This week’s session focused on improvising sound to moving image. I worked independently on two short film clips, each around 3–5 minutes. Each was played twice, with time in between for reflection and revision.
I used Ableton Live for both pieces. For the second clip, taken from The Conversation (1974), I focused on recreating the tactile feel of analog tape machines. I layered in tape hiss, low-end noise textures, and chopped pulse rhythms to reflect the film’s core themes: surveillance, listening, and psychological tension. The original film score is very restrained, leaving plenty of space for sonic reinterpretation. I aimed to build a sound narrative that mirrors the protagonist’s mental state.
The piece begins (0:00–0:30) with glitchy drums and short bursts of noise, mimicking tape malfunction and interference. The middle section (0:30–1:20) moves into blurred pads and low-end hums. I applied subtle filter modulations to stretch the perceived space and evoke emotional swelling, echoing how the main character reacts to fragments of recorded conversations.
For the first film clip, I took a more ambient approach. I used long synth tones and slightly broken textures to disrupt the visual stillness and suggest underlying tension.
Throughout both pieces, I paid close attention to the tension between sound and image—not just using sound to “support” the visuals, but to create a parallel narrative. This exercise helped me think more critically about how sound can shift the viewer’s perception and carry psychological weight on its own.
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