In the realm of cinema, Sound design is often the overlooked unsung hero, Building tension shaping the environment, And enhancing overall storytelling. It has prominent use in all films and is creatively used in a variety of different ways creating iconic movie experiences.  For starters, Think of Star Wars. Think of a lightsaber igniting and being swung around, You hardly even need to try to imagine the sound it would make because it comes naturally. Star Wars is a perfect encapsulation of well-executed sound design, Sci Fi as a genre allows for the most creativity and challenge when making sounds as they must be otherworldly yet still familiar. Star Wars excels in this from the Lightsaber, and the Blaster, to the breath of its antagonist. All of these sounds help immerse you in the film and these sounds give you a constant feeling of stability throughout the movie(s). When these excellent sounds are combined with the iconic score composed by John Williams you get one of the greatest auditory combinations in all of cinema history. 

Score is another integral part of sound design, The process of combining a piece of audio into a film is difficult to do correctly but pays off significantly when done right. The score is added in numerous ways, often being popular pop music played over a transitional scene early in the movie. This is seen commonly in summer blockbuster films to give it a mainstream appeal and to relate the movie with another popular property. That is why when movies break this generic formula and use movie scores in other ways it's an auspicious event. Lord of the Rings and Interstellar are renowned for their custom-made and perfected music specifically made for scenes and character intros that immerse you and give you a feel for the character before they speak a word. Filmmakers look for music to help set a period and mood and this is done flawlessly in Goodfellas, Where the music chosen plunges you into 1960’s Brooklyn and subsequently gives you an understanding of the type of movie you are watching. On rarer occurrences, modern music is spliced into older periods. The Great Gatsby takes place in 1922 in a wealthy part of New York. From this, you would never expect music by Jay Z, Will.i.am, and Fergie to fit comfortably into a movie a century before they were released. “The soundtrack as a whole is amazing. The producers managed to address the themes of decadence, love, and excess that are in the story. Musically, the album is all over the place. It’s the music of the roaring 20s with a modern twist. Elements of hip-hop, rock, electronic dance music; jazz, and swing are blended in a way that doesn’t make it sound cheesy or forced together.” The power of a great score can single-handedly immerse you in its presence but in other cases, it can immerse you with its absence. 

No Country for Old Men is set in the barren plains of Texas. To emphasize the emptiness of the land no score or music of any kind was used in this movie. This makes the character feel truly alone and you form an intimate relationship with the lead character as you often share silence only broken by his breath or actions. The quietness of the movie then enhances the sound design as all noise feels important and necessary. Sound design is a remarkably underrated part of filmmaking. Appreciating the sounds and music added into movies can add a whole new layer of appreciation for things you didn't even realize your first time watching. I ask you to go back and rewatch your favorite movie or next time you watch one listen attentively, you will better understand and appreciate movies when you remember there is a reason for everything you hear.