At the Museum of the Moving Image, starting at the top as advised, I immediately gravitated toward the sound exhibits on the third floor. In particular, a screening room in which a single scene from Apocalypse Now was played in connection with the editor's recollections of the process of adding sound to that scene. The clip therefore was played several times, each time with a different sound element added: Dialogue, Helicopter Noise, Weapons, Foley, and Music. The difference between the feel of the same scene with and without each element was striking, and served to reinforce the sheer importance of proper sound mixing.
Reinforcing this lesson, I did a sound demonstration dubbing different available soundtracks to a scene in Casino (Scorsese '95). Choosing different pieces of music, from Bo Diddley to Phillip Glass instrumentals, the emotional impact of the scene was changed dramatically, and the reasons the filmmakers ultimately chose Love Is Strange is obvious, when compared to more inferior choices.
Wandering the museum's impressive collection of equipment, the sheer changes that have overtaken the industry are obvious, particularly the changes that have followed the digital revolution. Looking at the artifacts brought home to me just how cumbersome the process of editing sound was before the rise of DIY technology, and just how many steps, and how much expertise, went into Golden Age Hollywood movies that appear seamless today.
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