A small group of APU students (and one very lucky professor) had the opportunity to visit the Landmark Theater in L.A. for a free showing of Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound, an excellent documentary on the art and history of sound design in film. This film, intended not primarily for sound geeks but also for the casual cinephile, achieves its goals by showing countless clips from classic movies and featuring some of the highest-profile talking heads, including everyone from Steven Spielberg to Walter Murch. Following the screening, the theater held a Q&A with the director, producers, editor, and Academy Award-winning sound designers/editors Cecelia Hall and Richard Anderson. Read the short paragraphs below from the students who attended the event!
Hannah McElfresh: "Last night’s event was incredible- many times had me in tears to be honest. I didn’t know how passionate my love for sound was until I sat five feet from some of the best in the industry (and knew what they were talking about) especially when using noises that were completely unconventional. Not only have I realized how far I’ve come as an artist, I see how much further I have to go and that is really exciting. Cece Hall was absolutely my spirit animal and I want to be her when I grow up."
James Peralta: "Watching Making Waves felt so surreal. Real sound designers were talking about concepts I learned from sound design and their experiences in revolutionizing the art of sound design. Despite their achievements, a number of them expressed how even they could not believe what they were doing and that to me was inspiring because that is how I feel after I finish each project: a sense of uncertainty in what just happened. Overall, it was an immersive film that made me appreciate sound more than ever!"
Isaac Simon: "Making Waves is a movie I plan on showing my parents to explain to them what it is I do. It was an excellent lesson in the history of sound design as a concept and profession throughout the years and it achieved that by showing the key innovators and breakthrough moments of the craft. I'd recommend anyone even remotely interested in film give it a watch as it explains the process and organization of sound design as well as showing amazing examples of how to plan and maximize the effectiveness of sound design."
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