As I was doing research about our readings I found information about the development of sound to film which was interesting. Synchronization made sound in film possible. In America the first sound film The Jazz Singer(1929) leading to the term talkies, or talking pictures. Many people were weary but this, but it was a major step in the development of studios. When sound was developing there were three things they were fighting. Synchronization, playback volume, and recording fidelity. Synchronization in film is setting the film and the sound together properly so that they coin-side with each other since sound and film was recorded separately. Playback volume to larger audiences was a challenge because of amplification and large crowed areas. Finally recording fidelity, because of low recording quality it was hard to get a constant level throughout an entire picture. They even used acoustic horns to record, which if the actors had to stand there and do all the talking then that put great limits on the kinds of pictures they could make then. While reading about Yevgeny Bauer, I was intrigued about set designers and how sound and sets worked together. A sound stage is a soundproof, hanger-like structure, building or room, used for the production of theatrical motion pictures and television shows, usually inside a movie studio(absoluteastronomy.com). Today we have technology that allows us to overdub sound, which is recording over an existing recording. This is often used in music production. While techniques were developing the use of microphones for film, hiding mics in plants and lamp shades was an adaptation of sorts. Yevgeny Bauer a Russian set designer and director among other things gave much to the film world. He was the son of a musician and singer. He helped develop a list of things including montage, mise-en-scene, lighting, editing, the use of angle, spaces and framing.
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Sound_stage
Trista, I appreciated reading your lucid summary of the problems that "talkies" had to overcome. I am sure that as a musician, you are keenly aware of the importance of sound in cinema. I was also happy to read about your excitement and interest in the work of Bauer who, as you wrote, was a great innovator and very important figure in cinema's history.
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