class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>
It’s not true that everything you hear in a movie is recorded directly and verbatim on set. Thus, Manu Gerber clears up a common misunderstanding right at the beginning of his meeting with Keystone-SDA. “On set, you focus primarily on dialogue. “Almost all sounds are heard again later,” says the sound designer. It provides the right tone in films, television productions and commercials.
Slamming door: new. Bird in the background: new. Screams on the street: new. To this end, Gerber has his own library filled with sounds sought, found and recorded over the years. If a particular sound cannot be found there or is difficult to re-record, you can purchase it.
In collaboration with the people responsible for editing and directing, Gerber creates a solid concept and executes it. “My goal is to support, underline and confirm the message of the film on a vocal level.” Sometimes the opposite is also desired: a counterpoint tone. But sound is a strong and important piece of the puzzle for the entire film.
What does Switzerland sound like with little noise?
For example, his last film, director Katalin Gödrös’s novel adaptation “Jakobs Ross”, was about training the eponymous horse to music. What sound does it make when it wheezes because it’s in pain? Gerber says an animal can’t be disturbed to record sounds later.
Another challenge with this movie: What does 19th century Switzerland sound like? A world with little noise, no electricity, no cars and no planes? After all, it is also about the interaction between outside and inside. For example, if the maid is walking around in her zoccoli, it must sound heavy and unpleasant. “The psychological state of the characters comes out in the soundtrack,” says the sound designer.
After graduating from school, Manu Gerber worked in a bank for a short time. But he soon realized he “wanted to do something creative.” Composing, drawing, designing, writing. Gerber is generally interested. He eventually studied for five years at the University of Music Basel and completed the highly sought-after sound design course. “I thought I was going to be a composer.”
But then he met filmmaker Fred Van der Kooij at a workshop. From then on, it was clear to Gerber: “I want to tell stories with sounds.” That is, “subtly, subconsciously, through the back door, so to speak. But also with emphasis.” That’s why it was important to gain a foothold in the film industry after completing my education. To be careful, this is not easy at all. But Gerber did it. He blindly applied to a recording studio, not knowing they were looking for someone. He stayed for ten years and was mainly responsible for commercials, TV programs and radio plays. He later started his own business. In addition to running his own company, he teaches at the Zurich University of the Arts.
It is “very, very rare to find” in sets. He is the inventor in the studio. Most of the time he works alone. “It’s a dream job for introverts,” he says with a laugh.
“Almost unbearable sometimes”
The basic principles of their work remain the same, but each project is “always new and always different.” He is disciplined and has the advantage of seeing challenges as everyday rather than as a burden. According to Gerber, he works towards the director’s vision, but the film is a team effort. That’s why he wants to be there from the very beginning, reading the script and talking to the director and editor before the project starts. He likes to play table tennis with the people in charge. However, there is also the opposite situation. “Everything is already packaged and I’m just transmitting the sounds.”
Even when Gerber sits privately in the theater, his ears focus on the soundtrack. He is happy when he sees a bold decision and constantly asks himself: How was this done? “But if I get stuck in the sound of a movie, that’s a bad sign. “I like to immerse myself in movies,” says Gerber.
Things would be difficult for him in works where he was responsible for the sound. “Sometimes it’s almost unbearable” because in every scene he hears what he could have done better. A pragmatic view of available time and resources helps here.
There have been no major breakthroughs in technology in the field of audio in recent years. But now AI (artificial intelligence) is coming. He couldn’t say what this would bring, but “a lot of things will definitely be easier.” Other language versions can be created, for example, using artificial intelligence. The original English voice can be translated into any other language with the press of a button, including accurate lip movements. But Gerber believes machines “cannot replace the creative spirit of humans, even when it comes to sound.”
You can discover what the creative spirit of sound designer Manu Gerber is like in Michael Steiner’s “Early Birds”, the first Swiss Netflix production, or in the new season of “Tschugger” or in “Jakobs Ross” (from January 25, 2024). cinemas). (SDA)
*This text by Raphael Amstutz Keystone-SDA was made possible with the help of the Gottlieb and Hans Vogt Foundation.
Source : Blick
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
