Student Perspectives – Sound

Rhea Alsharabaty on using sound to build a believable universe:

“I leveraged sound design in order to overcome the three challenges I faced making this film. First, being a dialogue-centric comedy, it was out of my wheelhouse. Second, my set was built on a soundstage. Third, my cast included two inanimate characters: a toilet and a stool.

The rough cut I had before I started sound designing felt incomplete. Two characters were missing, the location lacked credibility, and the universe was not believable.

Sound was the key. Not only did it give the audience better access to the main character’s psyche, but it also gave voices to the toilet and the stool. Just like that, the remaining two characters were born!

To sell the absurd and playful universe I created, I exploited a wide spectrum of sound effects, from cartoonish plops to ominous rumbles, setting the tone and conveying each emotional beat. I could iterate, layering sounds as much as necessary until each moment had its desired impact.

I specifically searched for a composer who understood my vision for the film and what I perceived as the shortcomings of my rough cut. We worked closely to ensure the music drove the plot, punctuating or smoothing things out where necessary. In this way, the soundtrack was the connective tissue of the final cut.

Through this holistic soundscape, what began as a disjointed rough cut became a fully integrated world where even a toilet could steal the scene.”

• Film Title: Stalling
• Logline: While collecting a stool sample in a hospital bathroom, a worried woman gets some timely advice from her toilet.