"I was tasked with designing the communication system for Brad Pitt's spacesuit in "Ad Astra". A Sound Mixer told me to sweep the gravel of Western Town for a walk-and-talk dolly shot between two cowboys because it made too much noise under their boots. Another Mixer asked me to walk up 78 stairs to the top of a stage at night to find a cricket that was chirping - and then spray him with hairspray so his legs would stick together and not chirp. When I was booming a scene of an actress milking a cow, the cow peed on camera - and me! And I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything, because I love making movies!" Patrushkha Mierzwa, authorThis book illustrates the job of The Utility Sound Technician (UST), a career almost invisible, yet extremely interesting and exciting - and paying a high five figures a year. Ms. Mierzwa's book creates a process that has heretofore been non-existent, relying upon on-the-job training. The book identifies traits and characteristics of successful USTs and details the myriad responsibilities in pre-production and production. Special features include standardized forms and addressing scene elements that could take a lifetime to experience and learn from. Ms. Mierzwa takes you from the first work call to the final wrap, explaining the order of the work and the details that experience can provide, so you don't make mistakes that can sabotage your career before it's even started. More than the tasks and importance of preparation, you'll learn about the social dynamics of a set and why you can know a lot about film but not be able to sustain a career.Target market: Film school students or graduates, people considering sound as a career in movies & television, any working professionals who are curious about how to get better at their jobs, people who enjoy an inside look at the practical business of movie-making.

This book traces the full history of noise in and around cars, shows how we created auditory privacy in our cars, even though they were highly noisy things at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is about the sounds of car engines, tires, wipers, blinkers, warning signals, in-car audio systems and, ultimately, about how we became used to listen while driving.

Sound has always been an integral component of the moviegoing experience. Even during the so-called “silent era,” motion pictures were regularly accompanied by live music, lectures, and sound effects. Today, whether we listen to movies in booming Dolby theaters or on tiny laptop speakers, sonic elements hold our attention and guide our emotional responses. Yet few of us are fully aware of the tremendous collaborative work, involving both artistry and technical wizardry, required to create that cinematic soundscape. Sound, the latest book in the Behind the Silver Screen series, introduces key concepts, seminal moments, and pivotal figures in the development of cinematic sound. Each of the book’s six chapters cover a different era in the history of Hollywood, from silent films to the digital age, and each is written by an expert in that period. Together, the book’s contributors are able to explore a remarkable range of past and present film industry practices, from the hiring of elocution coaches to the marketing of soundtrack records. Not only does the collection highlight the achievements of renowned sound designers and film composers like Ben Burtt and John Williams, it also honors the unsung workers whose inventions, artistry, and performances have shaped the soundscapes of many notable movies. After you read Sound, you’ll never see—or hear—movies in quite the same way. Sound is a volume in the Behind the Silver Screen series—other titles in the series include Acting; Animation; Art Direction and Production Design; Cinematography; Costume, Makeup, and Hair; Directing; Editing and Special Visual Effects; Producing; and Screenwriting.

After their parents are declared dead, Leo and his brother Hollis are taken in by a wealthy but distant step-uncle, and when, on his thirteenth birthday, Leo acquires the ability to hear sounds from the past when touching certain objects, he tries to use the skill to rescue a dolphin, whatever the cost.

"Do you have a favorite sound?" little Yoshio asks. The musician answers, "The most beautiful sound is the sound of ma, of silence." But Yoshio lives in Tokyo, Japan: a giant, noisy, busy city. He hears shoes squishing through puddles, trains whooshing, cars beeping, and families laughing. Tokyo is like a symphony hall! Where is silence? Join Yoshio on his journey through the hustle and bustle of the city to find the most beautiful sound of all.

Experience the sights and sounds of 1930s Brooklyn and Coney Island through the eyes—and ears—of a hearing boy and his deaf parents. A Brooklyn family takes an outing to Coney Island, where they enjoy the rides, the food, and the sights. The father longs to know how everything sounds. Though his son does his best to interpret their noisy surroundings through sign language, he struggles to convey the subtle differences between the "loud" of the ocean and the "loud" of a roller coaster. When the family drops in at the library after dinner, the boy makes a discovery. Perhaps the words he needs are within reach, after all. Myron Uhlberg's story, based on his own childhood experiences, covers the almost unique topic within children's books of children raised by deaf parents. Ted Papoulas beautifully and sensitively portrays the family's day and brings the whole experience to life for readers.

Leading with Sound is the must-have companion guide to working on video game projects. Focused on the creative, collaborative, philosophical and organizational skills behind game sound and eschewing the technical, this book celebrates the subjects most essential to leading with sound in video game development at any level. Refuting the traditional optics of sound as a service in favour of sound as a pro-active visionary department, , this book examines each of the four food-groups of dialogue, sound design, music and mix, not through the usual technical and production lenses of ‘how’ and ‘when’, but the essential lens of ‘why’ that enables leadership with sound. Leading with Sound is essential reading for aspiring sound designers, inside and outside of the classroom, as well as experienced professionals in the game industry.