Denver Comic Con 2016 Panel Spotlight: "Sound Design and Scoring in J.J. Abrams’ 'Star Trek' Films"

Written by Tim Girard

Sound Design and Scoring in J.J. Abrams’ 'Star Trek' Films
Saturday, June 18, 2016 1:30pm-2:20pm
Cali Thrailkill, Mary Odbert, Sebastian DeTemple

Before beginning the presentation, Cali Thrailkill and Mary Odbert, who both studied music and film, explained the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is any sound that takes place in the world of the narrative. They are sounds “whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film: voices of characters, sounds made by objects in the story, music represented as coming from instruments in the story space” (FilmSound.org). The sounds can be on or off screen, but if it is something that the characters could hear, then it is diegetic. A non-diegetic sound is any “sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action: narrator’s commentary, sound effects which are added for the dramatic effect, mood music”. Some sounds may function as both simultaneously, or morph from one to the other. The great example they gave of this is when a young James T. Kirk steals a car (in the film it seems as though it's his stepfather's car, but according to Imdb, and the novelization, it is his father's car and his stepfather is going to sell it while his mother is off-planet) and turns on the media player. It is clear that the song playing ('Sabotage' by the Beastie Boys) is heard by Kirk, so it is a diegetic sound. As the scene continues, the song continues to be heard by the audience at the same level, even when the car is far off in the distance (and falls off the cliff). This shows that is has crossed over into being a non-diegetic sound.

Another big talking point was that many of the sounds (or variations) from the original series and films were used in the reboot. Most importantly was the "sonar ping" sound that so characteristic that most of you probably just heard it in your heads. This sound and other distinct sounds let the viewers know that we are on the bridge of the Enterprise. They also pointed out that almost no scoring is used while they are on the bridge. This use of diegetic sound design could possibly be a way of subtly immersing the viewer in the environment, without "telling them what they should be feeling," which is sometimes the role of the score. There were also alarm noises on the Kelvin which obviously indicated to both the characters and the viewers that there was an emergency. This same alarm sound was used when Vulcan was about to be destroyed. This is a diegetic sound to the characters, but also a non-diegetic signal to the audience saying, "you know what happens when you hear this sound." Nero's Romulan "bad guy" ship, the Narada doesn't have the same type of ambient sounds as the Enterprise. Since it is a mining ship, there are mostly "industrial sounds" and any "beeps" are reactive (only when you push a button). In Star Trek Into Darkness, on Admiral Marcus' ship the Vengeance the sonar ping is lower and slower. On a diegetic level, this could be explained by the fact that it is a much bigger ship than the Enterprise, and bigger things are usually lower in pitch and slower. This is yet another sound that also has a non-diegetic role, and that is as a red flag to the viewer that something is not quite as it seems with this ship and its captain. In many cases, a sound designer has to ask his/herself what is more important for each scene: the practical reality or setting the mood. Fortunately, most of the sounds used in Star Trek serve both purposes.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the discussion about silence. The director of any film that takes place in space has to make the decision between realism and entertainment: silent space or the sounds of weapons, explosions, sound effects, and music. Luckily, Star Trek gives us the "ear candy" that we want during all of the action scenes, because, as the presenters put it, “If you are going to see a science fiction movie, there have to be 'pew pews’.” This isn't to say that there are never moments of silent space, but when it is used, it is very intentional and also serves a dual purpose as both diegetic and non-diegetic "sound." These instances (only four, according to the presenters) are when characters are exposed in space, and the silence is used to highlight the isolation, fear, and tension from the point of view of the character. Imagine a scene where there are the sounds of intense action/battle music, alarms going off, weapons being fired, crew members shouting and screaming, and explosions tearing a ship apart... then imagine the impact of all of that cutting out and being left with only silence as a crew member flies out of a newly made hole, to die alone, floating in the vastness of space.

In addition to sound design, Thrailkill and Odbert also discussed Michael Giacchino's scores for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films. The main purpose of the score is for emotional signaling: to tell the audience what they should be feeling during a scene. The main theme, which was referred to as the "Courage Theme," has a heroic, triumphant quality with a sense of adventure. It gives the broad open feeling of the positive exciting aspects of floating in space, as opposed to the terrifying use of silence to represent dying in space. One of the early significant uses of this theme (after the opening title) is the first time we see the U.S.S. Enterprise. It is also used for moments of triumph. Another significant moment is at the end when they eject the warp core and detonate it so the explosion pushes them out of reach of the black hole that they are being sucked into. If sound effects were used for the sound of the explosion, then that moment would probably have been the climax of the scene. Instead, the explosion is silent (silent space), which creates tension; followed by sound effects from the ship (diegetic sound), which build intensity; and then the climax is when the Courage Theme (non-diegetic sound) is heard as the Enterprise breaks free of the explosion. 

Probably one of the most poignant uses of the Courage Theme is in Into Darkness after Kirk fixes the warp core and is talking to Spock as he is dying. It is a somber treatment for a delicate solo piano, accompanied by strings. The strings take over when Spock tells him that he is feeling and has the realization of how important their friendship is, and the climax of this interlude is when their hands "touch" through the glass. There is an echo of the Courage Theme on piano for Kirk's final moments.

Next up to discuss from Denver Comic Con’s panels: Metaphor and Philosophy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

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