Greene, L

The Labour of Breath: performing and designing breath in cinema

http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/5961/

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Citation (please note it is advisable to refer to the publisher’s version if you

intend to cite from this work)

Greene, L (2016) The Labour of Breath: performing and designing breath in

cinema. Music, Sound, and the Moving Image, 10 (2). pp. 109-133. ISSN

1753-0768

LJMU Research Online

TheLabourofBreath

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TheLabourofBreath:performinganddesigningbreathincinema

Abstract:

Thepresenceofbreathinfictionfilmisaconsciouschoicebyfilmmakers.Since

the introduction of Dolby sound in the mid 1970s we have experienced a

significant development in the quality of playback systems in cinemas, which

meansthatwearenowmoreclearlyabletohearthebreathingperformanceof

anactor.Theinclusionofbreathoffersatechnologicallyenhancedauralcloseup

ofcharacterswithinthestory.Thisarticlewillconsidertwoostensiblydifferent

examples, The Elephant Man (David Lynch, 1980) and Rising Sun (Philip

Kaufman, 1992), both films are the work of the sound designer Alan Splet.

DrawingfromthesefilmsandarchivalmaterialfromtheSoundMountainsound

effects library, this article seeks to address the role of breathingwithin these

films, considering issues such as: the actor’s breathingperformance; breathing

anddisability; thegenderingofbreath;andthedepictionofdiffering industrial

(19thcenturyEngland)andtechnological(20thcenturyAmerica)environments,

both of which are associated with different levels of air quality. The archival

materialwillbroadenoutthediscussionoftheseelementsillustratingthepost-

productiondesignofbreathandairinthesefictionfilms.

Name:DrLizGreene,

Affiliation:LiverpoolScreenSchool,LiverpoolJohnMooresUniversity

Address: Liverpool John Moores University, Redmond Building, Liverpool, L3

5UG,England.

Email:l.greene@ljmu.ac.uk

Telephone:00447521182917

5Keywords–Air,Archive,Breathing,Disability,Gender

TheLabourofBreath

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‘Allthatissolidmeltsintoair’(MarxandEngels1848:11).

Ross Gibson suggests that conscious and deliberate actions by the actor and

editorcanultimatelyshapeourexperienceofbreathingperformancesincinema

(2013:18).Itisimportantandnecessarytoextendthiscollaborationtoinclude

thework of the sound designer. This articlewill focus on the creative choices

made by the sound designer and the post-production sound crew, using close

textual analysis, archival research material and interviews to document the

creative choices made. The post-production sound team’s collective work

enhancesourexperienceofabreathingcharacterinfictionfilm.Withaspecific

focus on two films,TheElephantMan (David Lynch, 1980), the second feature

film that the sounddesignerAlanSplet collaboratedwithDavidLynchon, and

RisingSun(PhilipKaufman,1993)thelastfilmSpletcompleted,Iwilldiscussa

number of instances of breath that feature in sections of the SoundMountain

archive.

IhavechosenheretoanalyseTheElephantManandRisingSun,asthereis

aprominentuseofbreathinbothfilms,Iwilldiscussandproblematizeeachin

turn.However, it is important tonote that these areostensiblydifferent films.

They have significantly divergent approaches to the soundtrack due to their

narrative concerns and generic conventions. I am interested here in exploring

issuesinrelationtotheauteurandthecollaborativeroleofthesounddesigner,

discussingboththe formandcontentofsounddesign in fiction film. Iwillalso

consider thedepictionofdisabilityandgender throughbreath in twodifferent

environments. The ElephantMan is set soon after the industrial revolution in

London,England,andRisingSunissetin1990sLosAngeles,USA,duringanew

digital revolutionwith diminishing oil reserves. The environmental air quality

TheLabourofBreath

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becomes an important sonic indicator of the concerns of the time, and this is

playedoutthroughthenarrativeandthelabouredbreathingofcharacterswithin

eachfilm.Thusafocusonairandbreathallowsawaytoconsiderthecharacters

andtheirenvironmentsmore fully.This interest inairandbreath isarecently

emergingareaof research in cinemastudiesandbeyond, andyet, in themain,

hasnotbeenconsideredinfilmsoundstudies.1

SoundMountainArchive

Splet alongwith his partner andwife, AnnKroeber,worked together until his

prematuredeathin1994afteralongbattlewithcancer.Kroeberhascontinued

toworkasasounddesignerandsoundeffectsrecordistandshemaintainsthe

sound effects library, Sound Mountain. This is an archive containing their

collective sound works and one that I have drawn from for this article. Splet

worked closely with a number filmmakers including: David Lynch (The

Grandmother(1970),Eraserhead(1977),TheElephantMan(1980),Dune(1984),

BlueVelvet (1986)); Carroll Ballard (TheBlack Stallion (1979),NeverCryWolf

(1983), Wind (1992)); Peter Weir (The Mosquito Coast (1986), Dead Poet’s

Society (1989));andPhilipKaufman(TheUnbearableLightnessofBeing(1988),

1SeeforexampletheWellcomeTrustfiveyearfundedresearchprojectTheLife

ofBreathwhichisaninterdisciplinaryprojectincorporatingthehumanitiesand

sciences,http://lifeofbreath.org/.Seealsosomeinterestingexploratory

chemistryresearchintotheinfluenceofbreathingontheairqualityofcinemas

basedonthegenreofthefilmscreened,‘Cinemaaudiencesreproduciblyvarythe

chemicalcompositionofairduringfilms,bybroadcastingscenespecific

emissionsonbreath’inNaturehttp://www.nature.com/articles/srep25464.

TheLabourofBreath

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HenryandJune (1990),RisingSun(1993)),amongstothers.2These filmsareall

cataloguedandpreservedintheSoundMountainarchive.

InOctober2004aspartofmyPhDresearchintoSplet’ssounddesign,Imade

contactwithKroeberandsheinformedmeofherlibraryofsoundeffectsfromthe

filmstheyhadbothworkedon.Alsocontainedwithinthearchivewasacollection

of sound effects from theAmerican Film Institute (AFI). Splet had compiled this

archivewhileheheadedup the sounddepartmentat theAFI in the1970s.Ona

week long visit to the SoundMountain archive in Berkeley, California, in March

2005, I got an overviewofwhatwas containedwithin the library. I had time to

listen tosomeof theAFIsoundreelsandthe laterSplet/Kroebersound filesbut

this was limited and involved merely an early exploratory investigation. Whilst

there Iphotocopied theBlueVelvet catalogue,but itbecameclear that thepaper

was becoming fragile, and was too delicate to be put through photocopying

machines. On a subsequent visit, in June 2006 using a digital camera I

photographedtheentirecataloguesforallofthefilms.

When Ivisited thearchiveonamonth longvisit in2006, thewhole library

hadnotyetbeendigitised.Kroeberreckonedaboutseventyfivepercenthadbeen

convertedfrom¼inchreelstodigitalsoundfiles.Ionlyhadaccesstothedigitised

versionof the library, somy research is restricted towhatwas available at that

date. IspentthemonthaccessingtheProTools(DigitalAudioWorkstation)files,

listeningtoallthefilesforBlueVelvet,TheElephantMan,Dune,NeverCryWolf,The

BlackStallion,TheMosquitoCoast andTheUnbearableLightnessofBeing. I cross-

checkedthesewiththewrittencatalogueswheretheywereavailableandwiththe

2AlanSpletwonaSpecialAchievementAwardforSoundEditingatthe1980

AcademyAwardsforhisworkonTheBlackStallion.

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Excel sheets from the library. I made notes of particularly interesting sounds,

repetitions of sounds, miking and processing techniques highlighted in the

recordings,notingSplet’smethodology.

As Iwas about to leaveCalifornia,Kroeberofferedmea copyof the entire

digitisedsoundlibrary.ThisamountedtoaterabyteLaciedrivewithalltheSound

Mountain and AFI ProTools files. I signed a contract with her to use the sound

libraryforresearchpurposesonly.Gettingacopyofthe librarychangedmyPhD

focus, as now I had access to the original sounds created for Splet’s films. I no

longerhadtorelyentirelyonthefinishedfilmsbutcouldaccessthesoundeffect

recordings, and edited, processed andmanipulated sounds, in order to ascertain

Splet’stechniquesandcontributiontotheoverallsoundtrack.

SincegettingacopyofthearchiveIhavecontinuedtoresearchtheindividual

soundsthatwentintocreatingtheoverallsounddesignformanyofSplet’sfilms.

Thearchivehasplayedakey factor in the films I examined formyPhDas some

films are better represented thanothers in the library,whilst some soundtracks

arecompletelyabsent.Lynch’sTheGrandmotherandEraserheadareabsent from

thecatalogueandsoundarchive.

Kroeber compiled sounds created by herself, Splet and Lynch and released

themwithTheHollywoodEdgein2000onathreeCDcollectionentitledSoundsofa

Different Realm. Kroeber is currently compiling a new CD collection for The

HollywoodEdgeofwindsounds.Thepurposeofpreservingthislibraryisforfuture

use in film and game sounds. Kroeber has provided sounds from the library for

someofthebiggestblockbusterproductions.KroeberandIarecurrentlyworking

onaresearchproposaltogettheentirearchivedigitisedandpreserved,andmade

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accessibleonlinetoHigherEducation institutions in theUKandUSA.Thiswould

beanimmenseresourceforscholarsandstudentsoffilmsound.

Breathingandperformance

Todiscussbreathinfictionfilmitisimportanttostartwiththeworkofthefilm

actor. The breathing actor performs using her/his own breath to produce the

breathforacharacterthat isseenand/orheardonoroff-screen.Thisrequires

the actor to have considerable control and training over her/his own breath.

DavidCarey,avoicetutorattheRoyalAcademyofDramaticArt(RADA),breaks

downtheprocessofbreathingoutliningthedifferencesbetweeninhalationand

exhalationfortheactorandidentifiesthephysicalandcreativeaspectsofboth

partsofthebreathfortheactor’sprocess:

Each in-breath we take is a response to one or all of the

following: the physical impulse which arises as a result of

chemicalmessagesreceivedbythebrainthatthebodyisinneed

of an oxygen/carbon-dioxide exchange; the psychic impulse

whicharisesfromthedesiretogiveformtoaninchoatethought;

and,thepsycho-physical impulsewhicharisesfromtheneedto

express an emotion. Each out-breath is, therefore, the physical

release of excess CO2 into the atmosphere and simultaneously

thepotentialexpressionofthoughtorfeeling.Eachout-breathis

theconcreteeffectoftheseinternaleventsintheexternalworld.

Thus,inspirationisboththephysicalactofinhalingair;anditis

creative motivation. Expiration is both the physical act of

exhalingbreath;and,itistransitiveexpression.(2009:186)

TheLabourofBreath

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Watching an actor perform onscreen can, in turn, influence our breathing

(Gibson 2013: 18). The affective experience of hearing and seeing breath and

breathingincinemachangesusasanaudience.Ifafilmisworkingonusasitis

intendedto,itcanshapeourexperience.DavinaQuinlivanposits:

What is key to the typeof embodiedperception thatbreathing

visuality represents is the involvement of the viewer as a

breathing body, becoming attuned and sensitive to ways of

hearingandseeingthatarealiveandopentotheemergenceof

thebreathingbodyasadiegeticandformalpresenceinthefilm

experience.(2012:171)

Withafocusonhowthebreathingperformancea/effectsusasaudience,

I would like to explore the following three elements of breath: how the actor

breathesonscreen;howtheeditor/sounddesignereditsandmixes thatbreath

foroureyesandears;andhowtheworkoftheactorandeditor/sounddesigner

affectsusasanaudienceexperiencingamediatedperformance.Ultimatelythis

raises the question, what is the a/effect of different types of breathing

performances on us as an audience? Are there issues to dowith, for example,

race, gender, sexuality, age, size, ability and/or disability that need to be

consideredwhenlisteningandwatchingbreathingbodiesperformonscreen?

Toget there it is important to considerwhosebreathingweare talking

about,JudithButlersuggests:

Foraconcretedescriptionoflivedexperience,itseemscrucialto

askwhose sexuality andwhose bodies are being described, for

“sexuality”and“bodies”remainabstractionswithoutfirstbeing

situatedinconcretesocialandculturalcontexts.(1989:98)

TheLabourofBreath

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ToborrowButler’semphasis,itisessentialforustoaskwhosebreathingweare

listening to and forwhat purposes? In this regard, Kevin L. Fergusonmakes a

strikingandboldclaim:

Hereisastrangeriddle,almostthestartofabadjoke:Whatdo

DarthVaderandMarilynMonroehaveincommon?Myanswer:

both are invaded by air, both are victims of insufflation, and

both are blustery representatives of the otherwise unseen

problemthatbreathposestocinema.Oneisaniconofevil,the

otherofsexuality,but in theirbest films, these twoareswept

alongbythesameiconographyofair.(2011:33)

To consider Darth Vader and Marilyn Monroe within the same breath, so to

speak, is an enticing premise to discussmore broadly the role of breathing in

cinema.Monroeoffersabreathyeroticisedfemininevocalisationinmanyofher

roles. Her rendition of ‘Happy Birthday Mr President’ is one of the most

illustrative examples of eroticised breathy performances onscreen. 3 It is

interesting to note that the term ‘breathy’ is used to describe both a problem

withthevoiceandalsoacharacteristicofthevoice(Martin2009:35).Monroe’s

eroticisedbreathyperformanceissubstantiallydifferenttothelabouredbreathy

vocalisations of the menacing, Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones). We

haveaveryconsciousrenderingofbreathwiththecharacterofDarthVader,his

breathing is clearlymarkedasa signifierofadisabledvillainous figurehidden

3Monroeiscertainlynotthefirstactresstobeassociatedwiththistypeof

eroticisedbreathyperformance,MarleneDietrichwouldbeanotherprecursoras

actorandsingerfamousforsuchbreathyperformances.However,itisoutsideof

thescopeofthisarticletodrawoutthehistoricallineageoffemalebreathy

performancesbutitwouldcertainlymakeforaninterestingandimportant

project.

TheLabourofBreath

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behindamask,visualisedintheformofhelmetanduniform.Thevocalisationof

the character of Darth Vader is significantly enhanced in post-production

throughsoundeffects/designtosoundlikeamixbetweenhumanandmachine

breath.

Ferguson’s choice of actor and character are particularly interesting.

MonroeandJones(asVader)bothsufferedwithastutterintheiryouthandthey

tookvocallessonstogetovertheirrespectivespeechimpediments.Toovercome

astutter,apersonneedstoallowmoreairintoher/hisbreathinordertoopen

out the vocal chords. As a consequence both of these actors are considered to

haveairyvocalperformances.ThiscancertainlybeheardinMonroe’sandJones’

roles.Bothactorshave ‘airy’voicesdueto their initialvocaldisabilities,and in

thisarticle Iwillbeexploringwhat is intrinsic inabreathingperformanceand

considering themanipulation, enhancement or replacement of breath in post-

productionbythesoundteam.

Ferguson’s connection between Darth Vader and Monroe’s characters,

posits polarised villainous masculinity and eroticised femininity as the key

breathing tropes in cinema (ibid: 34). There are clearlymany other breathing

examplesinfictionfilmthatfalloutsideofthis.Fergusonhimselfhighlightsthe

importanceof thepresenceofairandbreath in thescience fictiongenre (ibid:

36). Recent films have used the prominent placement of breath for various

purposes,suchas:Gravity(AlfonsoCuarón,2013);MadMax:FuryRoad(George

Miller,2015);Anomalisa(DukeJohnson&CharlieKaufman,2015);Room(Lenny

Abrahamson,2015);TheRevenant(AlejandroG.Iñárritu,2015);Breathe(James

Doherty, 2015); andDon’tBreathe (Fede Alverez, 2016)withmany narratives

TheLabourofBreath

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focussedonthestruggle forbreathduetopanic/anxietyand injury/disability.4

It is to this focusondisabilityand the labouredbreathingofa character that I

willnowturnmyattention.

TheElephantMan

TheElephantManwas the firstmainstream filmdirected byDavid Lynch. The

filmtellsthe‘truestory’ofJohnMerrick(JohnHurt)asthe‘ElephantMan’whois

abusedandtreatedlikeacircusfreakbyhis ‘owner’MrBytes(FreddieJones).5

Merrick is rescued from his harsh existence by the doctor, Frederick Treves

(AnthonyHopkins).TrevessheltersMerrickathisworkplaceinLondonHospital.

Merrick’s physical disabilities included an enlarged skull, skin growths and

tumours, having grown asymmetrically with some extended digits. Merrick

struggledtobreatheduetotheovergrowthofhardenedskinandtumoursonhis

enlarged skull.6Throughout the filmMerrick’s breath is laboured and shallow

depictinghisdifficultiesincompletingeverydaytasksandinteractions.

Compounding his disability, Merrick’s environment is also significantly

polluted. Set in the 1880s, the air is seen to be thick with smog and this

4KevinBLeeinhisvideoessayWhodeservestowintheawardforbestlead

actressin2014breaksdownthebreathingperformanceofSandraBullockin

Gravity(AlfonsoCuarón,2013)andhighlightsthefactthatsheisheardbreathing

for62minutesor75%ofthefilm,whichismorethansheappearsonscreenat

61minutesor72%ofthefilm.5TheElephantMan,knowninDavidLynch’sfilmandmanyotherdocumentsas

JohnMerrick,wasactuallycalledJosephCareyMerrick.Hisstorywastoldinthe

bookTheTrueHistoryoftheElephantManwrittenbyMichaelHowellandPeter

Ford.ThroughoutthisarticleIwillrefertohimasJohnMerrickduetothe

centralityofthefilmtothisdiscussionandtoavoidfurtherconfusion.6MostrecentscientificresearchsuggeststhatMerrickmayhavesufferedfroma

combinationofNeurofibromatosistype1(Nf1)andProteussyndrome(PS),

althoughtherehasbeennoscientificconfirmationofthishypothesis.Therehave

beenrecentstudiesofMerrick’sDNAbutthesetestshaveproveninconclusive.

Formoreonthesetestssee(PaulSpiring2001:104).

TheLabourofBreath

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blackened air is visually and aurally related to the presence of industrial

machinery and the steam engine. Lynch’s film is in line with the criticism of

industrialisation thatwas prevalent in nineteenth century literature, as in, for

example,CharlesDickens’sHardTimes (1854)which issetslightlyearlier than

The Elephant Man. 7 Both Dickens and Lynch illustrate that the industrial

revolutionhadanenvironmentalimpactontheairquality-thelandandairwere

altered and shaped by industrial pollutants. However, it is the impact on the

peoplewho lived in these conditions that areof central concern.Documenting

theconditionsofworkersatthetime,FriedrichEngelswrites:

The centralisation of population in great cities exercises of

itselfanunfavourableinfluence;theatmosphereofLondoncan

neverbesopure,sorichinoxygen,astheairofthecountry…

The lungs of the inhabitants fail to receive the due supply of

oxygen, and the consequence ismental andphysical lassitude

and low vitality […] And if life in large cities is, in itself,

injurioustohealth,howgreatmustbetheharmfulinfluenceof

an abnormal atmosphere in the working-people's quarters,

where,aswehaveseen,everythingcombinestopoisontheair.

(1845:106)

7ItisinterestingtonotetheconnectionDickensmakesbetweenindustrial

machineryandtheelephant(1854:21).ThisconnectionisalsomadeinLynch’s

film,wherethereisaseriesofcutsbetweenmachinepistonsandthewild

actionsofanelephant.TheartistWilliamKentridgeinhisworkNoItIs!(beyond

themuseum)afivechannelvideoinstallationoftheshortfilmTheRefusalofTime

(2012)makesanexplicitreferencetoDickens’sHardTimesthroughakinetic

sculptureofTheElephantwhichalsovisuallyresemblesthepistonsand

industrialmachineryinLynch’sTheElephantMan.

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Merrick in Lynch’s film appears as the breathing lungs of this recently

industrialised world. Merrick’s body, already seen and heard as a site of

disability,ismosttaxedbythesteamandpollutionoftherailwaystation.Lynch

inan interviewmakesaconnectionbetweenMerrick’sbodyand the industrial

revolution, connecting explosions in industry to the papillomatous growths on

Merrick’sskin(Lynch2005:103).

When describing the soundscape of The Elephant Man, Michel Chion

suggeststhatthereisadualitytothesoundscreated:

Alan Splet is credited with The Elephant Man’s sound design.

Although Lynch and he did not have the same opportunities for

fantasy that they had enjoyed onEraserhead, they succeeded in

usingthekindofelementsofthesettingwementionedearlierto

introduce the sounds of dull thudding, the hiss and whistles

produced by the steam, and even the sound of a soft wind of

cosmicproportions.Thesesoundsaresignalledtothespectator’s

ear by the device, already applied in Eraserhead, of cutting the

soundpreciselywhentheshotchanges(asinthescenewherethe

night falls in the hospital room). In some scenes, an abstract

cosmic murmur can be heard although the setting in no way

requires it.Thismurmur isalways inapreciseregister,which is

Lynch’sown,evokingintimacy,theworld’svoicespeakinginour

ear.(2006:51-52)

Thewind, steam, hiss,whistles anddull thudding that Chion refers to are the

sounds of noise and air pollution of the industrial revolution. Lynch has said,

‘Industrializationisneveracentraltheme,butitalwayslurksinthebackground’

TheLabourofBreath

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(2005: 114). However, the cosmic murmuring sounds that Splet creates for

Lynchareproducedfor thepurposesofofferingmorethanarealisticmaterial

portrayal of nineteenth century England. These sounds have the effect of

providingaspiritualdimensionwithinthenarrativeandestablishaconnection

between Merrick’s suffering and universal suffering, seen and heard most

distinctly in the opening and closing scene of the film. In a special tribute to

Splet’sworkinMixMagazine,thesounddesignerRandyThomrecallsthisaspect

ofSplet’scontributiontothesounddesigninTheElephantMan:

Even in the darkestmoments ofTheElephantMan,whenAlan’s

19th-century industrial sound atmosphere is at its most

sorrowful, there is something implied in the track as well, the

promiseofjoy.(1995:148)

Thomsuggests thatSpletwasable tocreate ‘apromiseof joy’withinthenoisy

soundscapesof industrialEngland. Splet’smusical ear ledhim to create subtle

differencesinthetonalitiesoftheatmospherictracksthatshiftedtheambiences

fromanindustrialrealitytothatofametaphoricandhopefulsoundscape.8Iwill

come back to this later to discuss how in allowing characters’ to listen in the

railway station scene in The Elephant Man, we the audience are given an

opportunitytolistentothecharactersonscreenlistening,layeringourlistening

ontopoftheirs.Itisinlisteningtobreathandthesoundscapethatthepresence

ofhopeandjoycanbeperceivedinthesoundtrackofthisfilm.

8Spletwasacellistandcontinuedtoplaymusicthroughouthislife.OnPhilip

Kaufman’sfilms,TheUnbearableLightnessofBeing,HenryandJuneandRising

SunSpletwascreditedbothassounddesignerandmusiceditorforthefilms.For

moreonthisseeGreene2011.

TheLabourofBreath

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Chion also makes the connection between Merrick’s breathing and the

portrayalofindustrialEngland:

Anothermajorsoundeffectinthefilminvolvestheinsistenceon

Merrick’s laboured,asthmatic, terrorisedbreathing,wellbefore

we have seen his features hidden under his hood, as if there

were a continuum between the sensation (conveyed primarily

throughthesound)ofthisworn,sufferingbodilymachineryand

thefilm’srenderingofindustry.(2006:52)

InanearlyscenewhenTrevesisseenoperatingonapatient,hecomplainsabout

themachines that cause such accidents and argues that there is no reasoning

withamachine.Treves’commentcontextualisesthenewlyemergentmachinery

andstressestheproblemsinherentwithaburgeoningindustrialsociety.Laterin

the isolationward,Merrick’s breathing can be heard alongside the heightened

soundofthemechanismoftheclocktower.9Thesesoundstogetherremindthe

audience thatevery labouredbreath isvitally important forMerrick’s survival.

Time is ebbing for Merrick, and machine and breath are linked here to

metaphoricallypunctuatethepassingoftime.

ThedifficultiesinherentinperformingMerrickarethatheiscoveredina

hood for the first twenty-four minutes of the film, and that the profound

disfigurement of his face, presented through extensive special effectsmakeup

created by Christopher Tucker, allows for little facial expression. Merrick’s

gaspingasthmaticbreath initiallyneeds toconveyhissufferingbutwhenhe is

unmasked and Treves realises he understands him and can speak, his voice

9InTheElephantMansectionoftheSoundMountainarchiveDavidLynchcanbe

heardcreatingthesoundoftheclocktoweralongsideAlanSpletandAnn

Kroeber.Allthreewereinvolvedinshapingthissound.

TheLabourofBreath

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becomesacriticalcomponentinexpressinghischaracter.Voiceandaccentwere

essentialinstitchingtheaudienceintolatenineteenthcenturyEngland.

Withoutaccesstothearchive,ChionmistakenlysuggeststhatHurt’svocal

performanceispurelyhisownwork:

Withoutanytechnicalartifice,HurtgivesMerrickanastonishing

falsetto which combines the laboured speech of the

handicapped,theplaintiveintonationsofawhinychildand,once

the elephant man has become fashionable, the accents of high

society. The unusualness of thismixture contributes greatly to

the film. In addition, the naturalness and rhythm of Hurt’s

gesturesareimpressive.(ibid:58)

Chion’sassertionthattherewasnotechnicalartificeisnotcorrect,asalmostall

performances and dialogue tracks are worked on and improved by post-

production sound teams.10All film performances involve technical artifice as

they are all mediated. That is not to undermine what Hurt achieves with his

vocalisationsandthroughthetransformationofhisvoiceinportrayingMerrick’s

changing social position within society. Hurts’ breath and voice contribute

greatly to the film and allow his character to move beyond the hood and

disfigurementand,instead,insisttheaudiencerelatetoandempathisewithhis

suffering.Hurt’sbreathingandstressonwordsareaidedbythedialogueediting

andthesounddesignworkofSpletandhiscrew.

10Mostcinemaindustriesemploypost-productionsoundtoimproveuponwhat

wascapturedonset.TheDogme95movementandMumblecoreproductionsare

examplesofsomepracticesthatdonotengageinextensivepost-production

time;however,thesetypesoffilmarelesstypicalexamplesofcinematicoutputs.

TheLabourofBreath

16

Given that the SoundMountain archive is composed, predominantly, of

soundeffectsandsounddesigncompositions, it issignificantthattherecorded

soundsofHurtbreathingareamongstthesmallnumberofitemstakenfromthe

productionsoundtrackofTheElephantMan.ThereisonlyoneProToolssession

(labelledSyncTakes, reelnumber777),whichcontainsproductionsyncsound

fromthefilm.11Thisincludes:Slate437Takes4-5(TrevesintroducesMerrickto

his newhome,Merrick is heard breathing and slurping through his dialogue);

Slate438Takes1-4(Merricksnoring);Slate452Takes1-2(Merrickbreathing

and whimpering); Slate 461 Takes 1-2 (Merrick’s laboured breathing as he is

chased,wallaof chase, and then full scene for ‘No! I amnot ananimal…’); and

Slate462Takes1-2(shorterslatetopreviousone,startingwith‘No!Iamnotan

animal…’).ThepresenceoftheseitemsinthearchiveindicatethatSpletandhis

team of sound post-production personnel paid particular attention to Hurt’s

breathingperformances forMerrick. Theremaybe a pragmatic reason for the

inclusionofsomeof theseproductionslates.Forexample, forSlate438Take2

the camera can be heard prominently throughout the take ofMerrick snoring,

thesoundofthe35mmcamerawouldneedtobefilteredoutforthefinalfilm,as

itwasasthecamerasoundisnotpresentinthereleasedfilm.ForSlates461and

462thereisgreateremphasisontheclarityofthebreathinthefinalfilmtowhat

is heard in the production track. These slates needed to be cleaned-up - the

background soundof runningwater is reducedbut not totally removed in the

11ItisbeyondthescopeofthisarticletogiveanextensiveoverviewoftheSound

Mountainarchiveandthearchivalprocessesinvolvedinpreservingthislibrary.

However,itisimportanttopointoutherethatallofthemagneticsoundreelsfor

TheElephantManweredigitizedandmadeintoProToolssessions.Allofthe

soundthatwaspreservedfromthesoundeffectsreelsforthefilmwasaccessed

digitally.

TheLabourofBreath

17

finalfilm.Aclean-upwasalsoperformedontheproductiontrackbecauseHurt’s

voice is close to distorting on a number of occasions during these takes;

however,thedistortionisnotpresentinthefilmsoundtrack.12Thebreathcould

beconsideredhereassoundeffectorsounddesignofferingafurthertextureto

thesoundscape.Theclean-upoftheproductiontracksisperformedtoenhance

the audibility of the actor’s voice. From the final film I can surmise that Splet

usedHurt’sbreathandvocalisationstosomedegree,althoughtheextentofthis

useisunclearasthereisnodetailedwrittenaccountofthisinthesoundeffects

catalogueforTheElephantMan.

Within the written catalogue for The Elephant Man is the inclusion of

notes for wind, air, gas and steam recordings - for example, muffled Bunsen

burner for Bytes’ shop, factory steam puffs, gas lamp pressure, kitchen stove

presence,steamforhospitalboilercloseupanddistant,hospitalsteamexterior

andinterior,windforBelgiancircus,morningandnightwindforBelgiancircus,

morningwindTrevesexteriorandinterior(seefigure1and2).Anattentionto

airy sounds ispartof Splet’s aesthetic taste andone thathebroughtwithhim

ontomanyprojects.13

InTheElephantManwehaveaconsciouschoicetoincludeairandother

airy sounds to represent the environment. Alongside breath these aural

12ThenotesforTheElephantManarenotextensiveanddonotincludedetailsof

processesappliedtocleanupsound,perhapsduetothefactthatthisisanormal

post-productionprocessanddoesnotneedtobenoted.Whatisincludedinthe

notesforTheElephantManarethesoundeffectsrecordedandsourcedtobuild

upthebackgroundlayersofthesoundtrack/soundscapeandtheinclusionof

animalsoundsandprocessingofthemother’svoice.13DuringtheextendedproductionperiodofEraserhead,Spletwentawayfor

overayeartoliveinIona,offthecoastofScotlandandthereherecordedmany

reelsofwindsounds,whichareusedinmanyfilmstoday.Kroeberiscurrently

curatingaspecialeditionreleaseofthesewindsfortheHollywoodEdge

collection.

TheLabourofBreath

18

componentsmakeupthesoundscapeofMerrick’sworld.Thepresenceofairhas

meaningincinema,Fergusoncontends,since‘thereisnocaseofairaccidentally

wandering onto the set; air must be summoned up, cast, given a contract,

pampered.Forthisreason,airisneverwastedinafilm—theeffortalonemakes

it meaningful’ (2011: 36). Lynch and Splet spent considerable time in post-

productionworkingon thesounddesign for the film.Spletnotes, ‘OnElephant

Manwespent63consecutivedayswithoneanother(longerthanthedurationof

principalphotography)’(SpletinGentry1984:63).Theextentoftimespenton

sound design for the film is important, as it allowed Splet and Lynch the

opportunitytodesignaworldthatwascomplex,metaphoricandemotive.They

hadauniquecollaborativerelationship,workingverycloselyforlongperiodsin

post-production.14

ThetimeandcreativeapproachundertakenbySpletandLynchtotheedit

and sound design is best exemplified in the climatic railway station scene

mentionedabove.Inthisscenewecanseeandhearaconnectionbeingmadeto

industry, environment, air, steam, breath, with a disabled struggling man

surroundedbyhostilemasses.At(01:43:26)wecanseethetraininthedistance

insideprofilemovingbesidethewatercomingtowardsthecamera.Wehearthe

engine ina judderingconstantrhythm- jadadada jadadada jadadada jadadada.

Afterthisshotthereisahardsoundcuttoanothershotwhereweseethetrain

much closer and from front on. We hear the train at a higher volume to the

previous shot, the rhythm has also changed, now sounding more like -

dadadadadadadadadadadadadadadada. Another picture cut offers a different

14Spletwasalsofortunatetohaveworkedonanumberoffilmsthathad

extensiveperiodsofpost-productionwhichallowedhimtimetoexperimentand

createdetailedsoundscapesthatworkedandmixedwellwiththemusictracks.

TheLabourofBreath

19

sloweddownrhythmofthetrainasitentersthestation.Thevolumeremainsthe

sametothepreviousshotasweseethesteamfromthetrainmovinguptowards

the roof of the railway station. Awhistle and hiss can be heard alongside the

brakesofthetrainastheenginesoundsfadeoutinthesoundscape.AsMerrick

disembarks the train an engine sound re-emerges, the sound develops and

increases in themix, the rhythmbecoming a constant beat as a boy begins to

harassMerrickandfollowshimupthestairs.

JohnMorris’smusicalscorefor‘TrainStation’isfadedin,therhythmand

pacingofthemusicisnowheardinsyncwiththeheightenedsoundofthesteam

engine,which is coming frombelow thebridge.At thispointwe see twoboys

joining the firstboy, theharassmentgainingmomentum innumbersandsonic

elements.AsMerrickmovesawayasfastashecanfromtheboys,heaccidently

knocksagirltotheground,whichgainstheattentionofagroupofmen.Aman

removes Merrick’s hood and it is only at this point that we begin to hear

Merrick’s breath within this scene, his laboured breath becoming more

prominentashemovesdownthestairsasquicklyashecan.Hisbreathingisthe

samepaceandrhythmnowasthemusicalscoreandthejudderingsoundofthe

steam engine. All three sonic elements are layered andmixed together which

heightensthiscrisispointforMerrick.Thevolumeisloudwithinthissequence,

anditisloudforapurpose.

WhenMerrickarrivesatthegatedareaandrealiseshecannotescapethe

men, both the sound of the train and music fade away to the roar of the

approachingmen.Merrick’svoicecuts throughtheirdin.Whenheshouts, ‘No’,

thebackgroundsoundquietensto listentowhathehastosay.Afewfootsteps

canbeheard,butapartfromthisinitialshufflingsoundthesoundtrackoffersa

TheLabourofBreath

20

dynamically different background, it is relatively silent in comparison to the

volumewehavejustheard.Merrickexclaims,‘Iamnotanelephant.Iamnotan

animal.Iamahumanbeing.Aman.Aman.’Somewalla/rhubarbsoundscanbe

heardwhenMerrickcollapsestotheground.

This moment of relative silence and stillness is an important one to

unpick.WithinthisscenewearelisteningtoMerrickexclaimthatheneedstobe

treated just like everyone else,with some human dignity. Butwe are not just

listeningtoMerrick,wearealsolisteningtothemenwhosurroundhimlistening

tohim.Wearewatchingthemandwehearthathiswordsarehavinganimpact

onthem.Althoughhiswordsaresurroundedbyhisslurpingvocalisationandhe

iswheezingforbreath,hehastheabilitytoholdtheattentionofhisaudience.By

creating a scenewith a dynamic range of sound through varying rhythms and

different amplitude, we begin to hear not just the action but also ourselves

listeningintothatverysameaction.15

Merrick’sbreathisprominentthroughoutthisscene,accompaniedbythe

slurpingsoundshemakesashetalks.Withinthislargersequencewehaveheard

Merrick moving in sync with the pace of the train and music. The realist

production sound is minimised; we cannot clearly hear the first boy as he

harassesMerrick rather it is the impressionofharassment that is conveyed to

theaudience.Thebreathing issynchedwithothersounds inorder toelicit the

frantic nature of this chase sequence. What is achieved here is an affective

experiencebasedonseeingandhearingMerrick’sbodybeingchasedandfeeling

15ChionhasspokenaboutthissilenceattheSchoolofSoundwhenhesaid,‘Any

silencemakesusfeelexposed,asifitwerelayingbareourownlistening,butalso

asifwewereinthepresenceofagiantear,tunedtoourownslightestnoises.We

arenolongermerelylisteningtothefilm,weareasifitwerebeinglistenedtoby

itaswell’(2003:151).

TheLabourofBreath

21

thatrhythmandthreat.JoannaWeirOustonoutlinesthistypeofrapidbreathing

asaprimitiveresponsetodanger(2009:95).Wefeelthepanicofthechasewith

Merrick. This is one of the most affective sequences in cinema due to the

attention paid to the editing of breath, the sound of the train and the music,

which are allmixed together.ThroughHurt’s performance, especially fromhis

breathingandslurpingvocalisations,arichillustrationofMerrick’scharacteris

drawn.WemakesomeconnectionwithMerrickthroughhiseyesbutalotofour

empathy comes from hearing the strained vocalisations of his character.

Merrick’s disabled body becomes something with which we can sonically

empathise, and this is due to a well-designed and -edited soundtrack, picture

composition,cut,narrativeandactingperformance.

Splet’s general interest in airy sounds informed theuseof an industrial

atmosphereforthisfilm,whichisfilledwithwinds,steamsandothergassounds.

Theseairysoundsworkexceptionallywellindetailingthepoisonedairqualityof

industrialEnglandinthelatenineteenthcentury,buttheyalsofurthercrystallise

Merrick’scharacterashestrugglestobreathe.Thelayeringandmixingofairand

breathbuild and fadeaway throughout the film, illustrating the temporalityof

Merrick’sshortlife.

RisingSun

Rising Sun, based on the 1992 eponymous novel byMichael Crichton, tells the

storyofJapanesebusinessinterestsintheUSA.Itrepresentsamomentofcrisis

forAmericancapitalismduringthetechnologicalordigitalrevolution.American

business is stumbling in comparison to Japanese corporations and this ismost

keenly illustrated through the depiction of diminishing oil reserves. The plot

TheLabourofBreath

22

centresonthemurderofawhitesexworker,CherylAustin(TatjanaPatitz),ona

boardroomtableinLosAngeles.ThismurderiscommittedbyaJapanesemanin

thebook,andmostlikelybyawhiteAmericanmaninthefilm(thefilmleavesan

elementofambiguityovertherealmurdererofthewoman).16RisingSuninmany

waysplaysouttheracetensionsofmanyAmericancitiesintheearly1990s,but

specificallytheproblemsthatwereencounteredinLosAngeleswherethefilmis

set.17

AswithTheElephantManenvironmentalissuescanbeseenandheardin

thefilm,throughnarrative,genre,cinematography,soundscapeandthebreathing

charactersonscreen.Alongsideconcernsaboutoilreserves,theairandsmogof

thecity figureprominently inthisneo-noir film.Thepresenceofairandbreath

are both literalised and metaphorically applied to the soundscape, and

controllingairandbreathisimportantwithinthenarrative.CaptainJohnConnor

(Sean Connery) can be seen blowing on a mirror disclosing the absence of a

photograph,which isakeyplotpoint.He isalsoseenperformingamartialarts

move on an opponent’s throat that leaves his foe gasping for breath. The air

quality inLosAngelesappears tobesimilarlybreathlessdue to thebuildupof

16Kaufmanadaptedthefilmforthescreen,initiallywiththeaidofCrichtonand

MichaelBackes.AfterCrichtonandBackesquitduetodisagreements,Kaufman

wentontomakesignificantchangesintheadaptation.HecastWesleySnipesto

playacharacter,Lt.Smith,whowaswrittenupasawhitepoliceofficerinthe

book.Kaufmanmadeotherracechanges,predominantlytocreateambiguityfor

theendingofthefilm,muddyingtheconclusionofthecase,leavingitunresolved

overwhokilledAustin.Kaufman’sadaptationisnotasovertlyracistasthebook

butsomeofthemontageandsound/musicchoicesimplicitlydenigratethe

Japanesecommunity,inparticulartheuseofTaikodrummingoverthemurder

sequence.Itisoutsidethescopeofthisarticletodealwiththeracistapplication

ofmusicinRisingSun;however,DeborahWonghaspreviouslywrittenan

excellentpieceonthistopic(seeDeborahWong,2006).17LosAngeleswastobeasignificantfocalpointforracetensionsduetothe

beatingofRodneyKing,andaftertheacquittalofthepoliceinvolved,

subsequentlyleadingtotheLAriotsof1992.

TheLabourofBreath

23

smog in thecity;ahazeofsmog ispresent inallof theexteriordaytimescenes

withinthefilm.

Contemplating the presence of smog in the environment, Steven Connor

notes:

Asindustrialsmokewasaddedtodomestically-producedsmoke,

smogs not only got worse, they began to be identified with

broader fears, about contagion, for example, or the contagious

effects of revolution […] Smog is a ghastly parody of the living

second skin of the atmosphere. It seems to signify the

decomposition of the differences and distinctions that make

meaningpossibleatall. It is thecloudofourunknowing,bitter

asphyxiaofourself-sameness.(2002:np)

Connor isdescribingthepresenceofsmogduringtheFrenchrevolution(1789-

1799),buthisdescriptionalsoprovidesafruitfulwaytoconsiderthesmogofthe

LAriots,representedintelevisionnewsandimagesfromnewspapers,withblack

smokebillowingoutofburntoutcarsandbuildings.DouglasMuzzio,inhiswork

on the American city in cinema, suggests that, ‘Cities, to many Americans, are

dirty, dangerous, and congested, homes of the unhealthy, the immoral, and the

foreign, in short, sinkholes to be avoided, not treasures to be sought or even

problems to be solved’ (1996: 192). Muzzio, drawing on the writings of

sociologists White and White, traces this argument back to leading thinkers,

authorsandwriters,suchasThomasJefferson,EdgarAllanPoe,HermanMelville

and Frank Lloyd Wright, suggesting there has been a bias against the city in

writing and intellectual discussion since the foundation of the American state.

WhiteandWhitesuggestthatcitiesseemtobe:

TheLabourofBreath

24

too big, too noisy, too dusky, too smelly, too commercial, too

crowded, too full of immigrants, too full of Jews, too full of

Irishmen, Italians, Poles, too artificial, destructive of

conversation, destructive of communication, too greedy, too

capitalistic, toofullofautomobiles, toofullofsmog,toofullof

dust[...].(1962:222)

Theconnectioninthecitybetweensmog,dirtandracismareclearlyarticulated

inRisingSun.Therewereanumberoffilmsthatcameoutaboutracerelationsin

LosAngelesaroundthesametimeasRisingSun, suchas:WhiteMenCan’tJump

(RonShelton,1992);BoyzntheHood(JohnSingleton,1991);andGrandCanyon

(LawrenceKasdan,1991).However, it isonlyRisingSun thatmakesanexplicit

connectionbetweenbuiltupcities,smogandracetensions.

InRisingSunAustinisrepresentedasasexworkerwithapreferencefor

sexual asphyxiation. The fact that she is choked to death allows some space

(deeplyproblematicas it is) tosuggest totheaudiencethatshewasaskingfor

thiskindofaction,ifnotmurderitself.AlthoughweareintroducedtoAustinat

the beginning of the film, we are not given much time to connect with her

characterassheismurderedinthetwelfthminuteofthefilm.Hermurderistoa

certain extent dismissed and condonedwithin the narrative due to her sexual

preferences.Laterinthefilm,Kaufmandecidedtouseherbreathassoundeffect

in a number of scenes. In an interview with Gavin Smith, Kaufman takes full

creditatscriptstageforthisuseofasynchronoussound.Whenaskedspecifically

by Smith about his collaborationwith his sound designer - ‘What ideas about

sounddesigndidyoucomeupwithAlanSplet?’-Kaufmanreplies:

Wesley thinkshe’s closing inon themurderer.Andas timegoes

TheLabourofBreath

25

on, itbecomesclear that thingsareclosing inonhimaswell.As

you search the mystery, the mystery searches for you. Sound

beginstocloseinaroundthem.Rightfromthestart,we’rehearing

thewindshieldwiperswiththegaspingsoundofthestrangledgirl

–weusedthegirl’svoice.Thegaspingsoundisevenhiddeninthe

soundoftheoilwells,infrontofwhichSnipesandConneryhave

their confrontation, so that it really is saying, You have to get

going. Even some of those optical wipes have a little sense of

breath. It’s almost like she’s calling from beyond the grave – I

wroteitthatwayinthescript.(1993:40)

Austin’sbreathismixedwiththesoundofwindshieldwipersandoilwells,andis

alsoincludedinthewipesoftheedit.Kaufmanoutlineswhyheusedthevoiceof

the‘girl’afterherdeathasthepolicesearchforhermurderer.Thesoundbecomes

associatedwithLt. Smith (Wesley Snipes) as hepursues the killer.Hehearsher

breathing and later sees her in a flashback; her breathing is present in order to

hauntthesoundscape.Fromanarrativeperspective,problemsarisewiththisuse

ofsoundeffectasthissound,orlatertheimageofAustin,isnotonethatLt.Smith

could have witnessed. There is no link between Lt. Smith’s recall and what he

actuallyheardandsawontherecordedCCTVfootage.Whatisseenandhearddoes

not conform to cinematic conventions of point-of-viewor point-of-audition. This

useofsoundillustratesthatanasynchronousapproachisnotalwayspossible,and

thatsometimesthemetaphorcanbestretchedtoofar.18

InthewrittencataloguesforRisingSun intheSoundMountainarchivethere

18WalterMurchhasnotedthatthemetaphoricuseofsounddoesnotalways

succeedincinema(1994:xx).

TheLabourofBreath

26

areanumberoflistingsforthesoundofwindscreenwipers.Thisisimportantas

thewindscreenwipers are often in usewhen Lt. Smith is in the car, due to the

presence of rain.Moreover, the soundof thewipers becomes central because of

thewayinwhichKaufmanwantedthesoundofthewoman’sgaspingbreathtobe

mixedandsynchedupwith these sounds.Toget thewipersandbreath towork

togetherrequiredexperimentingwithvariousvehiclesandmicrophonedistances.

The breathing and gasping soundswere recorded from at least two voices

(vocalisedbyKroeberandanotherwomannamedinthearchiveas‘Laura’).19This

indicatesthattheactorTatjanaPatitzdidnotprovidethesebreathingsounds.This

isperhapsunsurprisingasPatitzwasbetterknownasasupermodel; in fact, this

washerfirstproperfilmperformance.Herroleissomewhatdismissedinareview

byVincentCanbyintheNewYorkTimeswhenhesays, ‘Ms.Patitzdoesn'tgetthe

opportunity to saymuch, but she's a very attractive victim’ (2003: np).Hiring a

supermodel to act as a sexworker -who is killed offwithin the opening twelve

minutes of the film - limits Patitz’s opportunities to perform amore significant

role.Howeverherbodyisseenondisplaythroughflashbackandherbreathlives

oninthesoundtrackthroughoutthefilm.

Various breath recordings were lined up with different sounds for wipers

andoilwells, andwere thenmixed together and synched topicture.A final edit

effects list is included in the archive with the time and frame numbers to sync

thesebreathingandwipersounds(seefigures3,4and5).Thiswouldhavebeen

intricate work in getting the various windscreen wipers, oil wells and gasping

soundstoworkinsyncwiththepicture.Thesoundsneededtobevariedtoavoid

19Kroeberinformedmeininterviewthatshedidsomeofthesevocalisations

herself(2007:np).

TheLabourofBreath

27

appearing like the same breath and wiper movement repeated over and over

again.Thistypeofsoundeditingisstandardpracticeforsoundeffectseditors.

Although the sound effects are technically well-executed, the narrative

motivationtoincludethemlacksaconnectionwithacharacter’spoint-of-viewor

point-ofauditionasmentionedabove.Thus,asynchronoussoundfallsshorthere.

Thereisnothingtechnicallyorcreativelywrongwiththissound,butthestoryhas

notopenedupagapforametaphoricuseofsoundtooccur.ThesoundofAustin’s

breathintheoilwellsislessobviousand,infact,couldbemissediftheaudience

was not specifically listening out for it. AlthoughKaufman expresses a desire to

create a mystery with this sound, instead it draws attention to the lack of

ambiguityandsubtletypresentinthefilm.

TrailerforRisingSun

The use of Austin’s breath for the trailer of the film is perhaps even more

contentious,asituseshergaspingbreathtocreateaneroticchargetopromotethe

film.ThefirstsoundheardonthetrailerisAustin’sgaspingbreathexaggeratedin

volumetowhatisactuallyheardinthefilm.Thisgaspingvocalisationaccompanies

theappearanceonscreenof theTwentiethCenturyFox logo.When takenoutof

thecontextofthefilmandusedforapromotionaladvertisingtrailer,thebreathy

vocalisations become eroticised without the audience being aware of the

significance of this choking breath. The eroticised breath of Austin is used

throughout the trailer to punctuate the action. This is a cynical use of female

vocalisationthatineffectfetishizesthesoundofawomanassheismurdered.The

dubiousmannerinwhichthegaspingbreathisusedinthefeaturefilmisfurther

compoundedhere,leavingthetrailersoundinglesslikeathrilleroreroticthriller

TheLabourofBreath

28

andmorethatoftheapornographicfilmorsnuffmovie.

Drawing on the work of Linda Williams on hard-core pornographic film

Fergusonproposesthatthesoundofpornographyisthesoundofexhalation:

Theaural landscapeofhard-core films,mainly feminine,serves

to prove to the viewer that pleasure is occurring […] diegetic

sound in the pornographic film is primarily the sound of

exhalation,breath,oftheimmaterialaspectofsexualitythatisso

difficulttoshow—pleasure.(2011:41)

The affect of this repeated use of sound effect in the feature film could prove

disturbing for an audience. To listen to the gasping breath of a woman being

chokedtodeathmixedwithwindscreenwipers,oilwells,andintheopticalwipes

of the edit is to be placed in an uncomfortable position with a fetishized aural

object. For it to be indicated in the narrative that this is her sexual preference

allowsthefilmmakersomescopetoexploitthissound.Butwhenthesoundinturn

becomesthesoundofamurder,andthenisrepeatedlyused,thatsoundcreatesa

significant ideological problem for the film. And when an unknowing audience,

watching a trailer for a film they have not yet seen, hears this sound then the

inclusionofthebreathbecomesevenmoreexploitative.

There is no information about the making of the trailer in the Sound

Mountain archive. James Deaville and AgnesMalkinson’s extensive international

research intothe filmtraileroffersausefulwaytoconsider thetrailer forRising

Sun. They note that it is difficult to find out information about the making of

trailers (2014: 130). The fact that Kaufman takes credit for the sound of the

gaspingbreath in the feature filmmaysuggest that itwashis idea to feature the

breathsoprominentlywithinthefilm’strailer.However,itmightalsobethecase

TheLabourofBreath

29

thatnodiscussionoccurredbetween themakersof the trailer andKaufmanand

the sound team and instead the trailer producers used the breath due to its

narrativeplacementwithinthefilm.

DeavilleandMalkinsonoutlinewhatare the typical sonic featuresofover

100trailersthattheyhaveanalysed,stating:

Theydemonstrateingeneralhowstudiosexploitwhatcouldbe

called a ‘trailer ear’,which, in contrastwith narrative film: (1)

normalizesheightenedaudiopracticesofsaturation,densityand

volume (sonic over-determination as a style feature); (2)

compresses and minimizes traditional thematic/structural

devices like leitmotif and rounded musical forms; (3) elevates

sound to the level of formal element; (4) relies upon aural

montage as a constitutive feature of trailer narrative; and (5)

intensifiestheexperienceoftemporalizationthroughsynchresis

betweensoundandimage.Inotherwords,thetrailerexperience

of the cinematic ear is excessively sonorous, musically

constricted, sequentially constructed, and audiovisually

compressed.(2014:124-125)

ItisclearthattheRisingSuntrailerdoesfallintothecommonsoundscapeofthe

‘trailer ear’, displaying characteristics that are ‘excessively sonorous,musically

constricted, sequentially constructed, and audiovisually compressed’. It will be

interesting to see what happens when this research team approach hybrid

crossoverfilms,whichwasoutsideofthescopeoftheirinitialproject,butIwould

suspect that theRisingSun trailerwouldsound likeotheraction/neo-noir/soft-

porntrailersifsuchahybridcrossoverthreadwereestablished.The‘excessively

TheLabourofBreath

30

sonorous’elementsofthebreaththatareprominentinthetrailerexacerbatethe

useofbreathwithinthefeaturefilm.

As a consequence, the trailer for Rising Sun can be deemed more

exploitative than the feature filmdue to theaural shorthandof the ‘trailerear’.

Deaville and Malkinson suggest that this is understandable due to the time

constraintsoftheform(2014:125).Butitdoesraisethequestionofhowsoundis

used and inwhat context it is played in, as the trailer forRising Sun does not

accountforthebreathbeingheardoutofcontext.Theremaybeethicalquestions

thatarespecifictotheproductionoffilmtrailers.

Conclusion

In Rising Sun the gasping breath is synched precisely in the edit with the

windscreenwipers,oilwellsandopticalwipes.ButunlikeTheElephantMan,there

is no extended sequencewhere those sounds are attached towhat is heard and

experiencedbyacharacterwithinthediegesis,throughpoint-of-vieworpoint-of-

audition.AlthoughKaufmanattachedthissoundandrecalltoLt.Smith,itdoesnot

convince,asSmithdidnotwitnessthismurder,ormoreprecisely,hedidnothear

thissoundcomingfromtheCCTVfootage.Someofthebreathingsoundsarevery

lowinthemix,especiallywhencoupledwiththeoilwells,andthiscouldsuggesta

lackofconfidence inthissoundchoice in themix.Bycontrast,TheElephantMan

uses theeditandsounddesignofbreathing insyncwith thesoundof thesteam

trainengineand thepaceofMorris’soriginal score togivea subjectivepoint-of-

auditionofMerrick’sanxiety.Thebreathingismadeoverthere,mixingwithother

airysoundsanditispurposefullyloud.

TheLabourofBreath

31

RisingSun andTheElephantMan prominentlydeploy the soundofbreath

fordifferentpurposes.Thisbreathingsoundallowsaway forus to thinkabout

genderanddisabilityandatthesametimeexperiencethesocialcontextofthat

soundwithinthebroaderenvironmentalsoundscape.However, it isnotenough

to realise technically great sound. A film needs to be served through the

integration of all of its elements: scriptwriting, direction, actor’s performance,

cinematography, costume, production design, hair and make-up, special visual

effects, editing, sound design and music to create a significantly a/effective

cinematicexperience. Soundalonecannotcreateamystery if there isnospace

forthatmysterywithinthefilm.

Throughmy research into the archive, listening to the sound reels asPro

Tools sessions and reading through thewritten catalogues, I havebeen able to

seeandhearsomeoftheprocesses(documentedinthearchive)undertakenby

Spletandhisteamonthesetwofilms.ForTheElephantMan,Ihavebeenableto

problematize Chion’s assertion that Hurt’s performance was ‘without any

technical artiface’, hearing the clean-up on the production sound for the film,

listening to various takes illustrates the ‘technical artifice’ inherent in sound

design. On Rising Sun, I was able to see and hear the sync points created for

breath,viewtheextentofrecordingscreatedforthecarsandwindshieldwipers,

andlearnaboutthedifferentvoicesthatperformedAustin’sbreathyutterances.

Researchintothesounddesignarchiveallowsforabroadenedunderstandingof

whatthepost-productionsoundcrewintendedforafilm.Someofthisevidenceis

clearlypresent in thearchive,but it isalso throughsomeof themarginaliaand

paraphernaliathatinterestingandcriticalinformationhasbeengarnered.Jaimie

Baroninherworkonarchivalresearchsuggeststhat:

TheLabourofBreath

32

[a]lthoughtheyacknowledgethatthehistorical“real”cannever

beaccessedassuch,NewHistoricistsoftensearchthearchivefor

eccentricanecdotesandenigmaticfragmentsthat interruptand

exceedthehomogenizingforceofgrandnarrativesbygrounding

themselvesinthecontingentandunruly“real”.(2013:110)

Inthe‘eccentricanecdotes’and‘enigmaticfragments’fromSoundMountainIhave

been able to garner some items of interest. Hearing Lynch, Splet and Kroeber

togetheronarecordingcreatingthesoundeffectsfortheclocktoweroffersaway

into reading the auteur and collaborator relationship and how this is

problematizedwithin thiscasestudy.Thisarticleasserts theneed to include the

work of the sound designer in considering how breath is shaped in fiction film.

Through interview and archival research there ismuch to be learned about the

sounddesigner’smethodology.

WalterMurch, inhisbookIntheBlinkofanEye,suggeststhataudiences

holdbackfromcoughingwhentheyareemotionallyandintellectuallyabsorbed

byafilm(1995:71).Theaudienceareliterallyholdingtheirbreathandkeeping

theirbodiesincheckduringheightenedmoments.Whenweexperiencecinema

communallywemaybecomeawareofourownbody,thebodiesoftheaudience

aroundusand thebodiesonscreen. Inherwritingabout theatre,KatyaBloom

suggeststhatthisknowledgeoccurs‘withoutgoingthroughacognitiveprocess’

(2009:237). Wearenotalwaysconsciousofourbreathingbodies.Itwouldbe

exhausting toattend toourownbreathingand thebreathingofothers, as it is

suchaconstantpresenceinourlives.AstheeditorsofBreathinActionsuggest:

At a rate of approximately eighteen times per minute, one

thousand and eighty times an hour and twenty-five thousand

TheLabourofBreath

33

ninehundredandtwentytimesaday,itisnotsurprisingthereis

adesiretoignorethiscomplex,repetitiveactivity.Clearly,tobe

consciousofitatalltimeswouldbeunbearable.(Boston&Cook

2009:13)

And yet, there is clearly something to be gained from paying attention to this

aspectofthesoundtrack.Wecanlearn,aswedofromthesetwoexamples,that

complex details of ethics, narrative, character and the environment can be

distilledsuccinctlythroughthecloseattentiontohowanactorlabourstobreathe

in film and how the sound designer labours to design that breath for the

soundtrack.

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