Scene Deconstruction 5

COMM 634.003: Film and Video Production II Instructor: Jonathan Adelman MFA Film and Electronic Media

Sound Assignment: Scene Deconstruction #5 Kill Bill Vol. 1

Presented By: Priya Krishna April 28, 2009

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INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................1

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KILL BILL VOL. 1...............................................................ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.

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TREATMENT OF SOUND AND SOUND DESIGN..............................................................................................1

Treatment of Sound and Sound Design 10

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Introduction The purpose of this document is to analyze the treatment of sound and sound

design in Kill Bill Vol 1. I will discuss one scene that is emblematic of the use of sound in the film and discuss the nuances that caught my attention, any subtleties in the sound bed, as well as the sound's impact on the audience. 30

Treatment of Sound and Sound Design Writer-director Quentin Tarantino took the unusual step of providing supervising

sound editor Wylie Stateman with a collection of reference material to help him realize the film's violent sonic marriage of chop socky and spaghetti Western. "He gave us more than a dozen films that he thought were extremely important,"1 Stateman says. "We watched videotapes of '60s- and '70s-era karate films, and he gave us modern films and film trailers that he found interesting for one reason or another. It's very uncommon, but he's an uncommon filmmaker."2 Kill Bill Vol. 1 is interesting in regard to its treatment of sound because every sequence has a different and unique sound design. “The anime sequence is scored to an Ennio Morricone western theme and some Isaac Hayes blaxploitation thumps, while the final showdown between O-Ren and The Bride is scored to flamenco guitar lines with a funk riff. The sound and vision mélange works because Kill Bill is about Tarantino's ability to absorb all of these different influences and mix them together.”3 The film can be characterized through is excellent sound-design by sound editor Bob Beher and sound engineer John Bires. The audience hears The Bride stepping on crunchy breakfast cereal and accentuated sounds of fighting. The sounds of fighting throughout the entire film (in addition to the actual animated scene) sound almost cartoon-like. 1 Notes on Sound Design. http://filmsound.org/articles/notes.htm. 2 Notes on Sound… 3 Houx, Damon. Kill Bill Vol. 1 Review. http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/k/killbillvol1.shtml.

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The sound detail in this film makes the film viewing experience for the audience engaging. The movie begins with the Shaw Brothers' Shawscope logo, followed quickly by an "Our Feature Presentation" which dips and crackles like it used to in the drive ins. In the end, there's the familiar sound of a bad splice, the zssspt we are familiar with.4 There are various subtleities in the films sound. One particular one to mention is the bleeping out if Uma Thurman’s character’s name in Vol. 1. In the scene where Elle Driver is going to kill The Bride in the hospital, Elle whistles the theme from Hayley Mills' 1968 film, Twisted Nerve.5 As with all his movies Tarantino, uses the film’s soundtrack as a key element. He utilizes source music which is sometimes familiar while other times not. He uses popular tunes as well as original compositions by The RZA (Robert Diggs, producer of The WuTang Clan).6 The music used most certainly sets the tone for scenes. Speaking purely from the perspective of audio design, the best scene is the steady cam walk around the House of Blue Leaves as the 5,6,7,8s sing their most popular song. Following that is Beatrice’s fight with Go Go, which is brimming with stylized and overthe-top audio shenanigans, and the arrival of the Crazy 88, which gives the rear channels an effective work out by way of revving motorcycle engines.7 3.1

Scene Analysis I paid particular attention to the scene when Elle is going to kill The Bride. As

previously mentioned, Elle whistles the theme from Twisted Nerve. The actual version of the same song also can be heard in this sequence. Then with the same riff, the song is transformed to an old school grindhouse type song. 4 Houx 5 Hernandez, Erika. Kill Bill Vol 1 and the Tarrantino Game. http://www.aboutfilm.com/movies/k/killbillvol1.htm 6 McCarthy, Todd. Kill Bill Vol 1. Variety. September 30, 2003. http://www.variety.com/index.asp? layout=review&reviewid=VE1117921975&categoryid=31&cs=1. 7 Kill Bill Review. http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/kill-bill-volumes-one-and-two.html? post_id=148038&action=report

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When the song is finished we hear thunder and rain, which gives the scene a creepy feeling. There is a swoosh sound when Elle’s title card appears on the screen for the audience. We hear the sound of the door opening when Elle walks in and the squeaking of the rubber soles of her shoes as she walks towards the cot. In the room there is the steady beeping of medical equipment and the thunderstorm noises are still going on in the background. After Elle speaks to the bride and pulls the needle. We hear the sound of the needle sliding from the tray, and when she flings the needle, we hear a pop. There are similar sounds as she begins to inject the needle into The Brides tubes. There is then a chirping sound, which we discover to be here phone after she picks it up. When Bill asks Elle to abort the mission, we still only see Bill’s hand with the decorated sword, but we hear a squeaking sound. This sound sounds like a rubber duck squeaking. This is followed by Elle losing her cool and screaming into the phone. The sound serves as a good transition point between Elle being calm and her throwing a temper tantrum. After Bill says that they will not kill her, “like a filthy rat,” we hear the sword go into the sheath. This is the first time we hear the sword noise, and it is appropriate considering what topic they are both discussing. Finally and the end of the scene, there is another swoose sound as it transitions to the “Four Years Later” title car.

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