Movie Selection

Arrival

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Denis Villeneuve is a Canadian screenwriter and director known for his outstanding achievements in film. He was born on October 3, 1967, in Quebec, Canada. Lauded for his thoughtful directorial style and treatment of complex themes, Villeneuve’s filmography spans a variety of genres, including psychological drama, science fiction, war, crime, and thriller.

His representative works include “August 32nd on Earth” 1998, “Maelström” 2000, “Sicario” 2015, “Arrival” 2016, “Blade Runner 2049” 2017, “Dune” 2021.

Years: 2016

Type: science fiction movie

Plot:

Twelve sudden UFOs appeared and stationed themselves at various locations around the Earth, sparking international panic and unease. The United States government decided to dispatch a team led by linguist Louise Banks and physicist Ian Donnelly to make contact and communicate with these extraterrestrial beings. Their mission was to decipher the language and intentions of the extraterrestrial life forms to understand why they had come to Earth.

As time passed, Louise Banks and Ian Donnelly began to establish a connection with the extraterrestrial beings, referred to as ‘Heptapods,’ who possessed an extremely intricate language and writing system that was vastly different from human languages.

Through multiple encounters, Louise discovered that the extraterrestrials used a highly unique circular form of writing and gradually unraveled its mysteries. As the true purpose of the extraterrestrial visit remained uncertain, China, Russia, and three other nations decided to initiate an attack on the extraterrestrials. In response, the United States decided to abandon the research and evacuate all personnel. At this critical moment, Louise Banks finally understood the aliens’ intentions. Using the special ‘weapon’ given to her by the extraterrestrials, she single-handedly changed the course of the future.

The film delves into the personal life events of Louise Banks, particularly her daughter Hannah’s illness and death, in the context of her interactions with the Heptapods, highlighting the complexity of time and memory. Louise’s comprehension of the extraterrestrial language also enabled her to foresee a global crisis.

Ultimately, by deciphering the enigma of the Heptapods’ language, Louise Banks revealed the true purpose of the extraterrestrial beings’ visit to Earth and how to avert a global catastrophe.

Pictures:

Why I choice this movie:

I chose this movie clip because I have a great passion for science fiction films, especially those involving outer space and extraterrestrial themes. They provide me with more room for imagination and creativity. In this particular scene, besides the (somewhat gravity-altered) footsteps, there are foley sounds like birdcage birds, light sabers, in addition to machine sounds, environmental noise, alien beings, and atmospheric mood-setting sounds. I believe it’s a very rich segment where in the process of sound design, it’s essential to make the audience feel the creativity behind the sound. Properly adding effects to make the sound more realistic is crucial, and environmental ambiance sound effects should help enhance the atmosphere and evoke emotions, which can be quite challenging.

Movie clip:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tQZz_F_2rk-NRSRygjAIV3cZOUevYdVR/view?usp=sharing

Sound analysis

0m0s-3s Indoors: Footsteps, footsteps with protective clothing (friction), pulling rain cover.

0m3s-30s Outdoors: Helicopter fan noise, footsteps (rapid, from close to far), female protagonist’s footsteps (protective clothing friction).

0m30s: Placing the box in the car.

0m31s: Sitting down, protective clothing friction. 0m33s: Hand pressing on protective clothing.

0m36s-41s: Driving, transitioning from right channel to left channel.

0m41s: Introducing background music, reducing car noise, setting a tense background music tone.

0m47s: Adding heavy breathing sounds (through protective clothing) + car driving noise (a little).

0m58s-1m06s: Camera pans towards a massive alien base, gradually descending, music undergoes slight changes.

1m06s-1m12s: Convoy appears, car noise fades in, music weakens by the 12-second mark, car noise volume increases.

1m18s-1m26s: Female protagonist panting + clothing friction (slight).

1m26s-1m31s: Arrival at the alien base, introducing a heavy beat to the music.

1m31s-1m36s: Footsteps from close to far, transitioning from right channel to left channel, someone getting off a vehicle in the distance, possibly with some sound of stepping on a car board (metal or plastic?).

1m34s: A person passing in front of the camera.

1m34s-1m42s: Female protagonist’s footsteps on the car, getting off the car to the ground, sound of someone pulling her clothing.

1m42s-1m50s: Footsteps from different distances.

1m50s-1m51s: Long shot, music continues.

2m: Music changes, increasing tension.

2m08s: Elevator starts to ascend.

2m13s: Close-up of a person’s face, a bit of breathing sound, slight clothing friction when the person looks up, music gradually transforms into low-frequency ambient sound, creating a high-pressure atmosphere.

2m08s-2m25s: Background noise of the elevator, adjusting sound based on camera position.

2m28s-2m40s: Raising a hand to touch the wall.

2m45s: Female protagonist’s breathing sound, adding breathing sound during the close-up of her face.

2m25s-3m30s: The elevator is moving forward, adding noise as necessary, and adding breathing sound during the close-up of the person’s face.

3m30s: The elevator continues to ascend.

3m34s: The camera angle transitions to an overhead view of the alien base elevator, the elevator is ascending with a heavy reverb.

3m52s50ms-3m59s50ms: Looking up at the alien base, music with a heavier beat.

3m59s50ms-4m05s: Electronic equipment malfunctions.

4m05s-4m07s: Shutdown button.

End

(The above content may be modified as appropriate during the actual work process.)

Music

In terms of music, I have created many synthesizers using Pure Data and the mobile music platform. I am still learning, and I want to use the synthesizers I’ve made with Pure Data to create the ambient background music for a film. I will showcase the synthesizers I’ve created with Pure Data below.