Watch this great, short piece about the sound of “The Hunger Games.”
How I Watch Movies:
I’ve always been the guy that stays behind and watches the credits at the movies. I’m usually looking for two things, people with awesome titles, and Nigerian names:
the first, to help me learn more about what I would need/do if I ever made a motion picture; the second, to see if I have some distant cousin who can get me on a hollywood set.
A/V Nerd Alert
You see, I’ve always been interested in movies and music and media. Yet, I’ve never wanted to be a star. I was the kid that dreamed of growing up to be a foley artist or record producer. It’s partly for pragmatic reasons, the shelf life of a production artist (vfx, sound etc.) is generally much longer that than of an actor or singer. You get enjoy your creative career for longer.
Up until several years ago, I didn’t even think about sound or what went into creating a movie, or even video game from a production perspective. In fact, I didn’t even really care for movies. I thought of them as long-form sitcoms, dramas, stretched beyond TV format for the express purpose of selling popcorn, drinks and $10.00 tickets.
My Favorite Prehistoric Creature? The Do-You-Think-He-Heard-Us?
My indifference towards film and sound changed when I then stumbled across an article that described the sound design process behind the Jurassic Park movies. The main sound designer, Gary Rydstrom, had to come up with a library of realistic sound effects to fit the dino cast.
Rydstrom (and his people) basically roamed the streets in search of potential sounds, visiting zoos, recording pets and collecting random samples for months. They then loaded the sounds into a computer, then set about the task of pulling T-Rex roars, velociraptor yelps and other invented sounds out of their asses.
Did you kn0w: The T-Rex sound started off as a sample of a koala groaning.
The Coolest Thing
At the time, I thought it was the coolest thing. A creative career, one couldn’t possibly know even existed. I look forward to seeing Hunger Games and listening to the real story.