How Sound of Metal Created the Audio illusion of Going Deaf (ft. Oscar Winner Nicolas Becker)
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- Опубліковано 22 кві 2021
- The sound design of Sound of Metal does an incredible job of using its soundtrack to create the illusion of going deaf. So we talked to the film’s sound designer (and supervising sound editor) Nicoals Becker to tell us how he recorded and edited the sound of Sound of Metal.
This in depth sound design analysis on Sound of Metal (2020) is not one of those Sound of Metal explained videos. Instead, this video essay uses a Nicolas Becker interview to highlight interesting aspects of the Sound of Metal sound design. We’ll look at specific Sound of Metal clips, including the Sound of Metal scene where Ruben (Riz Ahmed) gets his hearing tested and the final Sound of Metal scene where Lou (Oiliva Cooke) sings with her father.
This video essay will also cover the experiences of Nicolas Becker and what it was like working with director Darius Marder and Riz Ahmed. Sound of Metal has some of the most deceptively complex sound design for film in 2020, and in this video, Nicholas is going to break down the different types of microphones he used to record the internal body vibrations perceived by the hard of hearing.
Sound of Metal is one of the best movies of 2020. It’s made plenty of top 10 and 2020 best movie lists, including ours.
Sound of Metal has also been nominated for 6 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Riz Ahmed), Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Paul Raci), Best Film Editing, and Best Sound (Nicolas Becker, Mikkel E.G. Nielsen).
Congratulations to the Sound of Metal Sound Design for winning Best Sound at the 2021 Oscars.
Sound of Metal is available on Amazon Prime Video.
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When he says: “he gets back the functionality of hearing but not the beauty of sound” described it perfectly.
Such an amazing movie, and this video deserves more views!
As a guy in his mid-20s who also loves rock and metal music and who has serious hearing problems, this movie absolutely broke me. I don't have cochlear implants, I have regular hearing aids, but the sound design harkened back to my own experiences in the past. The tinnitus, the muffled hearing and not being able to decipher what is being said (and the resulting short outbursts of anger due to frustration), the experience of enhanced, but distorted hearing and auditory fatigue were all far too familiar.
I can't recommend the movie enough, and I have no doubts in my mind that on Sunday night Nicolas&co will receive a shiny golden statuette for their stellar work on sound design.
I'm in the same boat as you dude except I'm fortunate enough to not have any hearing damage yet, but I've started to notice some thumping tinnitus recently and it's been more than a little concerning. Tonight I watched Sound of Metal before the Oscars since it was the only Best Picture nominee I hadn't seen and it absolutely ruined me. It was like seeing a bleak fairy tale version of my life if I don't start taking better care of myself and I can't stop thinking about it. They unquestionably earned that sound design Oscar.
This was such a beautifully created film. It shows a community not of loss, but of beauty.
For someone who is losing hearing in the left ear this is so relatable.
Take care of your hearing stop with loud music you won't realise how important the little things are untill they are gone.
I am fluent in sign language and am married to a Deaf man. Losing my hearing isn't that big of a concern because I don't look down on the Deaf community like you do.
@@ResidentEvilBiohazard What the hell are you on about who says i look down on deaf community ?
Your sign language has clearly made you forget how to read
@@ResidentEvilBiohazard what are you talking about you dickhead
@@ResidentEvilBiohazard um, what? All he was saying is if you can hear, make sure you take care of it as long as you can.
@@Huckleberry42 I haven't forgotten how to read, and those who know Sign are completely capable of reading. Again...looking down on the Deaf community.
Sound design in this film makes me so uncomfortable, they did such a good job.
Bravo
The dedication, science and skill that went into making this movie is aweinspiring.
Medical students should watch this movie to get a true understanding of the challenges of losing ones hearing.
Such an amazing movie. Really hope it picks up some awards this weekend.
in my 'concert days' from 1997-2003 i never heard any talk about hearing loss or hearing protection at concerts. During an Anthrax show, i experienced hearing loss for the 1st and fortunately only time. Flash-forward to 2018 to my first metal concert in years at the Riot Room in KC, MO- Revocation & Rivers of Nihil: so many people were using and handing out ear plugs, it was truly a positive change for promoting ear safety
Absolutely emotionally devastating wow... I really love this film
there is something missing in this movie: when someone starts to lose hearing, it tends to speak louder because there is a difficulty to module low and high tones.
Yes complete awareness isn't possible without an actual person with direct experience, but no bad thing overall. We need more films that ID the majority, not the minorities. The sign thing wasn't realistic either most of us DON'T head in that direction, perhaps some sop to the deafies who knows.
No actually that happens when someone is born deaf...As he is adult even after being deaf he can feel the vibration in his throat so he knows how loud to talk
It tends???
In my personal experience I noticed I started to speak much more quietly immediately after I first lost my hearing. It was from an awkwardness and an awareness that I couldn't necessarily always tell how loud I was speaking but also my own voice inside my head was the loudest thing I could hear so it was overwhelming at times.
As I got more used to my hearing loss I was better able to modulate my tone and volume by the way it felt to speak rather than by what I could/couldn't hear.
Amazing interview and breakdown. Sound of Metal is definitively my favourite of the year
the ending is so chilling, sounds very scary
Exactly, that's what I thought. Chilling and scary at the same time.
interesting, i thought the ending was rather peaceful. ruben seemed to finally be turning the page and understand what joe was saying about the living in the stillness.
@@n3rds3y3vi3w Exactly. These people have a weird reading of the ending. If anything it's a bittersweet ending as he ended up losing more than just his hearing in the end
@@alexsilva28 I think he was talking about the earrape ruben was experiencing before he decided to turn off the damn thing and find his inner peace with being deaf and the stillness that comes with it. He found relief in turning it off and understood what the deaf guy was trying to tell him all along.
The experience of wearing hearing aids, regular or implant, is never pleasant in a noisy and busy city. I'm not profoundly deaf but I'll often choose to turn off my hearing aids when I'm in a noisy or crowded environment just to get a little peace. But being able to use my hearing aids when I'm out for a walk somewhere quiet and I can hear the wind rustle the trees or the crunch of gravel underfoot, that's beautiful.
Hearing aids are a tool that can be helpful in some situations, but not all.
This was an awesome video and gave me some great ideas on how to record sounds differently. Thanks for this!
I'll will be genuinely mad if this movie doesn't win the Oscars for Sound Editing and Mixing.
It won Best Sound, but if I was here 2 years ago I would've probably guess this would've won Best Sound Editing then Mixing
I watched this movie two hours ago and here you guys are with a video on it, you are really stepping up your game CineFix!
man is that some inspiring research and filiming. truly worthy of our praise. thank you for explaining this and having him go through the processes they went through. originally i thought the movie was going to treat it flippantly- this changes everything
I have Ménière’s disease. Basically it’s a thing that actually drives me close to insanity once in awhile. I have a ringing in my ears that gets so loud in my head that I feel like I’m trapped within my own body. I can’t escape the noise. My hearing goes away during my flare ups,and I really have to calm myself down so I don’t freak out because of the maddening tone...hiss...or ringing I hear. My wife used to take me to the emergency room just so I could get shot up with Demerol to calm me down. I’ll sometimes go a day or two without sleep. The only thing that lets me get away from all of this is taking multiple showers a day,or driving in a car with the windows down a little bit. I’m sort of getting used to it,but sometimes I just can’t and I feel like I’m going nuts. To anyone else out there with this...you are not alone. All I can say is be strong,and hang in there.
*hugs* you have my sympathy. I have tinnitus to and it can be so hard to deal with sometimes. ❤️ It can get better though and keeping your blood pressure down helps a lot. Easier to say, very hard to do, I know. But it really is worth the effort.
I didn't realize they went this far to show an experience like this I was going to see this but now I know I should do it sooner rather than later
Once again, it's about using art to create bridges of empathy. Thank you.
Thanks for this! I have a 20% diagnosed genetic hearing loss (i.e., father and both grandfathers nearly totally deaf by their death age of 84). At 73 I find this one of my greatest challenges to deal with! I will play this video for my family and friends and family who don't understand what I am going through and why I act like I do at the times I cannot bear the condition!
Protect yourself. I lost a lot due to loud music. Every omission we make has potential consequences. I regret my past decisions but look for the cure in the future. It's awful. I miss it and looking back it's unhealthy
sad story reminds me of Huey Lewis and his hearing loss. It sucks when your abilities are taken away from things we love to do.
Woah what
Or not being able to even hear the incredible results that you have produced, as with Beethoven.
Well not my problem. Being deaf is not taking ability away but being judged frequently
@@Andagidude except yeah, it does take an ability away by definition. It doesn't make the person any less, but let's stop pretending it isn't something that it clearly is.
It is a struggle, and it does take time to accept and adapt. But it's not a life ending tragedy as some seem to believe. It's life altering, certainly but there are always ways to adapt and to do the things we love, just in different ways.
This movie was such an incredible experience. Hope it pulls in a few awards on Sunday!
Excellent sound design in The Sound of Metal
Fascinating video and an excellent movie. Bravo.
Watched this in a Dolby atmos setup. It was incredible.
Amazing example of audio engineering. Good movie. Interesting that they showed the implant wouldn't be perfect, and science can only do so much. Great interview 👍
This is one of my favorite movies I've need this year.
Playing live is amazing, but be careful everyone. Especially when rehearsing in a studio there's no need for the full blast: the volume has to be loud to match the drums, so wear earplugs, they save ears.
Saw Sound of Metal last night. This movie was freaking amazing yet heartbreaking at the same time.
Gawd what a great movie, and I love that it inspired them to view their sound design in a different way, it affected their own art and how they will go forth in the future. I watched it because I'm losing my eyesight in a very specific way, and I love the visual arts. I wonder how that affects how I create as well, how it will in the future.
I loved the movie, I loved the ending, it felt like it managed to complete a chapter in his life in a way that didn't feel like it could really have an ending.
There were some complex aspects (community wise) that would have been nice to be further explored, but I can see why they wouldn't be, and they did touch on them.
As a musician, I'd be terrified if I lost my hearing. I feel so blessed to still have 100% hearing in both ears.
>shoots gun, a metal object, next to ear
>ah yes I see now
the people that would relate most to this movie wont be able to appreciate its amazing audio work
The subtitles help, they're very descriptive of the sounds being created. Like the sounds inside Ruben's head when he first notices the loss or the sounds of the trees and the grass.
I think this is a good film for demonstrating to hearing people what it's like to loose your hearing.
Excellent film!
I have to watch this movie. I have been losing my hearing for the past 20 years bc of drumming.
That’s rough, man. Hope you’re doing well.
Its not as bad as it sounds. Drawback for doing what i love. Yeah ive made some money thru various projects
Same here, been drumming for over a decade and I have got some ridiculous tinnitus
Wanna watch this movie now
Thanks! A great movie about making the sound of a movie!
He talks about CODA (children of Deaf adults) but maybe he meant people born hearing who became deaf?
That's exactly what I came down here to say-- two different groups of people! Bit of an embarrassing slip in an otherwise very well-made video.
Yeah that confused me to. I do hope that they actually consulted with actual deaf people and not just people who grew up with deaf parents. Whilst they would definitely have some good insights to share, it's the experience of deaf people that they were trying to create in the movie.
You guys seriously should consider another channel name. IGN Movies and TV sounds fucking weird
yeah CIneFix was good enough honestly
Its bc they mustve gotten bought out by ign. It used to just be cinefix
@@ikaritoledo-niven1826 Yeah IGN owns the channel now. But they could've gone with "Cinefix by IGN" or something
Too much of something is bad enough until one realizes it too late
this was one brilliant movie.
amazing film
That ending seems unfair. Most people with implants say the mechanical sound fades quickly as they learn better how to interpret the new information they are getting. It's not a magic wand, but the vast majority of people's hearing is greatly benefitted by the implant.
You could say Ruben's lack of patience is makes him push hard for the implants and giving up so easily after getting them. His expectation was that these would be just like that "magic wand" but the fact that they were not makes him feel defeated and not think of the long-term benefits. I like to think that he realizes this and what he lost by leaving the community over his own stubbornness. Powerful stuff
@@McStarken I haven't seen the film yet (on the list) but I can sympathize with that feeling. I was extremely disappointed and scared when my implants were turned on for the first time. After 2 years of prep and anticipation, plus a miserable post op month, it was crushing. But after another year of work and tinkering we got the programming right and my brain learned to hear better. Unfortunately for some folks this improvement never comes.
The movie is about addiction and the character is constantly trying to get a quick fix. Of course it would normalise over time but the thing is the character wants it to be fixed in an instant. The whole movie is about how it all takes time.
Bro I couldn't hear anything in the beginning and put up the sound to hear the guy talk I thought it was illusion LOL
I loved the presentation of this film. I just felt like it fumbles its message toward the end and missed some opportunities as far as the main characters Arc. Good film though
How so? I thought it was a great bittersweet ending that was far more realistic than the Hallmark movie type of ending it seemed it may be leading to at around the midpoint
@@rws531 As far it fumbling the message it does that when the deaf community leader basically turns his back on him just for getting the implants. Granted by the end of the movie he's learns to accept the silence but that scene changes the def community from a open and accepting community to a "if your not one of use then we dont care about you kinda thing". The movie misses a huge opportunity with the black girl that worked at the school. If they focused a bit more on her and established more of their relationship. Then it would of felt more like him having to choosing between going back to who he was signified by his ex girl friend and him actually accepting who he is with the black girl.
I agree, I think it was a mistake to tie the hearing loss storyline so closely to the addiction storyline. I feel it muddies the message and drags the film down a bit.
I feel it could have focused more on his building more relationships with the people in the deaf community and learning more about their experiences. If there had been more conversations with Joe about his hearing loss journey and how he came to live with it or with the deaf dancer and his relationship with music, then maybe Ruben's choice to get the surgery would have seemed like more of an actual choice rather than a reaction or a desperate impulse.
There were still ways that he could have adapted to still be able to enjoy music and perform his drumming. There are deaf musicians. It would have been different and would have been a change for him, but there are possibilities. But it's very hard to envision that for yourself when all you've ever known is being a fully hearing person. You need to learn from other people how they did things and then apply that knowledge in a way that suits you. I lost my hearing 10 years ago and there are still things I'm learning and ways I'm adapting.
The film kind of came across to me that it was wrong for Ruben to be trying to regain what he had lost and that 'the right choice' would have been for him to stay in the deaf community and live a fully deaf life. That that was the only way he fully accept that he was deaf. But you can accept that you're deaf and still want to engage with the hearing world, with friends and loved ones, with movies and music and so on. It's not wrong to want that, it's not rejecting being deaf to want to more easily move through the hearing world.
There are parts of this film that are truly brilliant, the sound design and the depiction of loosing hearing after being hearing was great and I found it to be very relatable. I'm just not sure the story they were trying to tell was handled in the best way.
that's gotta be recognized. If only by lovers of music and people who have trouble communicating in general.
considering this video (and the movie it looks at) might be appealing to Deaf viewers, it's very disappointing that you didn't take the time to put captioning on it. Edit: They are there now, thanks CineFix!
Hey ozz,
We added captions, you just need to turn them on. At most, you might need to reload the page.
@@CineFix awesome, thank you, the reload showed them! (I always have them enabled)
I only just started wearing ear plugs when going to shows or practicing at full volume. Honestly I thought Id hate it at shows, but shows are so much better with them. Im not sure what the deal is with metal music having to be so stupidly loud.
Very interesting. Oscar worthy? On sound design or something.
It has several nominations, including Sound Design, Best Actor and Best Picture.
This film was extremely respectful of the deaf community and extremely disrespectful of the CI community. The synopsis VO says it perfectly calling the CI a “monkey paw wish” to get back what he lost. I watched the movie about a month after getting a CI and it made me angry. The audiologist who activates him just tells him to “get used to it”. That’s not how it works at all. It takes multiple mapping procedures to fine tune sound - first once a month and later twice a year.
Re-training your brain is also a long process. It takes weeks to months to re-learn how to understand speech. It takes months to years to re-train understanding music. You don’t just hear crap in year 1 and give up. You re-hab over and over again. I’m 16 months in and am just now able to differentiate piano keys, but I can hear guitar very well now. I’ll tell you one thing I heard from day 1 - bass and drums. A former drummer giving up on music after hearing again? Not damn likely. Last, the audiologist doesn’t even give him a tuner to lower volume and sensitivity when he’s in crowds - so he freaks out over loud sounds. That audiologist should be taken to court for malpractice.
The sound in the movie was skillfully crafted. The message of the movie was one sided and hurtful. Not well thought out at all. The fact is, with time and effort, you can restore a lot of the beauty of sound with CIs. You’d never know it from watching this film.
Pete Tong's it's all gone ...
It felt good that hearing person lose mind because most of them wouldn't understand what's feel like being Deaf in this world. Please sit and pay attention, there's no one way but many.
Ahhhhh.... salmon skin roll 🙏🏾
Amazing movie performance, not more
The ending of the movie is just too sad. But then again, I couldn't think of it ending any other way
I think its ultimately a happy ending
@@curblaw I think so too! He has come to terms with his situation.
@@curblaw Yeah it's a happy ending. I mean sad in that he's deaf, but happy in that he realizes that his past life is done, this is his new life and he's okay with it and finally embraces it.
damn, i got some ear infection, is really crazy ihearing your own heart, and your organs, its fuckin loud, i cant sleep because my ears was obstructed
Nolan Gould, is that you? 🙉
This is happening to Huey Lewis, he's also losing his hearing
🍻🤘
As someone who lost their hearing in their early 20's I have mixed feelings about this film.
The sound design and the simulation of loosing one's hearing was incredible and really well done and should be commended. A lot of care and effort went into it and it really shows.
But I feel the story telling left a little to be desired. For a movie that is this long I would have appreciated more exploration of Ruben's feelings and his relationships with the other people in the deaf community and fewer artsy middle distance gazing shots, as beautiful as they were.
I watched Sound of Metal in hopes of seeing what might await me as I'm losing my hearing. It wasn't a very feel good movie. Live in a world of computer noises, or live in a community of deaf people. But you can't have your life back.
I wouldn't take the 'living in a community of deaf' too literally. One of the main points of the movie is Ruben's arc to accept, that he can't have his old life back and that this is okay, because he is able to have a new life and being happy. (of course, in practise it's hard to pinpoint what Ruben's options are at the end of the movie, but as said, it's more about his inner journey to this point in time)
you shouldn't let SoM get you down. its hardly a comprehensive list of the options deaf people have in life.
This was a really fascinating video - but perhaps you could have mentioned "possible plot spoilers" at the beginning?
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From the trailer, we all know it's about a musician losing their hearing and that was what I was expecting to learn about.
But you also cover the fact that he steps away from the deaf community to get cochlear implants and that he finds the implants don't give him what he has hoped for.
You even include the final scene!
There may be some that why watch a video about a movie I haven't seen yet, but this was listed as a technical exploration of how to create the effect we all saw in the trailer.
The UA-cam videos that cover plot points usually flash up "Spoilers" at the beginning or even include it in the video title.
I'll still watch it at some point, as I expect there is much to be gained from Riz's performance, but I will do so already knowing much of the journey that is ahead of his character.
Take a drink every time he says "cochlear" wrong
fck ngl I should’ve just watch the movie
His webcam mic sounded like the cochlear implants at the end of the movie
Another French guy showing the ways.
When did this channel got bought by IGN?
Cohlear implants SUCK that much!?!?!
No, it varies from person to person. At first, yes. The audiologist has to program it for your loss and your brain and everyone's adaptation. The implant is a simulation of sound so its effectiveness is based on how good the simulation tech is and how well your brain adapts. Hearing aids shout at a damaged ear, the implant tries to go around this to the brain and fakes sound digitally. There is also the matter of whether the recipient has heard sound naturally before and to what extent. The more hearing history that you have the larger the sound reference library you have to assist the audiologist at devising a good program. It also helps the brain adapt more easily if it has that expectation of good sound. It took me over a year to get to the right place and it was alot of work and disappointment along the way. Unfortunately for some it never works and there isn't a definitive answer why. The audiologist and doctors can identify a candidate who has a good chance for a success but theres no guarantee.
Just finished watching this movie and while it is very good, I do think that a lot of things don’t really get explained like how Ruben lost his hearing in a matter of seconds, how much time he spent in the deaf community, if it was a short time how did he pick up on everything so quickly and if it was a long time why did his hair never grow any longer especially since it was shot chronologically, where he got the money to spend 4 weeks in a motel after barely being able to afford the surgery, or even to keep buying packs of cigarettes for that matter. Maybe I’m just being nit picky and in the grand scheme of the movie none of that stuff really matters too much but it does leave a little to be desired.
I was willing to let the 'goes deaf in seconds' thing pass as in the end that wasn't really what was important to the story, but the lack of indication of how long he spent with the deaf community I think really does impact on the story as time is a huge part of grieving and acceptance.
The seasons don't seem to change much, no holidays seem to be celebrated and his hair doesn't grow much. This would indicate to me that he spent no more than 2 - 3 months there. Whilst that is enough time for him to become fairly proficient in sign, especially as he's immersed in it every day, it's really not enough time for him to properly process or come to terms with the fact that he's lost his hearing. Not without lots of counselling. He had some counselling sessions but they were obviously focused on his addiction rather than on his hearing loss.
Losing your hearing after living your whole life as a hearing person is a major life event and takes time to accept and adjust to, just as it would if you lost a limb. I certainly hadn't fully accepted my hearing loss a couple of months after it happened. Its been 10 years and there are still days when I struggle.
The film definitely leaves some things unanswered that I wish had been addressed.
It’s pronounced TINNitus.
how is a cochlear implant a monkey's paw wish?
Wish they featured real metal in the movie and not just noise
Guys...for real...you should also give credit to the original work from which this movie is inspired, the movie- "Soundtrack (2011)".
there is another guy in the comments saying its a ripoff of It's All Gone Pete Tong
@@skydemon3423 ohhh...
@@skydemon3423 That's stupid. Yes, both movies are about somebody losing their hearing but the tone and direction are totally different. That's like saying that Seven is a ripoff of Silence of the Lambs because both are about detectives investigating a series of murders.
@@gab_gallard dude they are both so much similar unlike your stupid example of seven and the silence of the lambs.
As an audiologist, it’s disappointing to see such a poor depiction of the cochlear implantation process and outcome. It’s a great movie that will likely have severe consequences
I think the comment that it returns the function, but not the beauty is accurate. For me - that would be fine, but for a musician - I think it would be devastating.
@@Craznar Yes, but hours of counseling/testing take place to give patients realistic expectations before they make their decision. That was skipped (for plot purposes). I don’t want to be a stick in the mud because the movie is very good. I just think it will have consequences.
@@elouise1079 I think the point is that the musician would have unrealistic expectations - even given that counselling, and the movie was just showing that response.
It wasn't attempting to say anything negative about the tech, rather to say something about the musician.
As a gen z type x 69 hair cutter major in 20 different gender subspecializations, I will state say that I am offended.
@@CHICKENNUGGET69360 Please stop. You're gonna offend the wokes. 😆
Right off the tongue...
CODAs don't get cochlear implants 🤦🏻♂️
Cinefix : 1st Class seat in a plane
Watchmojo : Pushing your petrolless car 🤣🤣
Cinefix : Olympic Race
Watchmojo : Running to catch a left bus🤣🤣
This movie is my worste nightmare
My dog didn't like this video at all!
Yeah, I don't think this would even get nominated for the Dogscars. ;)
Eastenders did it first
It stresses me out every time I watch a video about this movie because I always wait for the narrator to mention how Ruben is a heavy metal drummer, which he isn't. The title is very misleadinng because that's NOT metal that they're playing; it's some sort of avant-garde hardcore, but not even in the metal family.
There's a much better movie from 2004 called It's All Gone Pete Tong that this movie has ripped off.
Have you actually watched it’s all gone Pete tong
@@mileshenry3867 Yep... I love it.
It's not a 'ripoff,' it's another movie in the genre.
I mean, how many bank robbery movies are there? It doesn't mean that there can only be one and that all others are "ripoffs."
@@Mamo878 I don't think "musician goes deaf and changes life and learns sign language" can be considered a "genre".
@@popculture70 Still that's by far not enough to call it a ripoff. A movie about hearing loss? Fair game. A musician? Very likely protagonist, because hearing is so important for him. Life has to change? Comes with the topic (and a good character driven movie). Learns sign language? Wtf are you expecting to happen else with this premise? So basically its about a person losing what he loves and dealing with it...not very copyright worthy.
I'll tell you how to simulate deafness. It's called a mute button
That's a pretty stupid comment.