Sound for Film and Television [Book & CD-ROM]

by Tomlinson Holman

Sound for Film and Television, Second Edition provides a thorough introduction to the fascinating field of recording, editing, mixing, and exhibiting film and television sound. It strikes a fine balance between aesthetic and technical content, combining theory and practice to approach sound as both an art and a science, as no other text has before. This edition includes new information on digital techniques as they have arisen in the industry, and expanded coverage of sound editing and design.

Written by one of Hollywood's leading sound experts, Sound for Film and Television, Second Edition provides a solid grounding in all aspects of the sound process. Basic principles are presented with illustrations demonstrating how they affect the day-to-day activities on a film or television set, in the editing room, and in the mix room.

*The only text to present sound design as both an art and a science *Bridges the gap between production books and design engineering books

*Accompanying audio DVD contains examples demonstrating key concepts from the book

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

285 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Fanny Fae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sound is the most neglected part of filmmaking, and yet it is so very important for effectively conveying the narrative structure in any motion picture. "Sound for Film and Television" (Third Edition) is a very technical book. In film school, I have taken college-level courses for audio and sound and this is a very professional level book that is more technical than any of our current textbooks. It is definitely on the level of what you would expect from someone who works for THX / Lucasfilm. There are really not a great many illustrations in this book. The reader will have to have at least a little basic knowledge on how sound works, and if you are looking for a weekend filmmaker's how-to type of manual for doing things on the cheap, this book is not it.

All of this having been said, as in the introdction, depending on who you are and why you are studying the book, there are various approaches to the text. If you have to be on the set before sunrise the next morning, a thorough study of chapter 4, Capturing Sound, can get you to a place where you are at least reasonably competent. Subjects such as psychoacoustics and getting the most effect out of sound in film and television are also covered early on in the book. The chapter on editing is quite extensive and covers basic micing of both film and television sets for sitcoms, dramas, snd includes pre-mix operations for sound editors as well as a very good section on documentary and reality production. The eleven commandments of film sound are quite enlightening and give a really good insight as to the dos and don'ts. Keeping the sound in synch with the picture is the surest way to tip off the audience that they are dealing with amateur filmmakers. Silence is rarely found in the natural world and should not be found in film. It is the balance of dialogue, music and effects is of paramount importance and although these elements may shift in importance on the screen, it is the effective film editor that can bring out the narrative in the editing process. Sound for Film and Television covers the most effective ways to make all the pieces work together in the final sound edit. Tomlinson Holman adroitly shows these things in depth and does his best to explain them and eliminate confusion for the reader.

There is an included DVD can be played on stereo or surround sound systems. There are setups snd tests for signal present checks, demonstration of full or dramtic fall of and direct sound, boinks, 400Hz tone with a variety of waveforms such as square or triangle waves. Radiation patterns of the voice shown by multiple recordings of simultaneous angles.

Again, this book is very helpful and it is very succinct, but you need to have a strong focus on the importance of good audio engineering and sound editing. You definitely have to have your mind on what you are reading and possibly with your hands on the equipment itself to get the most out of the book.

[H. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is an excruciating read and, if it didn't hold information I need, I'd toss it from my book stacks with satisfaction. Holman is clearly not a gifted writer and appears to have little interest in attempting to achieve such status. What you get with SOUND for Film and Television is like a condensed instruction manual for the study, technical names and mechanics screwed together with lazy, careless language. Forget skipping through to the middle to read up on a particular microphone, the crammed description will be completely composed of references to complex information from past chapters. You will have to read it through, as arduous (and potentially impossible) as the task may be, to access any of the valuable details buried within.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a class interesting , but pointless