History of Film: Pt 4 - The Birth of Sound

All throughout the silent era, filmmakers were constantly experimenting with sound technology for use in movies. However, there were two hurdles that had to be cleared to make sound possible in film. The first was synchronization between recorded dialogue and the film's subject. The other was proper volume control.

In 1926, movie studio Warner Bros. introduced the 'Vitaphone' method of adding sound to films. The method involved filming live entertainment acts, while recording their sound on a phonograph disc. The disc would then be played in synchronized time along with film. Between 1926 and 1930 Warner Bros. produced about 1,000 short films using the Vitaphone method.

In late 1927, Warners released "The Jazz Singer". Mostly silent, the movie did have some dialogue and singing and is widely considered the first 'talkie', as they would first come to be known. As groundbreaking as it was, the Vitaphone method would soon become obsolete in the face of more advanced methods of combining film and sound. Methods like Fox's 'Movietone', inventor Lee DeForest's 'Phonofilm', and RCA's 'Photophone' were capable of recording sound directly onto the filmstrip. The process and recording systems varied somewhat, but the outcome was the same. Those in the industry who were reluctant about these talkies, were fast becoming convinced that this new innovation was the wave of the future.

The transition from silent to sound was a sweeping one. By 1929, Hollywood was putting out almost all talkies. Around the world the changeover was a slower one. Due to economic and in the case of far eastern countries like China and Japan, cultural preferences were the cause for the slow transition. In fact, in these countries, silent films were being made alongside movies with sound well into the '30's.

The transition to sound, although swift, did have it's difficulties. Early talkies were marred by background static. The limitations of the sound equipment made it difficult for those in front and behind the cameras. Producers frantically searched for writers, directors, and stage performers who had experience with dialogue laced films. It's hard to believe in this day and age that people in the industry had trouble dealing with the medium of sound, but they did. In fact, some filmmakers and actors of the silent era could not make the adjustment and saw their careers fall by the wayside in the face of technological advancement.

Fortunately, this awkward adjustment period would not last long. In 1929, directors that were up to the task began to surface.This new generation of filmmakers wanted to use and experiment with sound rather than work around it. Films like "Chinatown Nights" and "The Man I Love", directed by William Wellman, Roubon Mamoulian's "Applause", and director Alfred Hitchcock's "Blackmail", (Britain's first talkie), were successful achievements in the use of sound in film. Advancements in sound equipment technology was chipping away at that barrier as well. Talkies were here to stay.

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