Sound Problems?

I’ve been wanting to be in the movie industry since I was 10 and found out what screen plays are and that I can write them and a movie will be made. And pretty much ever since I figured out what I wanted to do with my life, nearly every single person has said something along the lines of “no, you should try something else” or “you have to know somebody to get into that business” or “you’re not going to be able to make any money from it.”

Everyone’s been saying its such a cut throat industry. People who have never tried it out, never really found the motivation and ambition from it have told me this. Occasionally there are some people who make a big deal out of what they do in the industry say this.

But what I’ve found out living in LA for nearly 2 months is that the people are trying to be the professionals, but aren’t, tend to be the assholes of the industry. The ones who have made it tend to be eternally grateful they have the job they love and tend to be more willing to help someone else out.

So I don’t know where I’ve been all these years, being an avid reader and all, but I’ve never read the Maze Runner. However, the other day I saw the movie and then immediately afterwards saw The Scorch Trials because, ya, it was that damn good.

I feel like it’s been so long since I’ve been this excited and into a movie...I think the last one was Mad Max Fury Road.

Anyway, when I become obsessed with something, I, well, become obsessed with it. I research it. I learn what I can about it. I cherish it. There was something about the Maze Runner movie that hit me hard. I loved it. Is it the best movie ever? Well, no. Not in my opinion. Although I will say that Wes Ball, the director, is pretty good for it being his first feature film. I’m excited to see other films by him.

I realize I post things kind of randomly on here. As in, I’ll post a bunch of stuff and then not post anything for a while. I just get busy...and sometimes lazy. But I’ve been wanting to do another film sound analysis. I just haven’t found a film that I’m excited about in a while. So I thought doing one on the Maze Runner would be good because I can watch this movie over again and not be bored. When I do any film analysis, I start by watching the film. Then either googling it or rewatching it. And since I talk about sound, I try my best to find critics and people who have worked on the sound to get their perspective of it.

There wasn’t a whole lot, surprisingly. I did manage to find a soundworks collection on The Scorch Trials:

I found a film review on it...I’m probably biased because I like this film, but the reviews I read seem to not like it. Mainly because nothing is really explained. Which frustrates me because how the hell are the kids suppose to know what’s going on if their memories are wiped clean? People are too damn used to Nolan’s expository way of storytelling. People are getting too damn used to being given information instead of actively seeking it - you know, that thing inside your skull? I want mystery. Mystery leads to creativity. Having a character flat out say what’s going on isn’t a good storytelling technique. It’s boring. It leaves nothing to the imagination. There’s no suspense. And since no one has no idea what the hell is going on, the Maze Runner isn’t just action packed, it’s also suspenseful. I haven’t screamed at a character’s dumb decision in a while (yes, I’m talking to you Thomas). I was that into it. I’ve even started reading the books. (Like I said, I’m becoming obsessed.) You don’t understand what’s going on? Cool. Neither do the characters. Holy shit -- the filmmaker just made you more empathetic to the characters’ frustration because you both don’t know what’s going on. Wow. What a concept. That’s like, such a novel idea. ...Ok. I’m going to end the sarcastic rant...

In one review, the “film critic” said the acting was good but the sound sucked because it wasn’t subtle. Um. What the fuck? Since when does “subtle sound equal good sound”? STFU. Sound is half of the movie experience. Why should it be subtle? Yes, there are times when subtle sound actually works for storytelling, but most often I go see “The Blockbuster Hit of the Year” and I’m bored. Because there’s a difference between subtle sound (BBC Sherlock rocks at this) and just slapping in sound, which isn’t subtle. It’s just there. Once I read that I went through the movie AGAIN and paused it whenever I heard something that caught my attention sound-wise, which I then jotted down. I don’t normally do this, at least not for an entire film. But I wanted to prove that I wasn’t just a sucker for action packed films. That this film actually had something noteworthy to it.

I’d first like to say, that in my first viewing of this, I was so absorbed in the film that I didn’t even really stop to think of the sound. At least...I wasn’t bored in the slightest by it, which is more than most Hollywood movies can say. And I think part of that reason is because the sound wasn’t subtle. Hell, you only see two things in the movie: the Glade and the Maze. Why wouldn’t you use sound for more entertainment purposes?

This was one of my favorite parts of the movie the first time I watched it. There was something distinctive and final about the doors closing. Going back over the movie when I was way more aware of the sound, I figured out why. The sound is so not subtle here. (Especially if you’re listening to this on either good speakers or headphones.)

The clip is a little short...it cuts off both the beginning and the true ending of this majestic sound design. But it’s the best I could find.

I’d first like to note that at the very first shot of the doors there’s a growling sound buried in the mix. Foreshadowing how awful that damn thing is. I live for this kind of sound. Like I said, why be subtle? You want people to feel anxiety and foreboding, why not put a growling sound? We as humans know that “growl” does not mean cuddle time. It means back the fuck up & run like hell before that thing attacks. It’s an animal’s warning signal.

When Thomas and Chuck approach the door, the Glade is heard, along with a drum-heavy score, which becomes ominous once Chuck says “maze.” The music and the ambiance and...well, everything, seems to get louder as Thomas’s fear and frustration grows. And then suddenly it all dissolves and all you hear is the sounds of the door. There’s that odd wind that seems to howl like a human moan, and then a horn sound to add some boom to it as it blasts Thomas in the face. The doors sound like a giant, old, rusty metal clock, scraping against concrete. The sound here is heavy, thick, creaky, loud, and BIG. Massive scale. It’s gives the maze this old quality to it, yet even though it seems ancient, it’s strong enough to kick your ass. To squash your bones to bits without hesitation. It completely takes over the entire soundtrack. All you hear is the maze closing. It’s daunting, menacing, and mysterious. Timeless and stubborn. The fact that you can still here from way where the camera is on that extreme wide shot shows how HUGE this thing is. There’s so much I can describe about the maze just based on what you hear here, when the doors close.

Which is some damn good storytelling via non-subtle sound.

Looking over my notes, I’ve noticed that the sound is definitely bassy and boomy and drums carry a lot of the music. Yes, there are some cliche sound moments. (I swear I hear a lagoon at night lol). I think one of the only subtle things about the sound is when it uses machine sounds for both the box/elevator thing and the Griever. It’s not subtle in that it isn’t obviously a machine, but your so engrossed by the story that I didn’t stop to realize that the machine sounds aren’t old machine sounds. Technology has grown so fast since the Industrial Revolution that machine sounds are specific to its era. And so, if you really wanted some damn subtlety, if you really wanted to go into it, the machine sounds used sound new. As in, this isn’t some unknown world or different time period. This is close to the technology we use today, which shows what kind of world the characters are living in.

Overall, I liked it, sound wise. In fact, as Wes Ball said in the Sound Collections interview, it’s like he was composing a symphony. Timing was everything. And he got it down pretty damn good. The sound in this movie actually moved the story along. Pretty much every scene and every beat within the scene was transitioned through sound. Which was cool because it seemed to be edited with the sound in mind. Which I think is rare. Usually when I work on the post for a film (especially if I don’t know the director or editor personally), I just get the “final” cut with no input, sound-wise, into it. And then I’ll be working on, wishing there were moments that could stretch out or cut shorter, and finally find some rhythm, and then there’s another edit. Post-production sound was definitely kept in mind before it was time for post-production sound.

Overall, I think it was a great film and I’m excited to see more of Wes Ball. In the meantime, check out his short film which I think got him the director role for Maze Runner:

In just a minute and a half, Brad Bird shows us that he understands sound. Dude is cool.

“I think there is a tendency - in a lot of ways of filmmaking - to think that more of something means more effective. And the absence of sound is just as effective of a tool as sound itself, if you’re specific where you minimize sound...The Oscar nominees are invariably the loudest films of the year in several instances. I was really happy when Randy Thom’s design for Ratatouille got nominated because it was not that. And it was up against films like Transformers, which is just wall to wall crashing and bashing.”

Keep motivated. Work hard. Work on anything. Work all the time. Only get into filmmaking if you LOVE it.

Keep motivated. Work hard. Work on anything. Work all the time.

Keep motivated. Work hard. Work on anything. Work all the time. Go after what you want, even if it’s baby steps.

Keep motivated. Work hard. Work on anything. Work all the time. Do it because you love it.