Category: Uncategorized

Up and running

To get this blog up and running and provide some interesting reading while I’m still in the stages of getting things sorted out, I’ve posted five mini articles on the power of sound in visual media. I’m not a sound engineer of any sort, but I’ve always loved soundtracks and sound effects. The articles I’ve written about are of particular interest to me, especially the stunning Batman Begins soundtrack, created by Hans Zimmer. Just one of his many soundtracks, of course.

I’ll be talking about a range of things in my blog, most of them design-related, but other stuff too. I’m not quite sure what yet, though.

If you’ve come to my blog via my website, The Work Of, then thank you for taking the time to look at my work and thank you for also taking a further interest in what I have to say about a whole host of things. If you’ve come to my blog from simply browsing the web, welcome to you too. Please read my About Me for a bit more info on who I am.

Enjoy.

The Sound of Batman

The comicbook creation of Batman has had multiple remakes over the years; The camp original TV series of the 60’s, the 1989 film debut Batman (and it’s three sequels), the 1992 animated series and the 2005 reboot Batman Begins (and it’s 2008 sequel). With each remake of the franchise has come with a completely new look and feel and with it, a new sound.

It’s interesting that none of the theme tunes for any of the Batman incarnations would suit any of the others. They are all unique to their own series or film, but each time, they have become well known and easily recognisable. The 1960’s theme tune is easy to distinguish from the 1989 Batman film.

Perhaps most importantly is how the Batman theme has evolved and how it was scrapped altogether with the reboot of the franchise in 2005. In 1989, composer Danny Elfman created one of the most recognisable theme tunes for Batman, which solidified its place in history at the time as the fifth best selling movie of all time.

The theme was remixed but reused with all three of the Batman sequels. It became iconic. It became Batman. So, it was quite a shock to Batman fans everywhere when it was discovered that the theme would not be included in 2005’s Batman Begins. Indeed, Danny Elfman was not invited to produce the soundtrack for the reboot, but instead, the world’s most reknowned composer, Hans Zimmer was.

While the instantly recognisable theme was no longer to be found in the Batman Begins soundtrack. Infact, there isn’t a strong theme at all for the film. In an interview with Hans Zimmer, he explains why and how The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins will have one:

There is a big Batman theme which I was playing with for the last one, but I always felt the character hadn’t earned it yet, so I just want to go and play around, and I now want to go and complete that theme, so that’s part of the idea. I felt I had a good start, and now it would be really nice to develop that world a little further. (Zimmer, H. (2007) Comingsoon.net)

Due to the film’s darker, more realistic nature, perhaps a theme tune was not as neccessary as in other Batman films. As Zimmer describes, in this film, Batman has not progressed to the point where he is a true superhero and as such, is not deserving of a superhero theme. However, what Zimmer manages to get across is a completely new idea to the Batman franchise and one that director Christopher Nolan wanted for the film as well. Although no theme tune is truly present, what is present is the overwhelming sound of bats. Soundtrack reviewer Matt Scheller explains:

The album opens with “Vespertilio”- a very percussive piece that utilizes rhythmic pounds that simulate a giant bat flapping its wings. These bat-flaps are reoccurring throughout the CD. (Scheller M. (June 27th 2005) Soundtrack.net)

The flapping of bat wings is emphasised to the point where it becomes overwhelming and disturbing in some of the tracks found in the score. It’s clear when listening to this soundtrack compared with Danny Elfman’s soundtrack for Batman that this is based more on darkness and fear than strength and determinism as with Elfman’s soundtrack, as Matt Scheller explains:

A central theme of the film is fear. “Artibeus” and “Tadarida” contain moments that sound as though they belong in a horror film- perfect to reflect the theme of fear. Whispers and dark ambient textures are heard as sudden frantic high pitched strings come into play to give audiences an extra jump. These moments of terror are matched against The Scarecrow’s evil doings in the film. (Scheller M. (June 27th 2005) Soundtrack.net)

Batman will always have a place in film, but with the constant reinvention of the character has come regeneration of the music too. With the replacement of the main theme tune and with the upcoming new theme to The Dark Knight, it is clear that Batman is strong enough to stand a complete redesign.

Video Games Live

It’s a sure sign of progression when there is finally a concert to celebrate the amazing work that goes into so many video game soundtracks.

Founded in 2002 by Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live is best summed up on its own website:

An immersive event created by the game industry featuring the best game music performed by top orchestras and choirs combined with synchronised lighting, video, live action and audience interactivity. The first and most successful video game concert tour in the world.

There are so many video games which have beautiful soundtracks to accompany them in today’s games that it is only fitting that they get the exposure they deserve. By playing such soundtracks in a concert environment, it gives more people a chance to experience classical music in a whole new way.

Because the majority of people who will attend the concerts have already played the video games which the music is a part of, the concert as a whole feels recognisable. It is a comfortable environment in which to emphasise a new part of someone’s favourite video game. And the music is not just for gamers.

Video Games Live appeals to ALL audiences! Because of the overall nature of our show, we appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike. During our shows in 2005 we attracted mothers, grandmothers & girlfriends as well as groups of friends coming together to celebrate the amazing industry of video games…We get many letters and responses from grandmothers or moms who say things like “Wow! I never knew the video game industry was this incredible! I understand why my children are so into this stuff now. I get it! I had no idea!.” That for us is the biggest pay-off of all. Not only turning on gamers to the culture of live symphonies, but also turning on the non-gamer to the video game industry as a whole. It’s always been one of our biggest goals. (videogameslive.com)

While younger generations are attracted to video games via the visuals and in turn introduced to new music via the soundtracks, older generations may be attracted to games via the soundtracks. A soundtrack can effectively communicate what the game could be about without a person ever having to know what game it comes from. On Video Games Live, The London Times writes:

As the show began, it became apparant that this was ground-breaking multimedia entertainment; enough to impress even the most fanatical gamers present. (Cotterell, L. (November 26th, 2007) The London Times)

When music is combined with appropriate visuals – even if the visuals aren’t the videogame itself – it creates an entirely new experience for the listener because not only are they listening to the music, but the visuals help create new visual markers in the listener’s mind. A clash of cymbals might be accompanied by a flash of light, while a soft piano might be accompanied by subtle changes in the colour of light. These visual clues may not be part of any video game, but will undoubtedly reflect the same kind of themes used within them.

Video Games Live is something that will be seen more of in the future as it starts to gain more momentum and exposure. As has been said, Video Games Live is for all audiences, not just gamers and this is what will see it grow and grow.

Convincing the entire family to attend a concert performed by a symphony orchestra may be an impossible task. But, what if you could tell the kids and grandkids that Mario…and Master Chief… would be the guests of honour during the performance? (Mitman, H. (n.d.) The Trend)

Pong & (Lack of) Sound

One of the first videogames to be released to the public was Pong, a very simplistic version of table tennis. Produced by Atari and released in arcades in 1972, it was a first generation video game that also became one of the most popular of all time. First generation games were produced from 1972-1977, while today’s video games are considered to be seventh generation.

Al Alcorn, one of Atari’s first employees, was the engineer who constructed the first Pong arcade game. The game was named after the desired sound that Bushnell wanted incorporated in the game. The dictionary defines “pong” as a hollow, ringing sound, and this was the sound Bushnell felt was necessary in the game. (A Brief History of Video Games)

Pong would not be the same without the noise that accompanies it. It is perhaps more famous because it’s the only sound in the game. Scott Cohen, author of “Zap! The Rise and Fall of Atari” explains how this helped make the game more popular:

One of the regulars approached the Pong game inquisitively and studied the ball bouncing silently around the screen as if in a vacuum. A friend joined him. The instructions said: ‘Avoid missing ball for high score.’ One of [them] inserted a quarter. There was a beep. The game had begun…There was a beautifully resonant “pong” sound, and the ball bounced back to the other side of the screen…Seven quarters later they were having extended volleys, and the constant pong noise was attracting the curiosity of others at the bar. Before closing, everybody in the bar had played the game… Cohen, R. (1984) Zap: The Rise and Fall of Atari. Xlibris Corporation.

This single noise gave players an audible aid as to what was going on onscreen. Without this noise, there would be a vacuum, as Cohen writes. The sound adds a level of interaction that visuals alone cannot. It makes each hit of the ball feel more real. Although the visuals were nothing more than white blocks on a black screen, by adding a single sound, the overall dynamics are changed. The blocks are suddenly sturdier, with weight and depth. With this one sound, a user is able to create something in their mind that isn’t shown on screen, but is explicity implied via the sound. From here, it is easy to see how sound in video games progressed through to modern day games.

The Soundtrack of Bioshock

Bioshock’s soundtrack is perhaps one of the most powerful game soundtracks I’ve heard – And I’ve never even played the game. Although the game itself recieved numerous excellent reviews, the sound design did too.

In particular, Bioshock’s theme tune, “The Ocean on His Shoulders” sounds so ethereal and emotional that it’s so easy to enjoy it as a piece of music in its own right without ever having to have played the game or know what it’s about. Most of the tracks are composed using a full live orchestra, rather than digitally created, which makes the music sound all the more epic and movie-like.

Indeed, 2K Boston, the developers of the game felt that everyone should have the opportunity to listen to the soundtrack and decided to give it away as a free download.

In an interview with Garry Schyman, composer of the soundtrack, Music 4 Games asked what kind of emotional pallet he worked with:

As it turns out this game has a soul. Deep down there is a tragic and very sad aspect to it. After all it is the story of humanity’s quest for the age-old hope for utopia on earth (or under the sea in this case) and its utter failure. So besides writing scary or eerie music, I wrote a very sad theme that gets to play every now and again. Otherwise one can imagine being in one of the scariest carnivals ever and trying to escape it; then writing music to match that.

The sadness really comes through in such tracks as the main theme and the “scariest carnival” aspect can be found in the fourth track, “The Docks”, which sounds like a ship swaying back and forward while carnival music is heard in the background. It’s done in such a way that it makes you feel like you’re in the mind of the main character, experiencing the horrors and dangers that are presented within the game.

I find that because the quality of the soundtrack is so high, I can happily listen to and enjoy it all of the way through. There aren’t many game soundtracks that can claim to do this. The score was so good that it won Best Original Score at Spike TV’s Video Game Awards.