MAPS 2 – Sound in Theatre, Cinema and Multimedia
By Mikaela Minga · 9 December 2023
Part of the MAPS series, commissioned by UNAA x ArtNexus Program.
Sound is a fundamental element in the realms of theater, cinema, and multimedia. With recording and reproduction technologies, sound gained extraordinary expressive power – it could be “detached” from its original source and achieve independence. Recorded sound could be manipulated, merged in creative forms, leading to musique concrète, electroacoustic and electronic music.
Another aspect of this “liberated” sound is how it pairs with images, movements, and objects completely unrelated to the original context (Walter Murch). Sound amplification technologies (stereo, Dolby Surround, Dolby Atmos) have undergone significant transformations.
Michel Chion’s L’Audio-Vision (1990) explores the symbiotic relationship between sound and image, and how the senses influence and transform each other.
Albania, due to its dictatorial and isolating context, lagged behind in sound technologies. Sound recordings were managed in stereo mode, yet playback often remained mono. In Albanian cinema, all sounds were edited in studio – not a directorial choice but necessity. Sound engineers like Spiro Konduri and Asim Raxhimi found innovative solutions despite constraints.
Full text with footnotes available in the PDF download.
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