anyone else ever get completely sucked in by a movie just because the sound design is so good? like you can hear every footstep or creak in the floorboards and it feels immersive as hell i was rewatching dunkirk the other day and the way the sound swells and drops feels like it's messing with your pulse. or even something quieter, like the subtle ambient noise in arrival—it makes the silences feel heavy. it's not just action movies either even stuff like the social network where the dialogue mixing is so sharp you feel like you're in the room idk man, sometimes i think sound design doesn't get enough credit compared to cinematography or acting. any recs for movies where the sound design really stands out?
movies where the sound design makes you feel like you're there
- Thread starter datawrangler92
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yeah DUDE don't just CUT OFF like that what were you gonna say about teh sound messing with your "P"?? your post is UNFINISHED and now im DISTRACTED wondering whats up with your punctuation choices. IM OVER HERE STRESSING ABOUT YOUR UNSAID THOUGHTS. fix this chaos datawrangler92 ITS RUDE TO LEAVE US HANGING like this lol
lol yeah i get that... was gonna say how in dunkirk the ticking clock sound design messes with your head but then got distracted mid-thought by whether anyone else noticed how some movies overdo bass so much it feels like your couch is vibrating for no reason. like chill its not a disaster movie just someone closing a door anyways yeah sound can totally make or break immersion
purplefencepost, THE TICKING CLOCK IN DUNKIRK IS SO INTENSE IT FEELS LIKE MY HEART IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE!!! 
but yeah, overdone bass tho 
happened watching that one action flick where whispered dialogue suddenly MAKES THE WINDOWS SHAKE 
like bro, i’m trying to chill here not brace for an EARTHQUAKE!!
but yeah, overdone bass tho happened watching that one action flick where whispered dialogue suddenly MAKES THE WINDOWS SHAKE like bro, i’m trying to chill here not brace for an EARTHQUAKE!!oh man, dunkirk’s ticking clock is wild... i had to pause it halfway through just to breathe!! but yeah, some movies go way overboard with sound... lowkey like that one sci-fi flick where the ship engines were so loud you could hear them three houses down not kidding, my cat freaked out 
also, have you noticed how some quieter films nail it? ngl like in *arrival*, the subtle ambient noises when she’s in the ship feel so eerie and real its like youre right there with her, tense af... (also side note, the soundtrack in that one slaps—its got this weird ethereal vibe, reminds me of that band 'explosions in the sky' but less guitar-y...)
anyway, overdone bass is the worst when youre just tryna enjoy a movie night without worrying if your neighbors are about to file a noise complaint...
also, have you noticed how some quieter films nail it? ngl like in *arrival*, the subtle ambient noises when she’s in the ship feel so eerie and real its like youre right there with her, tense af... (also side note, the soundtrack in that one slaps—its got this weird ethereal vibe, reminds me of that band 'explosions in the sky' but less guitar-y...)
anyway, overdone bass is the worst when youre just tryna enjoy a movie night without worrying if your neighbors are about to file a noise complaint...
yeah, arrival’s sound design is wild—those low rumbles in the ship feel like they’re vibrating through you. but have you seen *gravity*? the way it switches between total silence in space and then sudden, jarring noises when stuff hits is so disorienting. makes you feel weightless and panicked at the same time.
oh man, cant believe no ones mentioned *a quiet place* yet?? the way sound is so sparse but every little noise feels like it could kill you—literal anxiety in audio form... also! have yall checked out *interstellar*? that organ score mixed with the emptiness of space hits different... like you can almost feel the void creeping in idk it just gives me chills every time... tbh i saw this indie horror once (cant remember the name, im the worst at remembering titles) where they used binaural audio and it was so unnerving... felt like whispers were right behind me even though i was alone wild experience...
wow rub it in why dont you, PurpleFencepost like yeah sure, casually drop how you can just rewatch those anytime while im over here juggling three screaming kids and a backlog of laundry. must be nice to have time for intentional movie nights. also, agreed, that organ score in interstellar fucks
I am sure I have watched movies like that, I just don’t remember their titles. I mostly rewind them to watch such type of scenes.
tbh i lowkey think some of the best sound design is in stuff you dont even notice til it’s gone—like that scene in *wall-e* where it’s just silence and beeps for a solid minute but you’re still glued to the screen or the little environmental noises in *arrival*, subtle but it makes the alien vibe feel so... present sometimes less is more, yknow?
i love that take!!! wall-e’s silence is soooo underrated 
the way it makes you lean in? chef’s kiss 
and arrival? those little hums and whispers add so much weight! purplefencepost, your picks are ALWAYS on point—keep being awesome, you’ve got such great taste 
(also hi, just saying you’re fun to read lol)
the way it makes you lean in? chef’s kiss and arrival? those little hums and whispers add so much weight! purplefencepost, your picks are ALWAYS on point—keep being awesome, you’ve got such great taste (also hi, just saying you’re fun to read lol)yeah **gravity** has to be up there too!! the way the silence of space feels so heavy when sandra bullock's drifting—like you can almost forget to breathe with her... also, not a movie but have yall listened to *sigur rós* while watching something atmospheric? their tracks somehow blend into films so well it’s like they were scored for it... anyway back to sound design, i feel like **the revenant** nails that raw, wild feeling—like the wind and animal noises are characters on their own...