Production in Action (Stop Motion)

Stories today are not only visually appealing but also engage our auditory skills to advance the narrative. One could say that films of the early 20th century were, well, silent. However, if we stop to think about it, most of those “silent” films of the 1920s had sound. Although they lacked dialogue and sound effects, they employed music to help tell the story. Take, for instance, Charlie Chaplin’s 1915 classic The Champion. Through the use of on-screen text, action on screen, and music, you were able to understand what the story was. Why do I mention this, you might ask? Well, Chapter 7 Sound Ideas of Animated Storytelling is all about the use of sound. In it, Baker challenges us to consider writing our soundtrack at the same time we’re writing our design and “lead with sound” and to use sound as our “primary compass.” (Baker, 2020, p. 129).

Probably the most significant use of sound today in animation, film, and TV is the incorporation of sound effects (SFX) and music. Think of any blockbuster film or your favorite animation, and you have a mixture of both. What about a very well-known movie like Star Wars? Let’s look at a particular scene in Episode IV (1977). The scene is Obi-Wan Kenobi’s death scene. In that now most famous scene, you have sound effects (light sabers), dialogue (between good and evil), and music (as Obi-Wan is struck down by Darth Vader). All this was carefully thought out. This is what Baker is referring to in her chapter on “Sound Ideas.”

Below is a challenge for you. The left animation has no sound. The right one has music, sound, and sound effects added. Both are the same length. Your challenge is to actually watch the “silent” version in its entirety before watching the one with sound. Can you do it? Was it hard? Did the “silent” version feel like forever and a day? So, I leave it to you to decide. How much does sound play in an animation, a full-length feature movie?

In her next chapter, Blazer discusses the concept of world-building. That is, once you have your story, you need to build a believable world. However, how can you do this? What do I need? Simple, study the world around you, “be influenced”(Blazer, 2020, p. 146) by other worlds, mythology, etc. This is where you start. Don’t underestimate the power of your experiences! Once you have your influence, you need to apply a set of design rules. According to Blazer, these rules include Time & Place, Natural Order, Social Order, Day-to-Day Life, Family & Community, and Technology. Applying specificities to each of these areas in your world will help give meaning and reality to them. For instance, for Time & Place, is it your world in the early 1800s in a secluded mining area of Pennsylvania, or is it the year 2530 on a water planet in the Nebulous system? This will help to build upon the remaining design rules and build a believable world. Think about the movie Lord of the Rings. The time spans thousands of years, but the place is Middle-earth, where several races coexist, and the technology is reminiscent of the 1500s.

Sound, as I’ve written earlier, is prevalent in any good story. You can have music, ambient sound, or even sound effects. Sometimes, the accompanying sound is the use of well-placed animated text. Below are several examples where sound and text are used purposefully and meaningfully. I chose to use either movie trailers or scenes from classic movies. Enjoy!

This goes without saying, as it boasts one of the best sound effects, music scores, and animated text sequences of all time. The sound effects of the light sabers, laser guns, star ships, hologram messages, and even the beeps of R2D2. Under all that is a music score that helps to carry the story at poignant times throughout the film, from the opening credits to the closing credits, and throughout the film.

The ambient sound of the planes overhead, the motor of the boats, or the English Channel churning as the boats travel through it really makes you stop and think about the sacrifices of the men and women of WWII. Especially those who used their own small personal boats. Additionally, this trailer’s use of animated text with clipping masks, size variations, and shocking statistic draw you in to want to see this movie.

The sound effects of the debris hitting the Explorer, along with the music reaching its crescendo when the debris knocks the arm Dr. Stone is attached to, are compelling and make you feel that she will be lost. At the end of the trailer, a simple title text appears in front of the now-shrinking Dr. Stone, emphasizing the seriousness of her situation.

This movie featured numerous sound effects, including those of the different dinosaurs, as well as the ambient sound of a vehicle traveling over the terrain while being chased. The title itself employs the colors red and yellow, beckoning the viewer to beware that something is amiss here. The music beats were deliberate and loud whenever a dinosaur was near or chasing (and eating) a human. This movie was the land-based version of the classic Jaws!

Speaking of Jaws. This movie used a lot of ambient sounds. Like in the scene below, where Chief Brody, Quint, and Matt Hooper are hunting the terrifying great white shark. There’s the splash of the chum as it hits the water, the water itself, or the boat engine. There’s also the locking of the spearhead to the harpoon. As Jaws starts to play with his prey, the music takes over along with the dialogue. Then there are the moments when Jaws brushes against the boat, and finally, when he starts to eat the boat until the moment Quint finally shoots the harpoon. You hear the pull of the barrel and then the splash in the water, and even the barrel traveling through the water. All this sound added to the movie, making it the iconic horror film it is.

This week’s project was both tedious and humbling, yet rewarding and eye-opening. I’ve always been a fan of stop-motion creations and getting a chance to finally attempt, key word “attempt”, one for our project found me stumbling to get my “actors” (aka action figures – not dolls) to hit their mark. They were constantly trying to shirk their duties on the job. However, we came to a compromise and told them they would only have to do 270 frames instead of the original 720 frames. I tried Chroma Keying for the first time. Not so good, but I’ll continue to hone that skill. All joking aside, I have even more respect for those who do this for a living. I will be attempting more stop-motion on my own, but for now, I’ll take a break.