With the introduction of sound used in films being integral to the plot of Singin’ in the Rain, I wanted to talk about a film in which the lack of sound is a major element of the movie.  The Sound of Metal is a film about a young metal band drummer who is losing his hearing. This film, in the same way that filmmakers hyperfocus on visual elements in a scene to convey a certain experience or emotion, director Darius Marder and sound designer Nicolas Becker (who was also lead sound design on Gravity) use this same hyperfocus, instead using sound. This video describes the process of “shooting” the sound, using many different microphones in one scene, similar to getting different angles of the same shot. Marder and Becker use at least 8 or 10 microphones in a single scene with just two people, using microphones the same way different lenses would be used on a camera, recording specific depths of fields in the way you would use a wide shot versus closeup as described in the video. This awareness of sound in the film makes a very effective method of storytelling due to the film’s core being about a man’s struggle with hearing loss. Throughout the film there are moments in which the sound cuts out, drifts off, becomes louder and lower, or just rings the sound of tinnitus in the audience’s ear, giving the audience a glimpse into Ruben’s struggles. 

Another film I wanted to talk about was Singin’ in the Rain’s grosser, darker cousin: Babylon. I watched all three hours 🙁 of Babylon 🙁 . While it was not my favorite movie, after seeing Singin’ in the Rain, this movie makes a lot more sense to me and I agree with the video below that, while Singin’ in the Rain is an amazing film especially for its time and even now, there are aspects of the film, such as the studio executive being a massive pushover and Lina Lamont’s being uninformed about her vocal dub that were not exactly realistic. The video below shows some direct references in Babylon that director Damien Chazelle nods to. Babylon has practically the same plot as Singin’ in the Rain, just with some added drugs and other R-rated material, giving a Gatsby-esque vibe to the film. Both films take place during the introduction of sound to films, and it’s almost an alternative ending of each character in the original films. This film, as the explanation video below, almost gives a redemption for Lina Lamont, showing the downfall of her mirrored character as the crushing of a hard-earned career. Singin in the Rain, and this video, honestly gave me a better opinion of Babylon, as I actually hated it the first time I watched it, but it makes more sense to me now.