Award winning sound designer Richard King is an American sound designer who was born in Los Angeles, California, USA and has worked on over 70 films. He has worked on films such as The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, War of the Worlds, and Master & Commander. He has received three Best Sound Editing Oscars, inducing Inception in 2010.
King likes the 'variety' of work that his role include, such as editing but also being on set and filming. Within this he also enjoys 'learning about things in the world that [he doesn't] know much about.
Interview with Richard King: http://soundworkscollection.com/soundlab/richard-king-being-a-feature-film-sound-designer
The Dark Knight Rises
The scene is the first of which when we meet batman. the non-diegetic music behind is extremely dramatic, had large bass tones, string instruments, is fast paced and almost has a tribal feel to it. This has been used to emphasise Batman's power while also putting the audience on edge with the discordant string instruments. This creates tension within the scene and leads to the audience becoming engaged.
The sound of sirens have been sonically exaggerated. This becomes confusing for the audience as Batman is trying to catch criminals, and being chased by the police himself. This emphasises the danger that Batman puts himself in, and therefore leads to the audience respecting and liking him. Thus engaging them and continuing to watch the film in order to find out if he is safe.
The sound of the man being flipped of his motorcycle is exaggerated. This is to show that he was in pain and fell very powerfully - therefore showing that Batman has a lot of power and is able to bring justice to Gotham. This leads to the audience trusting Batman as they know he can succeed.
The speech over the radio when the police officer states they 'lost him' illustrates that Batman has more power than the police and therefore the government. This indicates to the audience that he is extremely powerful and will make big changes to the city within the film. The radios also play as a sound bridge - they cross over onto shots that contain the police chase, this again emphasises his authority.
In this interview about the Dark Knight rises sound, Both Richard King and Hans Zimmer (composer) talk about how it was different from other films as the tow worked together very closely in order to achieve phenomonal sound. The had to ensure the sound was a 'continuation' of the previous two film's however it needed to develop in order to reach peach at the end of the film. They also worked very closer with director Christopher Nolan who had a 'blue print' for the whole film. They proposed ideas and worked as a team to create what Nolan had envisioned. On the other hand they didn't want to tell the audience 'how to feel' but instead 'open the door to the world' of Gotham. the whole team working on this film was in Zimmer's mind 'the best you could imagine' and consequentially this shows why the film is so effective a successful, in all aspects including sound.
Inception
Inception has been highly talked about for its great use of sound. In an interview with Richard King he talks about how he achieved this level of success. The main focus was the fact that the pitch was altered between the real world and dream world (levels). King did this to ensure the audience could establish the new location and the difference between the two.
Interview with Richard King: http://designingsound.org/2010/08/inception-exclusive-interview-with-richard-king/
When the man is found breaking into the safe the music becomes very quiet, high pitched and slow paced. This consists of string instruments as the notes are extremely long and therefore create tension. However this then changes as his 'dream secret' is revealed. The music becomes louder with a more dramatic feel. This puts the audience on edge as they now know he has been put in a lot more danger. Once the dream begins to collapse the music becomes even louder with large base tones and long notes. This is very dramatic and makes the audience feel as though something bad is about to happen. This means the audience become engaged as they want to see if the protagonist survives and if the antagonists are defeated.
The gun shot is sonically exaggerated. This is to show that the woman can inflict pain easily and therefore has a lot of power. This is unusual as the males are normally in control. However it also shows that she is an antagonist, this makes the audience dislike her and consequentially support the man.
When the walls and ceilings begin to collapse they become very loud. This is a metaphor for the dream collapsing, while the dream is also physically collapsing. It begins to indicate the audience that the plot is going to be extremely complex due to its plot flowing in and out of dreams. It also shows that the characters and the protagonist are in a lot of danger. This makes the protagonist seem brave and 'amazing' when he manages to escape and survive. Therefore leading to the audience either admiring or wanting to be him.
The exaggerated sound of the two envelopes being ripped open shows the play huge role within the scene. It also creates mystery as the audience do not know what is in the envelope but do know it is of importance. This creates mystery which is a common convention of thrillers and leads to the audience becoming engaged as they are eager to find out more.
Silence is used effectively within this when the protagonist is '[dunked]' to wake him up. This has been done to emphasise how important it is for him to wake up. The silence is within the dream world and real world, this creates a clear connection between the two. It also allows the audience to predict what is going to happen as it is paired with slow motion - As he is put under water, the dream world is also put under water. This is paired with a close up of him which furthers the emphasis of the connection between the two worlds.
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