The Art Of Sound Design: Why You Should Treat Your Ears To The Theatrical Experience

General audiences aren’t going to the cinema with the same fervor as they did 5 or so years ago, this isn’t breaking news. Beyond the global pandemic training people to stay at home much more, there is now a vast variety of audiovisual entertainment (and avenues to access it) that are much more immediate that a trip to your local cineplex. From twitch streamers to the forever scroll you can find in your preferred social media platform, the choices are endless.

When it comes to watching films, however, many people will say they won’t go see a film because you can, “just watch it at home.” To be sure, the screens on our televisions, tablets, and smartphones dwarf the image quality on your average television set from 15 years ago. Although these screens will never match the quality and fidelity of a movie theatre, it’s close enough for the vast majority of viewers. Rather than try to get you out of the house and into a theatre for what your eyes may see, this article aims to have you consider your other essential senses when it comes to the cinematic medium. You can definitely watch a film at home just alright, but you won’t be able to hear it like in that dark projection room. 

When talking about film as an audiovisual art form, we tend to forget the “audio” aspect of audiovisual. When talking about how we’ve experienced a movie we say we’ve just “watched” it, even though our ears have also done a lot of work. Aside from discussing the score or soundtrack, as viewers we tend to fixate on what we see on screen. Rightfully so, film differentiates itself from other mediums for its visually dynamic nature. It’s the most iconic scenes that get stuck in our head and join the general consciousness for years past the film’s release. However, it must not be forgotten that all of those iconic moments are accompanied by equally masterful sound design and scoring. When you think of Luke Skywalker unsheathing his lightsaber, you know exactly what electric hum accompanies it. We don’t know what a T-Rex actually sounds like, but when it roars amidst a thunderstorm in Jurassic Park it feels all too real. 

See, sound design is truly one of the unsung heroes of the cinematic experience. Most other departments center their efforts on immersing you into the film through what your eyes can see. Sound must go through your ears virtually unnoticed. If you think about the creak the door makes when the characters are entering a room, you’ve probably just been taken out of whatever momentum the film has built up to that point. If the transitional sound design between two scenes isn’t done right, you’ll probably feel a visceral sense of unease. Great sound design is what makes us able to engage with films shot in all variety of visual formats from 70mm IMAX to a camcorder. If your ears believe it, your eyes are likely to go along for the ride. All this to say that the richness found in the sound of any movie is best felt at the cinema itself.

Unless you’ve invested in a well calibrated surround sound system, most other ways of hearing a film will pale in comparison to the sound you will feel inside a theatre. A good pair of headphones isn’t a bad choice, however, they will likely lack the special aspect that a theatrical system can offer you. 

Immersion and escapism is one of the main reasons we’ve turned to film since its inception, to escape into a world outside of our own even if it looks just like it. While it’s definitely more convenient to try and escape reality from the comfort of your own home, it’s all too easy to pause and check your text messages. Once a film starts in a dark room, you can let it wash over you from start to finish.