Sound For Multimedia

Draft 1

Yulia Rudenko
03/13/2012
Soundscape for Night of the Living Dead

Soundscape

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film over again. I forgot that I had been annoyed by many of the sound choices made in this production and only realized it while watching it for sound analysis. I chose the scene just after Ben shoots Mrs. Cooper in the head in the basement. The scene is rather ominous and much of the action is only to depict mood. The transition cut from the basement into the daylight is rather abrupt and marked by birds chirping — A welcome addition to my ears after the gnarly moanings of zombies and the incessant clatter of wood that dominates the preceding minutes. See link below.

Grabe_Night_of_the_Living_Dead_Soundscape

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eringrabe

Night of the living dead

The WRS music library was used in the film ‘The Hideous Sun Demon’ as well as ‘Night of the Living Dead.’ Although they are both sic-fi films ‘The Hideous Sun Demon’ has many more scenes that call for music that is not as dark and suspenseful as the music that is used through out ‘Night of the Living Dead.’ Vehicle sounds are particularly similar, although this may just be the recording techniques of the time that makes the sounds sound similar, I figured it should be noted.

1:31:23, Score music
1:31:36, Dogs bark in background.

1:31:43, Dogs bark in foreground, buzzing of a vehicle, probably a helicopter.

1:31:50, Handgun shot fired in foreground.
1:31:51, Handgun shot fired in foreground.
1:31:53, 2 Handgun shots in quick succession fired in background.

1:31:57, Car motor rattling as it approaches.
1:32:03, ‘they need you down there by the barn.’
1:32:06, ‘OK.’
1:32:07, Engine revving.
1:32:09, ‘Some of you guys can follow the wagon down I
only need a few men to check out the house..’
1:32:14, Footsteps, Police siren begins in background
1:32:17, ‘Somebody had a cookout in here Vince.’
1:32:19, ‘Yeah sure looks like it Carl,’ Police siren comes to foreground.

1:32:23, Police siren goes to background.
1:32:28, Stairs squeak.
1:32:32, Rustling.
1:32:34, 2 gunshots in quick succession.
1:32:35, 2 gunshots in quick succession.
1:32:37, multiple shots.

1:32:43, stairs creaking.
1:32:50, removing wooden door brace.

1:32:55, multiple shots.
1:33:00, ‘He’s a dead one. Get up here!..’

1:33:09, creaks from door and floor leaving cellar.

1:33:00,  ‘You, drag that out of here and throw it on the fire..’
1:33:34,  ‘Alright Vince, hit him in the head right between the eyes.’
1:33:36,  Gunshot.
1:33:37,  Sound of him collapsing to the floor.
1:33:39,  Discharges ammunition.
1:33:40,  ‘Good shot.’

Yulia Rudenko
Sound for Multimedia 3390
03/08/2012

EDL of chase scene from Night of the Living Dead

Time-Sound-Description

7:24-Rustling leaves(dark music plays in background)-Barbra runs barefoot through field

7:30-Rustling leaves-Zombie thrashes through trees after Barbra

7:34-Rustling leaves-Barbra trips and falls on ground

7:42-Clicking-Barbra reaches car and opens door to get inside

7:45-Slam-Barbra shuts car door

7:51-Click-Barbra locks car door

7:54-Clicking,thudding,slamming-Zombie tries to pry open car door

8:17-Crack-Zombie hits car window with brick

8:19-Crack-Zombie hits car window with brick again

8:20-Glass shattering-Zombie breaks car window with brick

8:21-High pitched scream-Barbra screams in terror

8:25-Scream-Barbra screams as zombie tries climbing in

8:28-Low click/thud-Barbra releases the emergency break in car

8:47-Shuffling/rustling leaves-Zombie chases after rolling car

8:56-Scraping/crashing-Barbra sideswipes a tree with the car

9:00-Thunder crashing-Zombie is approaching the car wreck

9:22-Thunder crashes softer this time-Barbra is running away

9:31-Thunder crashes heavily-Zombie is still after Barbra running through woods

I am going to attempt to post the PDF (Grabe_D.O.A._Soundscape) of my D.O.A. Sound Cue Assignement. If this doesn’t work I will try again. You should be able to click the link for access.

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Erin Grabe

Some of the music from George A. Romero’s classic “night of the Living dead” can also be seen in other places. For example, the music that plays during the opening scene in the cemetery, where Barbara is fleeing from the zombie, is also used in the final episode of a television show called “The Fugitive”. This happens toward the end when the two men are fighting on top of a water tower. These two uses are similar because they both take place during a suspenseful situation.