Walk With Me movie

I strongly recommend you to watch “Walk With Me” and pay attention to the sound of it. It’s so exceptional!

The yawning, the sound of the bugs, the tremble of trees and the crispy juicy sound when someone steps on the grass and branches. Sound designers paid really close attention to every single second of this movie. They depicted the night sound strongly different to daytime. And when people enter the room, audience could still hear the non-diegetic reduced sound of the bugs and the frogs from the outside. And the most impactful sound design was in one scene that I really like. It’s when the nun strikes the bell, I can hear the non consistent kong sound from the bell, which makes me aware that she is new to this. But then the ambisonic deep sound in which the echo bouncing zigzag in the bell, rebound and last so long and so real, it brings me instantly back to the latest time I went to a temple in Vietnam.

After all the serenity, we stumbled when there’s a loud annoying inconsistent noise of the low notes on piano. It turns out to be kid playing with the piano. And after an adult came over to tell them play it soft, they start to play beautiful happy tone music, the piano sound turns from diegetic to non diegetic, follows with the visual of 2 girls playing spinning on the swing, which matches exactly with the pace and rhythm of the background music, represents for the beauty of pure happiness and the act of spreading, sharing it around. Though, there are still room tone of the dining room where the girls play piano and  soundscape from where the other girls playing swing.

Even the shortest moment requires many many work for sound designers. The sound itself gives you serenity, not to mention the beautiful emotional visuals.

Benedict Cumberbatch was a great choice for the narrator of this movie as his voice is so deep, slow, definitive and powerful, represents the power of mind and mental in Buddhism. When I think about narrator, I often think about Tom Hiddleston as well. But I realize his voice sounds a lot provocative and sexual. Plus, he has narrated for E.E.Cummings - “May I feel said he” poem. Which I believe is very sexual - and that is forbidden for Buddhist’s child - the monks. So it’s best not to use Tom Hiddleston.

Near the end of the movie, when a nun play an instrument, I notice she was using a Metronome application on her phone to track the the tempo while playing music, which is very interesting by seeing the beats visually.

NYC Chinatown

I came to New York Chinatown when it was raining, and I was surprised how low the noise is. I came here 2 years ago, and Chinatown in San Francisco a month ago, none of them is ever get less noisy. So I guess it’s because of the rain which has been falling the whole day, and now is the heaviest of all day. I can hear the footstep of boots and heels on the wet concrete ground. Cars’ tire running on the street, occasionally, there’s a splash sound when a car runs by the puddle. When I walk by some restaurants, I don’t hear continuous sound of customer calling from the staff like I expected. Instead, it was raining so heavy that the managers ask their staff to come inside. Until I reach the end of the alley, I can finally hear the calling sound, coming from a middle-age woman, standing underneath the restaurant’s roof. And I started to notice the rattle sound of rain drops falling pitter - patter on the roof. “How nice!” I thought. In Asia, many houses built the roof, or install a plastic roof toward the street so either the house owner or the pedestrian won’t get wet when it rains. The roof is curved, so the rain gather together, flowing down to the ground, create a continuous heavy splash. Somewhere in the corner, I hear the sound of Erhu - a Chinese instrument. This instrument is so typical Chinese as whatever Chinatown in the world I have came to I can always hear this harmonious sound, including the cities of China, Seoul, Korea, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Los Angeles, USA. 

SFMOMA

I came to Moma today and the most interesting artwork that reminds me to pay attention to sound is the one that doesn’t make sound at all.

It was the exhibit: “Tilted Plane” by Jim Campbell. Hundreds of incandescent bulbs, with filaments replaced with LEDs, hang at varying levels, creating a tilted plane of flickering light in a dark room. There was no music, no sign telling people to stay quiet, yet, everyone increases their voice to the minimum volume, whispering, and try to stay the most quiet they can. Not just verbally, but also the way they walk. Some people even walk on their tiptoe. I have never heard the white noise ever like this when I come to a museum. I can hear the sound of Ac, softly breathe into the room continuously, the beat of music comes from outside. It was vocal music at first, but then when I’m in here, the voice mixed into the beat and become an instrument music only. I can hear the sound of white noise from the electric light. I was told that that kind of sound will become smaller and smaller until it’s completely muted as you get older. Another example could be the sound in microwave and induction cooktop. After the sound of electric, I hear very minor sounds of flickering light. If you ever turn on a fluorescent lamp, you'll hear about 3 or 4 flickering sound. This one I hear the same one single flicker, but it’s even softer and smaller, and less amount of “flicks.” And of course, I hear footsteps on a stone floor, whispering of dozen people.

I wonder how they were so talkative around other artwork, but not in this room. Everyone try to minor the sounds they make. Was it because people tend to be more quiet in any dark room. Was it a creature’s instinct when they enter something looks dangerous and they have to stay silent to be aware of things around them? Because the more they pay attention, the more they hear.