Week3 - Audio Arts - Sound/Music Devices

To explore the devices that allow for good sound/music design in a scene I have selected the penultimate scene (scene 50) of the movie Heat directed by Michael Mann. This is a tense scene and I am trying very hard not to give any spoilers.


Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are in a stand-off in the fields of the Los Angeles airport. The scene is rare in that there is initially no music. Most of the movie has a variety of music propelling the action. Guns are drawn and it is like a game of cat a mouse. De Niro makes his entrance to the scene first where there are the sounds of his movements and breathing. The wind is howling and other nighttime noises are heard. The scene is quiet yet very loud. There are big crescendos of sound when airplanes arrive and depart the airport. I like the contrast in the sounds. Pacino makes his entrance to the scene and the sonic environment is now identical to that of De Niro's entrance, which I think is super. There is so much sound written into the drama. The crescendos of the airplanes are critical to the drama. The scene is reasonably dark, but is intermittently lit up by approaching airplanes. The music finally begins after about two minutes of scene setting. There is no dialogue and is a great sound environment. One final plane lights up the scene and powerful gun shots are made.

I think this scene and much of the movie uses incredible sound and music design. I don't think that I have given too much away. The soundtrack of the movie is fantastic, but I could not locate the piece of music that was used in this scene on the soundtrack.