Sound and Image in Film

Relationships Between Sound & Image in Jacques Tati’s Playtime

In this scene from Playtime, Monsieur Hulot arrives at an imposing, French office building. The ominous perpetual buzz which fills the hallways of the office building accentuates both the cold, steel sterility of the architecture itself (as it is by no means a pleasant or welcoming tone) and the droning, tedious nature of the work taking place within. The elderly doorman speaks in muffled, uneven tones which make him seem even more out of place than by appearances alone. His discomfort with modernity is humorously conveyed via his struggle with the switchboard – the mechanism itself characterized by the sort of beep-boop-beep-beep-boop sounds of a retro-futuristic computer or robot.

Then, from far along down the hall begins the click click click of the administrator’s shoes. The consistent rhythm of his steps indicates his values of precision and uniformity. Of course, the embellishment of the sound of his shoes clicking against the smooth, polished floor becomes more and more amusing as he makes his way down the long hall - giving credence to the art of storytelling. When he finally makes it all the way, he shows Hulot to the waiting room, where the latter discovers those incredible, black chairs that make embarrassing (albeit, hilarious) suction sounds when pressed or sat upon. He is then joined in the waiting room by an intimidating stranger, whose organizational and professional superiority is communicated by his refined appearance. The stranger confidently performs a series of hurried tasks (cracking his knuckles, unzipping his bag, clicking a pen, jotting down notes, etc.), and the accompanying sound effects make him impossible for the befuddled Monsieur Hulot to ignore.

How Sound Accentuates Movement in “Calling Dr. Porky” & “Perils”

Of these two shorts, the motivation behind the chosen sound effects is a little more obvious in “Calling Dr. Porky.” The drunk dog’s hiccups are loud, over-exaggerated, onomatopoeic, and they cause his body and those of his imaginary elephants to jump clear off the ground. The score of the cartoon accentuates the elephants’ mocking procession; they walk in sync with one another and with the music.

Meanwhile, a different patient complains to Dr. Porky of dizziness. He tells the doctor that his head is “spinning,” and proceeds to literally spin his head in full circles partnered by the sound of a ratchet. This is the first point in the short wherein the sound effects become recognizable as instruments and household items. The elephants’ examination of the drunk is punctuated by a woodblock as they tap on his back, and by the various components of a drum set as his heartbeat.

In “Perils,” there is a myriad of sounds accompanying a rapid succession of movements and images. The drum roll at the beginning may be the only sound used for its traditional purpose: indicating the build-up to some grand revelation (the film). Beyond that, there are only a few instances that stand out enough to distinguish. One is the sound of an avant-garde style of music, which breaks through the cacophony of unidentifiable sounds as a couple stands frozen in front of the camera like they are about to dance. This image is bookended by constant movement so it is almost, in this case, as if the sound is accentuating the lack of movement. Another instance is that in which a woman appears to be fainting. The swaying of her body toward the ground is joined by the twang of what sounds like a pedal steel. Last, there is a brief moment of joy as people laugh to the sound of the piano playing. It is one of the shortest vignettes in the film, but perhaps the most expressive.

Editing & Voicing Decisions in “The Bachar Tapes” & “The Casting”

“The Bachar Tapes” begins with the original narrator voicing his requests for how his story be presented in different languages. This portion gives the audience the clearest idea of who he is: someone with a distinguished and logical vision of how he wants his story to be told. Most notably, he requests that his retelling be dubbed by a calm, female voice. It seems that his goal is to make the story more palatable for foreign audiences. It continues with female narration but is occasionally interrupted by a British, male narrator who recounts the story as it might be heard on the news. The interesting thing about the introduction of the male narrator is that it happens after the storyteller notes that the Americans with whom he was imprisoned always begin the same story by discussing the weather. The storyteller wonders why they would begin this particular story as though it was in some way “natural and unpredictable.” The word “natural” is operative because the introduction of the second male narrator is somewhat indicative of nature documentaries. Beyond the original storyteller, each additional narrator serves his or her own evocative purpose, and they are meant to establish specific tones. For these reasons, this is the one that took my attention the most.

The editing and voicing decisions made in “The Casting” were less clear at first. The “director’s” initial emphasis on improvisation becomes important though, as the interviewee goes on to casually recount two very complex, very different stories. The voiceover retains the original storyteller’s authenticity – as he is not reading from a script, or acting out lines. The choice to accompany this voiceover with actors in a series of corresponding tableaux is a lot more interesting than simply rolling the interview footage. It is also an artful way to swiftly relate the events of each story, without having to develop and linger in a scene or rely on tacky dramatic reenactments.