Hypercinema - Week 1 (24-09-03)

The first subject matter covered in Hypercinema is sound and the role it plays in storytelling. Through a presentation and discussion we learned about different artists and their approach to creating, documenting, and presenting sound in their work.  

Assignment - Readings

Takeaways from The difference between hearing and listening, a TED Talk by Pauline Oliveros

• "The ear hears, brain listens, body senses vibrations" - This reminded me of a panel discussion about the growth and development of VR I went to a few years ago. One of the panelists mentioned that while sight and touch are major priorities for the industry, especially from safety standpoint. Out of all the senses, humans actually respond to sound more viscerally and immediately. He then proceeded to snap his fingers behind his tablemate's head, and the audience watched as the person swiveled his head while the speaker continued to talk about how sound creates a ripple effect of physical actions. 
• "Science can measure what we hear, but cannot evaluate how much we listen, if at all."
• Listening is
  • "when you give attention to what is perceived acoustically and psychologically"
  • "a constant interplay with perception of the moment compared with remembered experience"
  • "subject to delay" - It is possible for one to hear but not listen immediately. I am guilty of this occasionally, whether intensional or not. Occasionally, I will zone out mid interaction and will need to recall the conversation in memory to recall that I heard and make sense of the conversation after the fact. Oliveros then adds on that people "sometimes never" listen at all. Hilarious and yet an unfortunate reality that we live in.

Notes and reflection from an interview with Haley Shaw on Sound Design

• ​"Intended feeling should emerge from the story, not the design" - I often fall victim to becoming fixated on the details and nuances of the design approach and scope, despite knowing the importance of the concept and seeing the "larger picture". 
• "Background - middle distance - close, scene specific - energy" - conceptually, I had always known that sound designs can be layered, as most design disciplines become as we deliver more information in small impactful moments. However, hearing Haley Shaw's example of bottle breaking really help me understand 

Assignment - Audio Scavenger Hunt

The feeling of loneliness
A high pitched ringing sound generated by a stud finder.
I struggled a lot with this prompt. I was not sure what the "feeling" of loneliness would sound like. Does it refer to the environment that makes one feel lonely? Or is it more of an expression of loneliness as a sensation? Either way, I opted to create a sound of the latter, which I interpret as a ringing sound in one's head when in a crowd yet still feels lonely.

The feeling of happiness
The sound of a cat purring and lip licking after eating dinner. 
Is the sound of the feeling of happiness a sound of someone feeling happy? or a sound that makes someone feeling happy? Either way, I think this meets both descriptions.

The sound of cold
Ping lived in Chicago for a while, and the sound of wind reminds her of the cold. 

A hum
Central AC kicking on

A metal sound
The sound of an automatic feeder releasing a meal.

A ticking sound
​The sound of a wound up mechanical watch

The sound of jealousy
A young child crying over losing a toy to their older sibling

Squishiness
A plastic wrapper wrinkled together