Good sound design is more important than good quality video.
There are obviously different schools of thought relating to this. Some people say that film, by nature, is a visual medium; "Show, don't tell."
We have to agree that it can be a bit redundant to hear a villain monolog about his nefarious plan or listen as the heroes debrief the action of the previous scene. Too much exposition can feel patronizing and frequently serves to just slow the action of a film down. With very few exceptions, if a director is making characters preface the events of a scene, the scene is likely far better off being redesigned to make the narrative more coherent sans follow-up exposition.
So yes, film is a visual medium and often times less is more when it comes to dialogue. But, by no means does that mean sound design isn't important! Before we get into the meat and potatoes of sound design, we feel it is important to clarify a few things.
For starters, bad sound design is different than bad dialogue. Bad dialogue is a source of many of the problems we just described above. With bad dialogue, good actors end up sounding inauthentic and flat. While with bad actors, good dialogue might still have the same problem, we tend to find that script issue are far more common than acting issues. Simple re-writes and changes to stage directions can change a mediocre script to an excellent one.
For an example of bad sound design, watch this stunt from The Man with the Golden Gun:
For an example of famously bad dialogue, watch this scene from The Room:
At the end of the day, the basis of a good film is a good story. While film is a visual medium, a good movie is more than just a series of moving images. Effective story telling is often a multi-sensory experience. It is the director's job to tell this story. They need to employ their actors, tech crews, all the talent they have, and all the tools in their toolboxes to create a connection between the viewer and the narrative. This is where sound design comes in...
Even with minimal dialogue, sound still plays a tremendously important role in a film. Many animated shorts illustrate this perfectly, (look at Pixar's La Luna or any of Blue Sky Studios' Ice Age shorts featuring Scrat the squirrel and his acorn). Likewise, many iconic scenes are iconic because they integrate moving images and sound together so well to create a more full, cohesive narrative. Take for instance, this scene from Platoon and watch how it integrates both sound and image for full dramatic effect:
Now you might be asking why we are saying all this?
The answer is simple. IBX Films wants to help you make the best video you can! And that's also why we might be giving you some unexpected advice:
Don't splurge on a camera!
You will get a better quality, more professional product by opting for a mid-tier camera and higher quality audio equipment. While your audience might not be able to tell the difference between UHD and 4K, they will definitely be able to hear the difference between poorly designed and well designed audio.
For renters, our team can help you with your sound design choices from pre- to post-production to ensure your project turns out exactly how you hoped it would. For customers interested in our full service studio, rest assured! Our team knows the ins and outs of sound design and audio technology so you will never have to worry about tinny, muddy, or boxy audio appearing in your project! Feel free to contact us to get started on your next project today!