Film Sound Effects

Film sound effects are sounds that are either created artificially or enhanced using special equipment or software.

In movies or television a sound effect is any sound that is recorded in order to make a special moment in the flow of images without using any dialogue or music.

Sound effects may also be used to refer to the process that is applied to a recording though not applicable to the recording itself.

Music and dialogue are never included in the definition of sound effects though they may have effects like flanging or reverberation added to them.

In movies and television the term "sound effects" refers to many different types of sounds that include the following.

· Hard sound effects are commonly heard sounds like the closing of doors, weapon firing, vehicle sounds, and so on.

· Background sound effects are typically used as ambient sound effects. Examples are the background of a rainforest or crickets chirping at night or the sound of ceiling fans. The hum of conversation in public places is also considered background.

· Foley sound effects are coordinated sound effects. For example the sound of feet when walking must be in sync with the walk. Same goes for the rustling of fabrics and so on.

· Design sound effects are those that do not occur naturally or are impossible to record. Futuristic sounds are typical examples of these, including the sounds of extinct animals.

There are vast libraries of sound effects, just like for photographs and movie clips, that can be used by content managers to create the right sound.

Many large productions prefer to create their own sounds.

The film sound effects industry took off when technology allowed sound and image to be recorded simultaneously.

There has been a big leap in technology and today sound editors can do things that would have seemed impossible back then.

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