Hearing Tarantino: The Brilliant Impact of Sound in Quentin Tarantino Films

Movies are something we can all thoroughly enjoy. Whether it be a hilarious comedy or an action adventure, they take us places we don't normally see or experience. Films all have the same goal, to capture and engage us within their world and to evoke feelings of excitement or even fear. The guys over at Movie Pilot have found something so simple that it screams brilliance in films by Quentin Tarantino: the sound!

Breaking a movie down to its bare bones is very hard to do, with layers upon layers and only seeing so many things in the first pass, it's easy to miss something so simple. Sound is one we seem to always miss yet it plays a pivotal role in all of moviemaking today. Tarantino has perfected his craft with a portfolio of movies filled with over-the-top fight scenes and dramatic plots, but sound is one I almost forgot. The sound of chains against the neck or a bullet flying through someone's body, things we may have never come close to experiencing in real life are brought forth to help us feel the real moment in his films. Listen closely as each scene builds and drags us into the movie with each sound effect. 

In the end, movies have more to offer than simple plots and big name actors. It's the feeling they invoke and the importance of every piece which come together to make the film an experience we pay to see time after time.

[via Movie Pilot]

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Andrew Griswold is a photographer and designer based in Indianapolis. Born and raised in Indy he has made a name for himself by staying very active in the creative community in both photography and design. He has also founded a community of photographers via Instagram connecting them with brands to work with and shoot locally.

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5 Comments

Thats great, but this is a photography site..why do we care about sound? lol

I thought it was as much about video as photography. I like the video related articles as much as still techniques.

Cinematographers are fstoppers too ;)

I was at the closing film of the Cannes film festival this year. It was Leone's "Fistfull of Dollars." Tarantino gave a speech beforehand praising it. He pointed out that it didn't just change Westerns for ever but also movies in general. According to him it, among other things, introduced the sound cue. Not just in terms of effects, but also music. Like when Clint reveals his face to a tiny bit of flute.

Movies are something we can all thoroughly enjoy... No, they're something we "used to" thoroughly enjoy.
Between the 4x8 foot screens, the bratty kids, the screaming bratty kids, the constant need to text every minute, cell phone calls, not to mention the abysmal "movies" that Hollywood continues to pump out for the 14 to 19 year old demographic, no one would actually say they are something we can all thoroughly enjoy.
Hollywood died long ago when it was sold to the highest bidders, now, we're subject to "movies" that would have a hard time being done as a made for TV movie.
Sound in movies... much better than talking about actual movies.
Thank goodness this is a photography site.