Video Analysis 2

Jurassic Park

Academy Award for Best Sound Editing, 1993
Supervising Sound Editor - Richard Hymns (Fight Club, Lincoln)
Re-Recording Mixer - Gary Rydstrom (Finding Nemo, Mrs. Doubtfire)

Sound Map, Scene 1: Dinosaur Herd

00:00 - Lex dialogue, Dr. Grant dialogue, grassy footsteps, dinosaur sounds in background
00:10 - dinosaur herd running fast
00:14 - Dr. Grant dialogue, footsteps stop
00:21 - Tim dialogue
00:27 - Lex dialogue
00:38 - grassy footsteps, Dr. Grant dialogue
00:44 - Tim Dialogue
00:48 - people, dinosaurs running, panting, Dinosaur squawking, wind
01:05 - tree creaking
01:10 - dinosaur herd running fades away
01:15 - people panting
01:18 - T-Rex knocks down tree
01:20 - T-Rex roar
01:22 - T-Rex roar, other dinosaur makes noise
01:31 - Lex dialogue
01:32 - Dr. Grant dialogue
01:33 - Lex dialogue
01:34 - Dr. Grant
01:37 - Tim dialogue
01:38 Lex dialogue
01:41 Dr. Grant dialogue
01:46 Tim dialogue, grassy footsteps

Jurassic Park is just one of those movies that you can watch again and again.  I think the design of this movie is absolutely incredible.  It’s something that designers can have complete control over, because we don’t actually know what dinosaurs sounded like.  It’s their important job to create something unique and believable.  I think Jurassic Park created an idea of dinosaurs that is fascinating and terrifying.  The different dinosaurs each make a unique sound, and I can’t imagine what that must have been like to work on.  As for this scene, the way the herd comes in and out is really great.  They are far away at first, not really a threat, but then once they are on top of the characters the sound is very threatening and loud, then they are gone again.  It’s a really great scene.

Sound Map, Scene 2: Raptor Scene

00:01 - Electronic sound, bugs and birds chirping in background continuous
00:02 - John dialogue in background, Raptor snarls
00:03 - soft footsteps of group
00:08 - Dr. Grant dialogue
00:10 - Giant lift operating
00:11 - John dialogue
00:12 - Lift hoisting
00:13 - cow moo
00:16 - John dialogue
00:22 - John dialogue
00:32 - Raptor cage opens
00:35 - cow moo
00:36 - light footsteps on metal stairs
00:40 - cow moo
00:45 - plants rustling
00:46 - lift halts, leaves rustle
00:48 - cow moo
00:51 - Raptor call
00:52 - Raptor sounds, rustling, cow sounds, tearing
01:10 - Muldoon dialogue from side
01:12 - John dialogue
01:18- Raptor sounds, Dr. Grant dialogue
01:20 - Muldoon dialogue
01:26 - Dr. Grant dialogue
01:28 - Muldoon dialogue
01:33 - John dialogue
01:39 - Dr. Grant dialogue, John continues in background
01:41 - Muldoon dialogue
02:04 - Dr. Sattler dialgoue
02:07 - Muldoon dialogue
02:18 - Lift starts again, rises
02:23 - metal chains rattling
02:28 - John dialogue

As I was mentioning before, each dinosaur has a unique sound.  The raptors sound very different from the dinosaurs in the previous scene I analyzed.  I think this sound does an excellent job of making the raptor sound terrifying from the very beginning.  There is no mistaking the threat.  The sound of the attack is very important, because you can’t actually see what is happening inside the enclosure, so the sound of it helps you to visualize what is happening to the cow.  The fact that the sound can help you create this image makes it powerful, and your imagination has no problem conjuring a very dark scene.