The concept of painting with sound

The concept that Walter Murch discusses raises some important questions regarding the senses. Most of us are very visual/hands-on learners, which is probably what lead us into film studies. Murch personifies sound describing our experience in the womb, using words that create a vivid mental concept for the reader, allowing us to feel the vibrations of sound such as a mother's voice, her breathing, and her heart. This lasted for about 4 months before we were born, surely having an immense impact on us, yet always taken for granted. Sitting quietly and listening intently with my eyes closed is something I rarely do, it is almost uncomfortable to not be able to see everything sometimes. During these sound exercises it was rewarding to not only hear, but to listen to sounds and how they can function alone. Sound is normally synchronized to match the picture in films as an aid to the cinematography. In student films (as observed in production 201) sound is one of the last things that we take into consideration. I quickly realized that recording and sound mixing was a very difficult and tedious task, and when it was not well done the images suffered. Audiences are distracted when the sound isn't realistic, the microphone wasn't skillfully placed, or the levels aren't correct. If the sounds such as music and effects are original, the film's picture will be enhanced as well. Discovering how to be better listeners will inevitably turn us into better filmmakers.