WalÂter Murch, perÂhaps the most famed film ediÂtor alive, is acclaimed for the work he’s done for direcÂtors like FranÂcis Ford CopÂpoÂla, George Lucas, and AnthoÂny MinghelÂla. As innoÂvÂaÂtive and influÂenÂtial as his ways for putting images togethÂer have been, Murch has done just as much for cinÂeÂma as a sound designÂer. In the video above Evan Puschak, betÂter known as the NerdÂwriter, examÂines Murch’s soundÂcraft through what Murch calls “worldizÂing,” which Filmsound.org describes as “manipÂuÂlatÂing sound until it seemed to be someÂthing that existÂed in real space.” This involves “playÂing back existÂing recordÂings through a speakÂer or speakÂers in real-world acoustic sitÂuÂaÂtions,” recordÂing it, and using that recordÂing on the film’s soundÂtrack.
In othÂer words, Murch pioÂneered the techÂnique of not just insertÂing music into a movie in the editÂing room, but re-recordÂing that music in the actuÂal spaces in which the charÂacÂters hear it. MixÂing the origÂiÂnal, “clean” recordÂing of a song with that song as re-recordÂed in the movie’s space — a dance hall, an outÂdoor wedÂding, a dystopiÂan underÂground warÂren — has givÂen Murch a greater degree of conÂtrol over the viewÂer’s lisÂtenÂing expeÂriÂence. In some shots he could let the viewÂer hear more of the song itself by priÂorÂiÂtizÂing the origÂiÂnal song; in othÂers he could priÂorÂiÂtize the re-recordÂed song and let the viewÂer hear the song as the charÂacÂters do, with all the sonÂic charÂacÂterÂisÂtics conÂtributed by the space — or, if you like, the world — around them.
Puschak uses examÂples of Murch’s worldizÂing from AmerÂiÂcan GrafÂfiÂti and The GodÂfaÂther, and notes that he first used it in Lucas’ debut feaÂture THX 1138. But he also disÂcovÂered an earÂliÂer attempt by Orson Welles to accomÂplish the same effect in Touch of Evil, a film Murch re-editÂed in 1998. What Welles had not done, says Murch in an interÂview with Film QuarÂterÂly, “was comÂbine the origÂiÂnal recordÂing and the atmosÂpherÂic recordÂing. He simÂply posiÂtioned a microÂphone, staÂtÂic in an alleyÂway outÂside UniÂverÂsal Sound StuÂdios, re-recordÂing from a speakÂer to the microÂphone through the alleyÂway. He didÂn’t have conÂtrol over the balÂance of dry sound verÂsus reflectÂed sound, and he didÂn’t have the sense of motion that we got from movÂing the speakÂer and movÂing the microÂphone relÂaÂtive to one anothÂer.”
Doing this, Murch says, “creÂates the sonÂic equivÂaÂlent of depth of field in phoÂtogÂraÂphy. We can still have the music in the backÂground, but because it’s so difÂfuse, you can’t find edges to focus on and, thereÂfore, focus on the diaÂlogue which is in the foreÂground.” In all earÂliÂer films besides Welles’, “music was just filÂtered and played low, but it still had its edges,” makÂing it hard to sepÂaÂrate from the diaÂlogue. These days, as Puschak points out, anyÂone with the right sound-editÂing softÂware can perÂform these manipÂuÂlaÂtions with the click of a mouse. No such ease in the 1970s, when Murch had to not only exeÂcute these thorÂoughÂly anaÂlog, labor-intenÂsive processÂes, but also invent them in the first place. As anyÂone who’s looked and lisÂtened closeÂly to his work knows, that audioÂviÂsuÂal strugÂgle made Murch expeÂriÂence and work with cinÂeÂma in a richÂly physÂiÂcal way — one that, as genÂerÂaÂtions of ediÂtors and sound designÂers come up in wholÂly digÂiÂtal enviÂronÂments, may not exist much longer.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
How the Sounds You Hear in Movies Are RealÂly Made: DisÂcovÂer the MagÂic of “Foley Artists”
Based in Seoul, ColÂin MarÂshall writes and broadÂcasts on cities, lanÂguage, and culÂture. His projects include the book The StateÂless City: a Walk through 21st-CenÂtuÂry Los AngeÂles and the video series The City in CinÂeÂma. FolÂlow him on TwitÂter at @colinmarshall or on FaceÂbook.
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