Did you hear that?

June 17, 2018 • Carol Tenwalde

I have exceptional hearing!!!

This is a funny story I'll bet you can relate to. When we moved into our desert home my husband said he thought I needed to have my hearing checked. SERIOUSLY? You can imagine how this conversation continued. So I made an appt. and dragged him along as he would never believe me. During the exam the doc is mumbling to herself and I started to panic even though I knew I could hear perfectly. After the exam she asked if I wanted the hubby to hear (ha, ha) the results. Of course, I said bravely.

This was a moment from Central Casting. Dramatically she pauses, clears her throat and announces, your Wife has EXCEPTIONAL hearing. Not just for her age but in general. Whew! Will be serving hubby crow for dinner maybe with a tasty Chianti!!

So, Carol Ann, what is this all about? Recently I visited a Sound Museum and got reacquainted with the Foley Artists. These are the amazing artists that provide all of the sound effects for movies. Here is an excerpt:

IN ONE OF THE FINAL scenes of James Cameron’s Titanic, Rose (played by Kate Winslet) clings to a floating headboard, a piece of debris from the shipwreck that claimed over 1500 lives. A delirious Rose, adrift in the freezing ocean, sees a rescue team in the distance and moves her head. As she lifts her frozen hair off the wood, it crackles audibly.

But Rose’s hair never actually crackled, and the sound wasn’t made by hair at all: It was the sound of frozen lettuce being peeled by Foley artists in a studio. While subtle to the ear, and almost unnoticeable amidst the dialogue, score, and other sound effects, the crackle is critical to amplifying the scene’s drama.