What is the
Wilhelm scream?
The Wilhelm scream is a
film and television stock sound effect that has been used in more than 200
movies, beginning in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. The film "Distant Drums", is kind
of a western epic set in the Florida everglades. “The enduring legacy of this movie is the
earliest known use of the Wilhelm scream sound effect, originally used to
vocalize a character being torn to pieces by an alligator.
What makes this sound effect
important to discuss? You have heard it
before. I guaranty that you have heard
this clip before. It is about one second
long and the scream is so classic that scores of films will roll past your eyes
when you hear it.
This is a link
to a YouTube compilation of different movies and directors all using this
wonderful SFX.
How many movies
can you think of that use this sound effect?
From Star Wars to your most recent blockbuster living in the depths of
the local theaters, this sound effect has been used and loved by many. But why?
“The Wilhelm scream's
revival came from motion picture sound designer Ben Burtt, who discovered the
original recording (which he found as a studio reel labeled "Man being
eaten by alligator") and incorporated it into a scene in Star Wars.”
“Over the next
decade, Burtt began incorporating the effect in other films he worked on,
including most projects involving George Lucas or Steven Spielberg, notably the
rest of the subsequent Star Wars films, as well as the Indiana Jones
movies.”
The fact that it
became such a cult classic after the use in popular movies is just the beginning
of how strange and loved this sound effect is.
"Distant
Drums." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Dec. 2014. Web. 14 Sept.
2014.
"The Wilhelm Scream Compilation." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
"Wilhelm
Scream." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Nov. 2014. Web. 14
Sept. 2014.
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