Sound Design

In this master thesis the author explores the development of sound design from beginning of sound film until now. The paper explains the vocabulary of sound techniques, standards and devices. It describes sound design in Hollywood films by outstanding examples from prominent sound designers. The thesis links the achievement of the sound designers to the state of the art. The study depicts the interaction between technical possibilities and high demands of audiences. It gives insight into film sound history, explains the production process of film sound in detail and defines the work of a sound designer. Furthermore it contributes to the ongoing academic discussion of film sound, which was coined by researchers such as Chion, Flueckiger, Sonnenschein and Whittington. The author thoroughly analyzes key scenes by successful sound designers and illustrates with the use of examples such as King Kong (1933), Once Upon a Time in the West (1969), Terminator 2 (1991), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and King Kong (2005) amongst many others, the technical and aesthetical progress of sound design and its influence on contemporary Hollywood films. ...