Sound Theory, Sound Practice (AFI Film Readers) (Paperback)

by Rick Altman (Author) "When we understood cinema as a text, we borrowed our terminology and our methodology from previously established textual domains..." (more)
Key Phrases: unrestored version, original sound event, recording conceived, Third World, Warner Bros, Rick Altman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Dramatically broadening the previous field of research on sound, Sound Theory/Sound Practice promises to renew the debate over the importance of sound to cinema, from a theoretical as well as a historical perspective.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (June 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415904579
• ISBN-13: 978-0415904575
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #215,394 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Good for beginning designers in film and stage, May 20, 2008

By	C. Martin (DeForest, WI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Sound Theory, Sound Practice" is mainly a collection of essays covering the theoretical, historical and what the author calls "Neglected Domains" or what one could call a potpourri of topics for thought and discussion.

What's great about the book is while reading it I felt like I was sitting at a roundtable discussion with some really great sound folk who'd given some thought to what this thing called "sound" is all about.

It is specifically geared to the film industry. However, as a theatre sound designer, from the topics offered in the book I found interesting insights into the craft causing a rethinking of alot of the assumptions I previously held about what sound design as a production element can bring to a show.

I also really like the author's "Baker-Dozen Terms for Sound Analysis" which when added to a vocabulary helps when talking with others (in the industry or just interested)about what makes good sound design. The terms also offer designers a starting point or even a framework for discussions with directors during concept meetings about where the design can go throughout the production process.

A good book for film and stage designers alike. Pick up a copy!

5.0 out of 5 stars The best collection on film sound theory., October 11, 2007

By	Steward Willons - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Sound Theory, Sound Practice is a great collection of essays that goes beyond the (then) current state of film sound scholarship. There were two main approaches: one dealing with psychoanalytic and semiotic theory, favored by the film theorists; and the other dealing almost exclusively with music, favored by the musicologists. This volume represents the work of important scholars who see the value in both, but also go beyond approaching the film not as a text, but as an event.

The obvious highlight is Rick Altman's many contributions that make the rest of the scholarship possible. These writers demonstrate not only a thorough knowledge of critical theory, but of the physics of sound as well. This is a rather unique approach as most authors don't want to get too technical outside the field of film. That's not to say these essays are purely technical - far from it. They simply use technical explanations when a technical explanation is required.

Overall, this is definitely the most essential book on film sound out there. Altman's previous collection "Cinema/Sound" in the French Yale Review was great for the time and still offers a lot of great ideas, but this represents a couple more decades worth of work in the field. Film sound theory has come a long way.