Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1353865
back of your neck! The Narrative sound area is concerned with sounds that are used to communicate meaning or insight. Dialogue and commentary are important examples of this area in the sound mix, but it may also include certain diegetic music, as well as symbolic and signalling sounds such as the ringtone of a telephone, ambulance sirens and so on, as their meaning is clearly defined, almost like a language. The Abstract sound area is concerned with sounds that are less codified in their meaning, such as atmospheres, backgrounds, room tones and synchronous and non-synchronous sound effects; as well as abstract diegetic music, where the music is being used as an emotive, atmospheric device rather than for signalling something specific. The Temporal sound area is concerned with the temporal evolution of the soundtrack, through rhythm, pace and punctuation, such as the non-diegetic music score or a specific sound design element with a strong rhythm, and it is characterised and contrasted by the difference between high rhythm, fast pace, high structure and, conversely, slow pace, loose structure. and low rhythm. The Spatial sound area is concerned with both the positioning of sounds within the sound-field of film and television programmes, and the space placed specifically around the presented sound: from the convention of on-screen, front Centre-focussed monophonic dialogue, the front Left-Right stereophonic imaging of events to the left or right of the projected image, through to enveloping atmospheres placed in the surround channels, or specific out-of- vision sound effects, spot effects or dialogue, behind or above the audience. Music neatly takes its place in whichever sound area is the score's primary function. Utilising the book's unique 'Mix Wheel,' a visual aid of 20 emotional terms (based on the Geneva Emotion Wheel), and its companion 'Mix Disc,' another visual aid with four coloured quadrants, it is possible to identify and communicate where in the emotional spectrum a particular scene is intended to sit by a re- recording mixer when considering the balance of which sounds of the Four Sound Areas should be prominent in the mix—or in the case of a sound editor building a soundtrack, what types of sounds need to be present—a soundtrack strategy can be established. Using the framework also means that the sound department can become involved much earlier in the post- production process, perhaps working with the picture department and the director on the first cut; instead of the usual 'spotting session,' which traditionally happens much later in the process. The book also offers practical examples of how the Four Sound Areas can be heard at work, by using the framework to reveal the way that the soundtracks are constructed on films like Ingmar Bergman's Winter Light, a monophonic, art house film from 1963; Francis Ford Coppola's pioneering surround sound epic, Apocalypse Now; as well as Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, and Lars von Trier's Dogville. I have also offered insight into my own work as a sound designer and re- recording mixer using the Four Sound Areas, with analysis of three of my own feature films, as well as detailed notes on me sound designing and mixing for sports outside broadcasts. Do you think this concept of the Four Sound Areas framework has lent its way to creative sound design in the modern world? I think that the Four Sound Areas framework is completely relevant to the modern world of sound design, not least of all by virtue of it being platform agnostic—it works just as well whatever editing system you're working on, whether its Pro Tools, Fairlight, Avid, or Final Cut, etc.; and importantly, it's also playback agnostic—the sound design concepts that are planned for a soundtrack using the Four Sound Areas principles can incorporate and hold good for mono, stereo, 5.1, 7.1, 9.1, or Atmos presentations. At its simplest, the Four Sound Areas is a concept that is all about helping both new and experienced sound editors, picture editors, and directors to organise and shape their approach to the planning, application, and execution of sound design; aiding the communication between sound and non-sound professionals by providing a common language; and then creating a visual reference. Which means that the ideas for sound on any production can be discussed way before sound would normally come onto a project and these ideas