New Waves of Sound: A Historical Analysis of Cinematic Sound, Its Development and Influence on the Art Movements of Late 20th Century Cinema

Abstract

For my Senior Honors Project, I researched the technical and artistic achievements of film audio professionals, and their collective contribution to the history of cinema. Research was a semester-long process that involved cross-referencing academic texts, online repositories, and student-conducted interviews. Required travel included visits to the University of Southern California (USC); University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); and the University of California, Northridge, where I filmed a total of eight interviews. The results of my research suggest that the history of cinema has been directly and irrevocably shaped by developments in sound technology, with profound influence upon filmmakers of the French New Wave and the American New Wave which succeeded it.