Sound and Music Art
The Lord of the Rings Exhibition Site Te Papa Site
Activities
Boromir sound the horn

Challenge for filmakers

Activities ListExhibition MapPrint This Activity

Create realistic and effective sounds and sound effects for characters, events, and situations in the movie.

Challenge for students

Teaching Points
Before

Brainstorm:

  • How do music and sound affect you?
  • What are some feelings that sounds can cause?
  • What are some examples of how sound can be used to enhance pictures in television and movies?



e.g. fear, excitement, sadness, happiness

During

Listen to the sounds in:

  • the entrance to the exhibition
  • the scenes from the movie and the video about music (zones 10 and 11)
  • The Ring Experience (zone 16).

Focus questions:

  • Where is sound used in the exhibition, and what effect does it have on you?
  • What are some scenes in the movie in which the sound is very obvious? Does the sound match the scene? What effect does the sound have on you?

Did you know?
Peter Jackson and his sound crew visited an international cricket game and got the audience to perform certain "mass" sounds like stamping, whistling, humming, and making Orc noises for use in the movie.

After
  • Choose a picture, a series of pictures, or a video sequence and prepare a sound sequence for it. Think about:
    • what effect you want to have on listeners
    • what you will use to get that effect and how you will use it
    • how you will evaluate the result.
  • Present and assess your work.

Extension:

Choose a video sequence showing a public setting (e.g. city scene, park, store). Record sounds that make the scene seem much busier and more exciting than it really is.

Possible solutions:

  • voice and body sounds (clapping, stamping, cheering) with a picture of a sportsperson scoring a goal
  • high-pitched staccato notes (voice, violin) with a hand-held camera sequence of a figure running down a dark alleyway.

Your students might choose to evaluate their work on the basis of applause, verbal responses, or a survey (written or oral).

 

Related activity links:

Tens to Thousands (extension)