Recently, went deep into a movie binge washing session and happened to watch the amazing film The Dark Knight once more. Even after my fourth viewing, it still impacted me and so many different ways, and left the strongest impression out of any of the movies I watched in the session. Other than its incredibly well presented story and acting, there were some more technical elements that truly stood out. So that's why I dedicated this piece to discussing the use of sound throughout the film and how it not only gave the movie that gritty atmosphere, but also bettered the plot as well.
The 2008 sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, was directed and produced by renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan. Using the classic DC Universe character as inspiration, Nolan crafted a modern superhero film with a greater sense of reality and perception of evil, while not sacrificing the components of a standard superhero film. While this film’s brilliance was evident through the super positive critical response and box office collections, the film was nominated for eight academy awards and won two for Heath Ledger’s stellar Supporting Role performance as The Joker and for Best Sound Editing[1]. And this film was very deserving of the award for sound design, as the film’s themes of building tension and increasing suspense were truly represented in almost every piece of sound in the film.
Sound effects editor Michael Babcock led the charge in crafting the perfect sound mixing for the film. Babcock had years of experience working in films that pushed the boundaries and required a more unique sound to represent them, such as War of the Worlds (2005) and Transformers (2007)[2]. Alongside Babcock was the film’s sound designer and supervising sound editor, Richard King who also worked on films in this realm including War of the Worlds (2005) and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)[3]. The collaboration between these two works out very well for the film as they understand the scope and nature of sound in movies such as The Dark Knight. These experiences of both Babcock and King allowed them to truly bring a variety of different sounds and mixes to The Dark Knight while ensuring they remain true to the film’s tone and themes.
The film did employ the use of professional Foley artist, John Roesch, who is renowned in his field for works in The Matrix trilogy. Roesch’s main contributions to the film’s sound were with regards to smaller, more common sounds, such as paper ruffling, footsteps, and weapons being drawn[4]. The incorporation of Foley sounds in the film, in general, ensures that it stays grounded and close to reality, even though the circumstances, objects, and events in the film may almost be surreal. This creates a great combination for the audience by not overwhelming them with either side of this sound spectrum.
As previously mentioned, the main objective of the sound department in this film was to create a gritty and smart crime film while incorporating the fantastical nature of superheroes. While the more realistic portions of the film were mainly recorded through the use of Foley artists and selective sound emphasis, there were several unique and otherworldly gadgets, vehicles, and devices that needed fabricated sound mixing to bring them to life, essentially. One of the largest challenges for the sound design team was designing the Batmobile’s sounds. In The Dark Knight, the Batmobile is both a massive tank of a machine and an agile and quick vehicle. In order to meet these two very polar identifications of the car, the sound team collected noises from large race boat engines and mixed them with the growls and roars of animals to finally create the Batmobile’s revved up engine and acceleration. The Batpod was also treated in a similar manner in terms of combining speed with power. The create the sound effects from the Batpod, King basically recorded the constant humming of an AC unit and overlaid different pitches of that same sound to create the effect of unstoppable dominance and continuous acceleration of the Batpod[5].
The inclusion of ambient sound also created a much more thematic and intense film. The entire base of the film is continuous development, tension, and action and the ambient sound plays a strong role in underscoring those elements. For instance, when The Joker is giving a monologue while holding a knife to another man’s throat, the ambient sound consisting of a low-pitched, buzzing stringed instruments, which heightens the tension to the maximum and foreshadows to the audience that something bad is imminent, brilliantly using sound to indulge the audience in the plot even more[6].
In addition to the epic scope of its sound effects and ambient sound, The Dark Knight’s score evokes several different thoughts and emotions. The composer, Hans Zimmer, worked with Nolan to produce music that not only contributed to the overall tone, but that also functioned within the environment of the film. The music definitely suggests that there is a looming danger or threat that is constant throughout the film; however, there are moments where the tempo picks up and drumming and a beating rhythm become more apparent usually to represent Batman’s impact and character on the city and its issues[7]. The overall composition does a perfect job of setting the tone and presenting the tension and struggle between good and bad. Zimmer includes such a thematic score to convey the constant evils in the world and their eventual downfall and overshadowing from the good and hopeful aspects of the world.
To conclude, The Dark Knight is a truly sound-dependent film through its various sound effects, ambient sound, and score. All of these elements worked to further the tension and intensification of the film, while not sacrificing the presence of hope and justice.
[1] "The 81st Academy Awards|2009." Oscars.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
[2] "Michael Babcock." - IMDb. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2015.
[3] "Richard King." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2015.
[4] "The Art of Foley: John Roesch Honored by MPSE." : TV & Movie Appreciation. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2015.
[5] 04, February. "'The Dark Knight' Sound Effects." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 04 Feb. 2009. Web. 07 Oct. 2015.
[6] Riehle, Jake. ""The Dark Knight Ambient Sound"| Designing Sound." Designing Sound. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2015. <http://designingsound.org/?s=the%2Bdark%2Bknight%2Bexclusive>.
[7] Williams, Owen. "Hans Zimmer On Scoring Batman | Interviews | Empireonline.com." Empireonline.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2015. <http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=1532>.
