He also worked on The Godfather Part 2 with Coppola and shortly after he edited picture and sound on The Conversation for which he earned his first Academy Award nomination in 1974. With the subtlety of his achievements, especially on the processes of sound mixing, Walter Murch can arguably be credited as a film industry …show more content…
This approach to sound is apparent in the film which you see Harry Caul’s character and behaviour with as little dialogue as possible. The use of the tape of the conversation for instance, the recording of which is played repeatedly throughout the film which is only accompanied by the natural sounds of the world in which the character is moving. They say it sets a paranoiac tone, and shows Harry listening repeatedly to it and slowly understanding more and more. We see the development within the character as the plot unfolds yet we don’t experience it through the character’s interaction with the other characters but rather with the tape recording itself. The sound effect becomes more vital than the dialogue. Walter Murch later went on to get his first academy award nomination with this gem. His techniques are genius. Here are some of his techniques to sound editing Walter Murch’s Techniques to Effective Sound Editing
1. Story
Does the film move the story forward in a significant way?
Each cut you make needs to progress with the story. Don’t let the edit become stuck in subplot. If the scene isn’t advancing the story, cut it.
If the story isn’t progressing, it’s confusing or worse, it’s boring your audience. 2. Emotion
How will this scene affect the audience emotionally at this particular moment