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Tasos Frantzolas: Everything you hear on film is a lie
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Sound design is built on deception -- when you watch a movie or TV show, nearly all of the sounds you hear are fake. In this audio-rich talk, Tasos Frantzolas explores the role of sound in storytelling and demonstrates just how easily our brains are fooled by what we hear.
Tasos Frantzolas - Entrepreneur
Tasos Frantzolas lives and creates at the intersection of audio and technology. Full bio
Tasos Frantzolas lives and creates at the intersection of audio and technology. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I want to start by doing an experiment.
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I'm going to play three videos
of a rainy day.
of a rainy day.
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But I've replaced the audio
of one of the videos,
of one of the videos,
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and instead of the sound of rain,
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I've added the sound of bacon frying.
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So I want you think carefully
which one the clip with the bacon is.
which one the clip with the bacon is.
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(Rain falls)
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(Rain falls)
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(Rain falls)
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All right.
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Actually, I lied.
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They're all bacon.
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(Bacon sizzles)
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01:04
(Applause)
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My point here isn't really
to make you hungry
to make you hungry
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every time you see a rainy scene,
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but it's to show that our brains
are conditioned to embrace the lies.
are conditioned to embrace the lies.
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We're not looking for accuracy.
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So on the subject of deception,
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I wanted to quote one
of my favorite authors.
of my favorite authors.
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In "The Decay of Lying,"
Oscar Wilde establishes the idea
Oscar Wilde establishes the idea
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that all bad art comes from copying
nature and being realistic;
nature and being realistic;
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and all great art comes
from lying and deceiving,
from lying and deceiving,
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and telling beautiful, untrue things.
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So when you're watching a movie
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and a phone rings,
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it's not actually ringing.
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02:00
It's been added later
in postproduction in a studio.
in postproduction in a studio.
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All of the sounds you hear are fake.
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Everything, apart from the dialogue,
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is fake.
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When you watch a movie and you see
a bird flapping its wings --
a bird flapping its wings --
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(Wings flap)
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They haven't really recorded the bird.
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It sounds a lot more realistic
if you record a sheet
if you record a sheet
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or shaking kitchen gloves.
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(Flaps)
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The burning of a cigarette up close --
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(Cigarette burns)
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It actually sounds a lot more authentic
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if you take a small Saran Wrap ball
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and release it.
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(A Saran Warp ball being released)
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Punches?
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(Punch)
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Oops, let me play that again.
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(Punch)
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That's often done by sticking
a knife in vegetables,
a knife in vegetables,
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usually cabbage.
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(Cabbage stabbed with a knife)
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The next one -- it's breaking bones.
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(Bones break)
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Well, no one was really harmed.
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It's actually ...
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breaking celery or frozen lettuce.
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(Breaking frozen lettuce or celery)
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(Laughter)
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Making the right sounds
is not always as easy
is not always as easy
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as a trip to the supermarket
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and going to the vegetable section.
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But it's often a lot more
complicated than that.
complicated than that.
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So let's reverse-engineer together
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the creation of a sound effect.
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One of my favorite stories
comes from Frank Serafine.
comes from Frank Serafine.
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He's a contributor to our library,
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and a great sound designer for "Tron"
and "Star Trek" and others.
and "Star Trek" and others.
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He was part of the Paramount team
that won the Oscar for best sound
that won the Oscar for best sound
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for "The Hunt for Red October."
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In this Cold War classic, in the '90s,
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they were asked to produce the sound
of the propeller of the submarine.
of the propeller of the submarine.
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So they had a small problem:
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they couldn't really find
a submarine in West Hollywood.
a submarine in West Hollywood.
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So basically, what they did is,
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they went to a friend's swimming pool,
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and Frank performed
a cannonball, or bomba.
a cannonball, or bomba.
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They placed an underwater mic
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and an overhead mic
outside the swimming pool.
outside the swimming pool.
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So here's what the underwater
mic sounds like.
mic sounds like.
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(Underwater plunge)
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Adding the overhead mic,
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it sounded a bit like this:
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(Water splashes)
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So now they took the sound
and pitched it one octave down,
and pitched it one octave down,
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sort of like slowing down a record.
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(Water splashes at lower octave)
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And then they removed
a lot of the high frequencies.
a lot of the high frequencies.
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(Water splashes)
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And pitched it down another octave.
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(Water splashes at lower octave)
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And then they added
a little bit of the splash
a little bit of the splash
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from the overhead microphone.
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(Water splashes)
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And by looping and repeating that sound,
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they got this:
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(Propeller churns)
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So, creativity and technology put together
in order to create the illusion
in order to create the illusion
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that we're inside the submarine.
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But once you've created your sounds
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and you've synced them to the image,
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you want those sounds to live
in the world of the story.
in the world of the story.
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And one the best ways to do
that is to add reverb.
that is to add reverb.
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So this is the first audio tool
I want to talk about.
I want to talk about.
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Reverberation, or reverb,
is the persistence of the sound
is the persistence of the sound
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after the original sound has ended.
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So it's sort of like the --
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all the reflections from the materials,
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the objects and the walls
around the sound.
around the sound.
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Take, for example, the sound of a gunshot.
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The original sound is less
than half a second long.
than half a second long.
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(Gunshot)
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By adding reverb,
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we can make it sound like
it was recorded inside a bathroom.
it was recorded inside a bathroom.
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(Gunshot reverbs in bathroom)
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Or like it was recorded
inside a chapel or a church.
inside a chapel or a church.
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(Gunshot reverbs church)
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Or in a canyon.
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(Gunshot reverbs in canyon)
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So reverb gives us a lot of information
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about the space between the listener
and the original sound source.
and the original sound source.
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If the sound is the taste,
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then reverb is sort of like
the smell of the sound.
the smell of the sound.
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But reverb can do a lot more.
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Listening to a sound
with a lot less reverberation
with a lot less reverberation
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than the on-screen action
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is going to immediately signify to us
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that we're listening to a commentator,
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to an objective narrator that's not
participating in the on-screen action.
participating in the on-screen action.
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Also, emotionally intimate
moments in cinema
moments in cinema
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are often heard with zero reverb,
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because that's how it would sound
if someone was speaking inside our ear.
if someone was speaking inside our ear.
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On the completely other side,
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adding a lot of reverb to a voice
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is going to make us think
that we're listening to a flashback,
that we're listening to a flashback,
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or perhaps that we're inside
the head of a character
the head of a character
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or that we're listening
to the voice of God.
to the voice of God.
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Or, even more powerful in film,
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Morgan Freeman.
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(Laughter)
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So --
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(Applause)
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But what are some other tools or hacks
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that sound designers use?
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Well, here's a really big one.
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It's silence.
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A few moments of silence
is going to make us pay attention.
is going to make us pay attention.
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And in the Western world,
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we're not really used to verbal silences.
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They're considered awkward or rude.
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So silence preceding verbal communication
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can create a lot of tension.
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But imagine a really big Hollywood movie,
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where it's full of explosions
and automatic guns.
and automatic guns.
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Loud stops being loud
anymore, after a while.
anymore, after a while.
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So in a yin-yang way,
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silence needs loudness
and loudness needs silence
and loudness needs silence
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for either of them to have any effect.
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But what does silence mean?
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Well, it depends how
it's used in each film.
it's used in each film.
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Silence can place us inside
the head of a character
the head of a character
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or provoke thought.
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We often relate silences with ...
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contemplation,
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meditation,
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being deep in thought.
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But apart from having one meaning,
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silence becomes a blank canvas
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upon which the viewer is invited
to the paint their own thoughts.
to the paint their own thoughts.
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But I want to make it clear:
there is no such thing as silence.
there is no such thing as silence.
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And I know this sounds like the most
pretentious TED Talk statement ever.
pretentious TED Talk statement ever.
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But even if you were to enter
a room with zero reverberation
a room with zero reverberation
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and zero external sounds,
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you would still be able to hear
the pumping of your own blood.
the pumping of your own blood.
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And in cinema, traditionally,
there was never a silent moment
there was never a silent moment
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because of the sound of the projector.
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And even in today's Dolby world,
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there's not really any moment of silence
if you listen around you.
if you listen around you.
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There's always some sort of noise.
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Now, since there's no such
thing as silence,
thing as silence,
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what do filmmakers
and sound designers use?
and sound designers use?
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Well, as a synonym,
they often use ambiences.
they often use ambiences.
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Ambiences are the unique background sounds
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that are specific to each location.
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Each location has a unique sound,
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and each room has a unique sound,
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which is called room tone.
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So here's a recording
of a market in Morocco.
of a market in Morocco.
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(Voices, music)
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And here's a recording
of Times Square in New York.
of Times Square in New York.
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(Traffic sounds, car horns, voices)
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Room tone is the addition of all
the noises inside the room:
the noises inside the room:
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the ventilation, the heating, the fridge.
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Here's a recording
of my apartment in Brooklyn.
of my apartment in Brooklyn.
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(You can hear the ventilation, the boiler,
the fridge and street traffic)
the fridge and street traffic)
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Ambiences work in a most primal way.
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They can speak directly
to our brain subconsciously.
to our brain subconsciously.
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So, birds chirping outside your window
may indicate normality,
may indicate normality,
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perhaps because, as a species,
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we've been used to that sound
every morning for millions of years.
every morning for millions of years.
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(Birds chirp)
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On the other hand, industrial sounds
have been introduced to us
have been introduced to us
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a little more recently.
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Even though I really like
them personally --
them personally --
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they've been used by one
of my heroes, David Lynch,
of my heroes, David Lynch,
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and his sound designer, Alan Splet --
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industrial sounds often carry
negative connotations.
negative connotations.
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(Machine noises)
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Now, sound effects can tap
into our emotional memory.
into our emotional memory.
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Occasionally, they can be so significant
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that they become a character in a movie.
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The sound of thunder may indicate
divine intervention or anger.
divine intervention or anger.
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(Thunder)
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Church bells can remind us
of the passing of time,
of the passing of time,
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or perhaps our own mortality.
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(Bells ring)
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And breaking of glass can
indicate the end of a relationship
indicate the end of a relationship
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or a friendship.
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(Glass breaks)
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Scientists believe that dissonant sounds,
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for example, brass or wind
instruments played very loud,
instruments played very loud,
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may remind us of animal howls in nature
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and therefore create a sense
of irritation or fear.
of irritation or fear.
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(Brass and wind instruments play)
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So now we've spoken
about on-screen sounds.
about on-screen sounds.
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But occasionally, the source
of a sound cannot be seen.
of a sound cannot be seen.
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That's what we call offscreen sounds,
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or "acousmatic."
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Acousmatic sounds --
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well, the term "acousmatic" comes
from Pythagoras in ancient Greece,
from Pythagoras in ancient Greece,
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who used to teach behind
a veil or curtain for years,
a veil or curtain for years,
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not revealing himself to his disciples.
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I think the mathematician
and philosopher thought that,
and philosopher thought that,
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in that way,
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his students might focus
more on the voice,
more on the voice,
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and his words and its meaning,
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rather than the visual of him speaking.
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So sort of like the Wizard of Oz,
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or "1984's" Big Brother,
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separating the voice from its source,
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separating cause and effect
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sort of creates a sense
of ubiquity or panopticism,
of ubiquity or panopticism,
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and therefore, authority.
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There's a strong tradition
of acousmatic sound.
of acousmatic sound.
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Nuns in monasteries in Rome and Venice
used to sing in rooms
used to sing in rooms
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up in galleries close to the ceiling,
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creating the illusion that we're listening
to angels up in the sky.
to angels up in the sky.
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Richard Wagner famously
created the hidden orchestra
created the hidden orchestra
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that was placed in a pit
between the stage and the audience.
between the stage and the audience.
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And one of my heroes, Aphex Twin,
famously hid in dark corners of clubs.
famously hid in dark corners of clubs.
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I think what all these masters knew
is that by hiding the source,
is that by hiding the source,
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you create a sense of mystery.
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This has been seen
in cinema over and over,
in cinema over and over,
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with Hitchcock,
and Ridley Scott in "Alien."
and Ridley Scott in "Alien."
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Hearing a sound without knowing its source
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is going to create some sort of tension.
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Also, it can minimize certain visual
restrictions that directors have
restrictions that directors have
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and can show something
that wasn't there during filming.
that wasn't there during filming.
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And if all this sounds
a little theoretical,
a little theoretical,
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I wanted to play a little video.
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(Toy squeaks)
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(Typewriter)
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(Drums)
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(Ping-pong)
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(Knives being sharpened)
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(Record scratches)
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(Saw cuts)
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(Woman screams)
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What I'm sort of trying
to demonstrate with these tools
to demonstrate with these tools
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is that sound is a language.
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It can trick us by transporting
us geographically;
us geographically;
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it can change the mood;
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it can set the pace;
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it can make us laugh
or it can make us scared.
or it can make us scared.
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On a personal level, I fell
in love with that language
in love with that language
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a few years ago,
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and somehow managed to make it
into some sort of profession.
into some sort of profession.
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And I think with our work
through the sound library,
through the sound library,
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we're trying to kind of expand
the vocabulary of that language.
the vocabulary of that language.
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And in that way, we want
to offer the right tools
to offer the right tools
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to sound designers,
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filmmakers,
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and video game and app designers,
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to keep telling even better stories
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and creating even more beautiful lies.
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So thanks for listening.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Tasos Frantzolas - EntrepreneurTasos Frantzolas lives and creates at the intersection of audio and technology.
Why you should listen
Tasos Frantzolas is a Greek entrepreneur with roots in sound design and music. He is best known as the founder of Soundsnap.com, a sound effects and music library with over one million users and top clients such as HBO, Vice, Apple, NASA, Konami, Microsoft and Pixar.
Growing up in Athens, Greece with a studio under his house, Frantzolas began producing and writing music at the age of 13. He holds a diploma in audio engineering, a BA in sonic arts and an MA in music production and music business. After his education, he enjoyed a brief stint in the UK's music and post-production industries, including sound design work for the BBC and DJing in east London nightclubs. A keen student of electronic and Jamaican music, he has co-written songs with reggae legends such as Horace Andy and Mykal Rose of Black Uhuru.
Frantzolas's business philosophy focuses on the harmony of art and hi-tech and the use of technology to enrich and enable creativity.
Tasos Frantzolas | Speaker | TED.com