” of the silent era
- still a silent film Limitations:
- camera can’t move because they are too noisy, put into soundproof
- Jackie’s voice than his mom
- Scripted writers did not exist yet, he improvised the dialogue scene
Sound on Disk has the early lead, but Sound on Film will become the standard by the early 1930’s
Changes Connected to Sound
Music is gone for 5 years, because the filmaker were convinced the audience would be confused to as where the sound is coming from.
1. Aesthetics
- Film has developed visually as a silent medium.
- Acting styles / voices
- Many worried about using none-diegetic music: “where does the music come from?“
2. Making Films
- all sound had to be recorded in real time musicians on set - balance of sound music and dialog. very hard now to film.
- cameras in large booths - no movement
- ”sound stages” are built to reduce outside noises
3. Showing Films
- Too many contesting sound systems
- Small number of the 20 000 theatres equipped for sound.
- End of 1929 almost 1000 theatres equipped for sound.
- by 1935 the transition is complete.
In the Rain (1952) Touch upon issues with filming, with exhibition.
Max Steiner
The Informer (1935) By Steiner
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Watched the opening
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Folk-influenced theme for Gypo, Jazz-Influenced theme for Katie
- close accent typical of irish folk music, similar to bagpipes
- Katie is the urban landscape, more jazzie, same theme
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musical quotes - ‘Rule Britannia’ Great example of Max Steiner Mickey Mousing
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Won Academy award for “Best Original Score” Max Steiner loves putting quotes from other film/music. Used a clipped of it. Doing Thematic Transformation Steiner quotes the Yankee doodle dandy again.
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Other Notable Films: Gone With The Wind (1939), Casablanca (1942), A Summer Place (1959)
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Most of his career - head of music at Warner Bros (1937-1953)
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Most of his important work is during the 1930s and the early 1950s
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Workaholic - contributed to over 300 films scores during his career (Died in 1971)
By 1932, the idea of post production is made possible, to add film scores after the movie is made. ⇒ Become more complex
Era of film studio ⇒ 1920s
Start of small film studios and some larger ones. Big film studios will buy the smaller ones That by the mid 1930s only 8 remains. → for the next 20 years, film studio will treat everyone as an employee, all composers would be full time employees.