As tension builds in the film, the closeups of caul become increasingly claustrophobic. The use of sound in coppolas the conversation 123 help me. In an interview with film sound, murch discusses the relationship between image and sound onscreen. Francis ford coppolas the conversation is a masterclass in sound design. And i thought, wow, thats a great motif for a filmand it started there, around 1966. The conversation francis ford coppola scene analysis the opening scene in francis ford coppolas the conversation sets up the themes and underlines the dramatic tension of the film. Like that film, a possible witness to a criminal act ends up questioning reality because of the technology thats allowed him to see what hes seen, or in the case of the conversation, heard. This type of editing is most common in how the audience hears film characters speech. All students to be able to analyse how elements of sound create meaning for the audience in. Oct 29, 2012 below is a scene from the film, which i will analyse and discuss.
His grayish rain slicker rustles as he is led by the directors conniving assistant, martin. The conspiracy thriller is an effective character study that exposes the emerging conscience of an estranged eavesdropper whose work once resulted in the death of three people. Stream tracks and playlists from film comment on your desktop or mobile device. Film analysis on the conversation 1974 lecture 2, week. Michel chion calls such a technique where sound conveys the feelings associated with the situation rendering, a strategy that the conversation employs throughout the film 109. The story of a sound man working on a sleazy exploitation horror, who accidentally catches a recording of what his gut is telling him is a coveredup murder, offers the star of pulp fiction and grease an opportunity to shine in.
The conversation, a film by legendary director francis ford coppola focuses on harry caul gene hackman, a surveillance expert hired by an executive robert duvall to record his wifes conversations with her possible lover. May 25, 2015 film, film music and sound the female voice in subversive soundtracks of the counterculture era. Us cable channel amc is looking to develop a tv series based on francis ford coppolas 1974 movie the conversation. While the conversation was released two months before nixon officially resigned, and coppola had written the outline for the film before nixon was even elected, the parallels between coppolas surveillance story and the scandal on the news are marked. A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered. What is particularly unique about the conversation s score is the input of sound designer and film editor, walter murch, whom had previously worked with coppola on the godfather. Reverb in the real scenes is left natural but as the characters go further down into the layers of. Harry acts as a film editor, marrying image track to sound track to produce a coherent story. So called writing in light, photographed images, whether liveaction or cell animation, need illumination.
Mar 10, 2012 the conversation builds a psychological profile that allows us to understand the important aspects of cauls ocpd, but, more importantly, the film portrays cauls moral agency as authentic, and his interpretation and evaluation of these events real. Released in 1974, during the middle of the watergate scandal, its artful depiction of paranoia and fear in the face of improved surveillance techniques struck a. As harry caul stumbles around his hotel room after hearing the apparent murder of ann, a. The scene begins high above union square in san francisco and by the time it ends, nearly three minutes later, the opening shot of francis ford coppolas 1974 film, the conversation, will hone in on one asyetunidentified man caul. We, the viewer are invited to eavesdrop with harry and his assistant stan played wonderfully by john cazale the godfather, the deer hunter, and participate in the films central theme. Why the conversation should be required viewing at the nsa. Made between the godfather 1972 and the godfather part ii 1974, and in part a homage to michelangelo antonionis artmovie classic blowup 1966, the conversation was a. The power of sound and editing the conversation and psycho. Nov 17, 2009 the power of sound and editing the conversation and psycho wael khairy film analysis, film theory november 17, 2009 march 11, 2010 5 minutes gene hackman in the conversation. Doc the power of sound in the conversation cassandra m. The conversation that the film is based on is set up so well all threw out the film. No more questions introduces what will later become amys theme, a sad and undulating chromatic piece underscoring harry cauls inability to. Film analysis on the conversation 1974 lecture 2, week 3.
He is renowned within the profession as being the best, one who designs and constructs his own surveillance equipment. It must show a comprehensive understanding of sound to picture techniques diegetic, synchronous, contrapuntal, subtextual and pov sound particularly in horror films. Hackman is such a fine actor in so many different roles, from his action roles like. Below is a scene from the film, which i will analyse and discuss. Coaxing clarity from distorted sound distortions produced by the radio mikes used in the films production, and brilliantly edited by walter murch.
Their circuitous route and the noisy public space complicate the assignment, and harry must use three simultaneous tapes, each of which captures only a portion of the. The idea of having the ability to record any conversation between two individuals without them notice it is terrifying, yet very. The film also makes great use of sound as a tensioncreating device. The conversation features a piano score composed and performed by david shire. Ca began with a focus on casual conversation, but its methods were subsequently adapted to embrace more task and institutioncentered interactions, such as those. Sep 24, 2014 lighting is a fundamental property of cinema. Throughout the film, the theme is modified depending on the situation onscreen, particularly as harrys mental state worsens. Made between the godfather 1972 and the godfather part ii 1974, and in part a homage to michelangelo antonionis artmovie classic blowup 1966, the conversation was a return to smallscale. Sound in the conversation welcome to my discovery of film. Caul is a man in the business of eavesdropping, or searching for illicit sound.
Lesson objectives all students to be able to explain diegetic and non diegetic sound with examples. Pakulas crime thriller, klute 1971, something occurred at the back of my mind that connected the film with a number of others. Sound perspective refers to the apparent distance of a sound source, evidenced by its volume, timbre, and pitch. How does the conversation use cinematography and sound design to evoke paranoia. It also famously includes one specially daring bit of editorial sleight of hand, which will be the primary focus of the present analysis. For conversation analysts, conversation is the main way in which people come together, exchange information, negotiate and maintain social relations discourse analysis. And like the film viewer, harry fills in narrative gaps and ambiguities, supplementing what is visible and audible with what he believes to be the truth. Sure, the conversation is a commentary on cinema, but also on the way curiosity leads us to plug gaps with the wrong colour. At its basic form, however, the conversation is a film that carefully follows a man who is curiously trapped within his own secretive existence of solitude. Not only does the soundtrack change along with the dreams, but the ambient sounds and foley change as well. Also, any film on the list is fair gameyou simply need to own, rent, or borrow the film.
Elements such as overlapping dialogue, manipulating volume, using silence, extracting and adding sounds, and off screen sounds are just a few of the procedures and aspects that the sound editor has to have in mind. The conversation is one of the best movies i have ever seen. Listening to coppolas the conversation film identity theory. Without a doubt, he misreads the intent of the couples conversation, but it is his. While the scene may cut from a long shot of a conversation to a medium shot of the two characters to closeup shot reserveshot pairing, the. What is particularly unique about the conversations score is the input of sound designer and film editor, walter murch, whom had previously worked with coppola on the godfather. The music used in a film, whether composed specifically for it or preexisting, goes a great length to set the mood. Sound news, research and analysis the conversation. Most films of the genre preach to the converted, entertainingly boosting.
The conversation is one of francis ford coppolas lesser known films, but it is also considered one of his best. Made between the godfather 1972 and the godfather part ii 1974, and in part an homage to michelangelo antonionis artmovie classic blowup 1966, the conversation was a return to smallscale art films for francis ford coppola. In francis ford coppolas the conversation, the subject of sound is the main focus of the plot. In this essay i wish to explore how the conversations use of sound design has.
Sep 21, 2014 the conversation is one of the best movies i have ever seen. On some cues, shire used musique concrete techniques, taking the taped sounds of the piano and distorting them in different ways to create alternative tonalities to round out the score. Filmmaker francis ford coppola talks about the evolution of movie sound. In the conversation specifically, the background music of most times is a few drops of piano sound, belongs to american jazz style. This film heavily reminded me of the movie hail caesar.
The disc opens with the theme from the conversation, a bold statement of the central musical ideas in the picture and a fitting overture that does not appear in the film, but is quite welcome here. All students to be able to analyse how elements of sound create meaning for the audience in a short film clip. The conspiracy thriller is an effective character study that exposes the emerging. Browse sound news, research and analysis from the conversation. Whats a good film to analysis in terms of sound design. In san francisco, renowned surveillance expert harry caul and his recording engineers, stan and paul, tape the conversation of mark and ann as they walk through busy union square. Nov 04, 2009 the conversation francis ford coppola scene analysis the opening scene in francis ford coppolas the conversation sets up the themes and underlines the dramatic tension of the film. Ca originated as a sociological method, but has since spread to other fields. Sound has a great power but it is a conditional power. Robert duvall, who appeared in the godfather and coppolas apocalypse now, appears in an uncredited cameo. For his work in the conversation, murch was nominated for an academy award for best sound, and many critics regard the 1974 thriller as murchs film much as it is coppolas.
I need to write a 3 page essay analysing the films sound design in terms of amplifying the narrative. S model of examination observation, analysis, reflection, synthesis, which has been practiced in the discussion boards, and which has been repeatedly modeled in the lessons of this course. Just as harry uses sound as a means of gathering information about his subjects, the film uses sounds as a means of cueing specific emotions in the mind of the. With gene hackman, john cazale, allen garfield, frederic forrest. How does the conversation use cinematography and sound. In contemporary times, people became more and more rely on the different sound effects in films, and most of the time the audience will find a film too plain without the excellent sound effect like background music.
The pivotal point in the film is when harry, while listening to recordings of the couple. The conversation comes from another time and place than todays thrillers, which are so often simpleminded. In the time since, the film has enjoyed a revived critical life, for many critics have contextualized this film as a watergateera thriller in which a surveillance. This movie is a sadly observant character study, about a man who has removed himself from life, thinks he can observe it dispassionately at an electronic remove, and finds that all of his barriers are worthless. Leitmotif a recurring musical passage used to characterize a scene, character, or situation in a film narrative. Founded in 1962, film comment has been the home of independent film journalism for over 50 years, publishing indepth interviews, critical analysis, and feature coverage of mainstream, arthouse, and. Sure, the conversation is a commentary on cinema, but also on the way curiosity leads us to plug gaps with the. A key issue in conversation analysis, says brian partridge, is the view of ordinary conversation as the most basic form of talk. The conversation 1974 rotten tomatoes movie trailers.
The movie won the cannes film festival palme dor and received a best picture oscar nomination. Coppola stated that he actually wrote many scenes to be soundoriented. Chapter 6 sound the conversation flashcards quizlet. Dec 15, 2015 in the 4th episode of this video essay series i breakdown the opening sequence from francis ford coppolas the conversation. Francis ford coppolas the conversation opened to critical ambivalence in 1974, with vincent canby and john simon dismissing the film while stanley kauffmann and pauline kael reserved more praise for coppola than the film itself. Valerie and her week of wonders 1970 duality through sound and vision part 4. He is a san franciscobased electronic surveillance expert who owns and operates his own small surveillance business. The conversation 1974 is the slowlygripping, bleak study of electronic surveillance and threat of new technologies that is examined through the private, internalized life of a lonely and detached expert bugger. Whilst this essay has attempted to be as detailed as possible in its readings of valerie and her week of wonders, theres little doubt that covering every. Released in 1974, during the middle of the watergate scandal, its artful depiction of paranoia and fear in the face of improved surveillance techniques struck a chord with audiences. Francis ford coppolas 1974 classic is an ingenious, meticulous examination into the nature of voyeurism, as well as a harsh criticism of the deceitful morality of privacy.
This was mainly due to the fact that in both movies, the. It must show a comprehensive understanding of sound to picture techniques diegetic, synchronous, contrapuntal, subtextual and. Conversation analysis begins by setting up a problem connected with a preliminary hypothesis. That means the sound is already there in diegesis but is replaced by a clearer recording of the sound, to emphasize on and exaggerate the effect of the sound. Growing out of harold garfinkels ethnomethodological studies garfinkel, 1967 this was an approach that studied ordinary methods that are. For the first third of the film, the crucial snippet is indecipherable.
The question we are left with in the conversation is whether harry will survive or crumble under the resulting despair. The power of sound in the conversation the conversation, directed by. The data used in ca is in the form of video or audiorecorded conversations, collected with or without researchers involvement, typically from a video camera or other recording device in the space where the conversation takes place e. Francis ford coppolas the conversation is a masterclass in. Sound news, research and analysis the conversation page 1. The conversation tells the story of a surveillance expert working on a particularly difficult piece of audio reconstruction. Gene hackman, john cazale, allen garfield, frederic forrest, cindy williams, harrison ford i dont have anything personal, says harry. This movie is a sadly observant character study, about a man who has removed himself from life, thinks he can observe it dispassionately at an electronic. The very first shot in the film is an astonishing threeminute long take. The sound design of the conversation achieves the film s delicate balance between a psychological thriller and an indepth character study. In the afternoon, harry walks into the cold, gray concrete reception lobby of the anonymous, corporate offices of the director for his twothirty appointment he protectively clutches his blue vinyl pouch. Conversation analysis ca is an approach to the study of social interaction, embracing both verbal and nonverbal conduct, in situations of everyday life. The asynchronous ambulance siren underscores the psychic injury incurred in the argument.
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