Dancing Shadows, a "must hear" on Radio 4

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Alan Roberts at work
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Joined: May 6 1999

I've just heard an episode of Dancing Shadows on the wireless, Radio 4, 13.30-14.00, Tuesday. It goes into detail on the construction of sound for various fiulms etc. It's fascinating, and should be of interest to us all.

Gladders
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Joined: Apr 28 1999

Wonder if it's repeated at some other time. Radio 4 very often repeats programs at different times.

Paul

Paul

Alan Roberts at work
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Joined: May 6 1999

Don't know, but grab it if you can, and make arrangements to catch any future episodes. It talked about sound effects for Das Boot and Blade Runner among other things.

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

Does Alan Roberts have the radio on at work? Blade Runner; now there's a visual and aural delight.

tom hardwick
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Joined: Apr 8 1999

Does Alan Roberts have the radio on at work? Blade Runner; now there's a visual and aural delight.

Alan Roberts at work
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Joined: May 6 1999

No, but my car has a radio, and I tend to wander off home at lunch time to feed the cats etc.

andy-n
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Joined: Aug 14 2000

This is next weeks again on Tuesday at 1.30

Dancing Shadows Eraserheads
The last of four programmes in which Christopher Cook explores film's creative marriage with sound. He concludes with the story of Alan Splet and David Lynch, who, with their first film, `Eraserhead', began a fruitful collaboration.
Last in series

This was this weeks listing

Dancing Shadows In Space Everyone Can Hear You Scream!
The third of four programmes in which Christopher Cook explores film's creative marriage with sound. He considers worlds far away and far below: `Blade Runner' and `Tron' offered two very different sonic universes, while the crew of `Das Boot' lived and died in a world of pings, groans and creaks.

Couldn't find any repeat performance though.

Andy-n

Alan Roberts at work
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Joined: May 6 1999

Bits that stick in my mind are to do with Das Boot. I saw that when it was first serialised in the UK, and have bought a VHS of the Director's Cut, so I was interested.

The sound of torpedoes being loosed must have been fun. They took an electric drill and wrapped it in a big polythene bag and dunked it in a water tank. A mic went into a condom, also into the tank. Switch the drill on and record. Play it back at about 1/4 speed and loop. Instant torpedo.

The models were about 3 feet long for tank shooting. So when they did a crash surface (pops out of the water like a cork and crashes into the waves, the ultimate Alton Towers ride) they needed a sound effect because a 3 foot model doesn't sound very convincing. This time it was just playing a hose pipe on a metal sheet and slowing it down to about 1/3.

Fascinating stuff. I hope it gets repeated sometime.

[This message has been edited by Alan Roberts at work (edited 16 February 2001).]

Alan Roberts at work
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Joined: May 6 1999

I recorded today's episode because I had to go into hospital for an MRI scan. I'll listen tonight and report back with anything magical.

Alan Roberts at work
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Joined: May 6 1999

I played the tape last night. It was basically about creating atmosphere, David Lynch style. I wasn't very captivated by it. Shame the series is over though.

[This message has been edited by Alan Roberts at work (edited 21 February 2001).]