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Talkie Fever and the Mechanics Behind Sound Movies at USC
Professors W. R. MacDonald and Dean Ray K. Immel oversee a test of Norma Shearer’s voice at the University of Southern California revealing how speakers and microphones create the noisy process of turning film into talkies. The article explains padded studios glass tanks special microphones and the mixing panel coordinated by a supervisor who hears the soundtrack through head phones. Voices often sound musical to the ear but register harsh on film revealing the challenges of early sound recording for cinema.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Satest Industries
W. R. MacDonald
Ray K. Immel
University of Southern California
Norma Shearer
Toscanini
Josiah Zuro
Pathe
Zuro
Mr. Zuro
New York
Zure
Maurice Manne
Manne
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer