Films/Series with amazing Sound Design
Films around the world that have amazing Sound Design work. From small indie films to blockbusters, I'll add everything I like on this list.
P.S.- I'll also add films that may be bad otherwise, but have a good soundscape.
P.S.- I'll also add films that may be bad otherwise, but have a good soundscape.
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38 titles
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsDaniel Day-LewisPaul DanoCiarán HindsA story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.
- DirectorRobert MachoianStarsClayne CrawfordSepideh MoafiChris CoyDavid desperately tries to keep his family of six together during a separation from his wife. They both agree to see other people but David struggles to grapple with his wife's new relationship.
- DirectorAnurag KashyapStarsManoj BajpayeeNawazuddin SiddiquiTigmanshu DhuliaA clash between Sultan and Shahid Khan leads to the expulsion of Khan from Wasseypur, and ignites a deadly blood feud spanning three generations.
- CreatorZoya AkhtarReema KagtiStarsSonakshi SinhaVijay VarmaGulshan DevaiahSub-inspector Anjali Bhaati investigates a series of deaths where women are found in public bathrooms. The deaths first appear as suicides but as the investigation progresses, Bhaati realizes that there's a serial killer on the loose.
- DirectorAri AsterStarsFlorence PughJack ReynorVilhelm BlomgrenA couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.
- DirectorJoe WrightStarsAmy AdamsGary OldmanAnthony MackieAn agoraphobic woman living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors; only to witness a disturbing act of violence.
- DirectorLee CroninStarsMirabai PeaseRichard CrouchleyAnna-Maree ThomasA twisted tale of two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsAdam SandlerEmily WatsonPhilip Seymour HoffmanSocially frustrated Barry Egan calls a phone-sex line to curb his loneliness. Little does he know it will land him in deep trouble and will jeopardize his burgeoning romance with the mysterious Lena.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsDaniel CraigJavier BardemNaomie HarrisJames Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
- StarsArtur BarcisOlgierd LukaszewiczOlaf LubaszenkoTen television drama films, each one based on one of the Ten Commandments.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAlisa FreyndlikhAleksandr KaydanovskiyAnatoliy SolonitsynA guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.
- DirectorJohn KrasinskiStarsEmily BluntJohn KrasinskiMillicent SimmondsA family struggles for survival in a world where most humans have been killed by blind but noise-sensitive creatures. They are forced to communicate in sign language to keep the creatures at bay.
- CreatorMike FlanaganStarsMichiel HuismanCarla GuginoHenry ThomasFlashing between past and present, a fractured family confronts haunting memories of their old home and the terrifying events that drove them from it.
- CreatorVince GilliganStarsBryan CranstonAaron PaulAnna GunnA chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
- StarsThuso MbeduChase DillonJoel EdgertonA young woman named Cora makes an amazing discovery during her attempt to break free from slavery in the deep south.
- DirectorAmit DuttaAn experimental documentary on the charcoal drawings of Indian artist Paramjit Singh.
- DirectorRitwik GhatakStarsSupriya ChoudhuryAnil ChatterjeeGyanesh MukherjeeA selfless young woman (Supriya Choudhury) sacrifices her own happiness for her unappreciative family.
- DirectorVishal BhardwajStarsPriyanka Chopra JonasVivaan ShahNeil Nitin MukeshSusanna is hungry for love and will go to any extent to find it in its purest form. In her quest for the perfect man, she gets married a number of times as each of her husband's die mysteriously.
- DirectorLijo Jose PellisseryStarsAntony VargheseReshma RajanBinny Rinky BenjaminVincent Pepe who wanted to be a powerful leader of a righteous gang that ruled the city, like his seniors. And then there's the rival clan with the malicious gangsters of Angamaly a locale on which the film is based.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsHarrison FordRyan GoslingAna de ArmasYoung Blade Runner K's discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard, who's been missing for thirty years.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsMark WahlbergJulianne MooreBurt ReynoldsBack when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsRalph FiennesBenedict CumberbatchDev PatelChronicles a variety of stories, but the main one follows Henry Sugar, who is able to see through objects and predict the future with the help of a book he stole.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsJodie FosterKristen StewartForest WhitakerA divorced woman and her diabetic daughter take refuge in their newly-purchased house's safe room when three men break-in, searching for a missing fortune.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsGene HackmanJohn CazaleAllen GarfieldA paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.
- DirectorLuca GuadagninoStarsChloë Grace MoretzTilda SwintonDoris HickA darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.
- CreatorRian JohnsonStarsNatasha LyonneBenjamin BrattSimon HelbergCharlie has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can't help but investigate and solve.
- CreatorMike FlanaganStarsCarla GuginoBruce GreenwoodMary McDonnellSiblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built a pharmaceutical company into an empire of wealth, privilege and power; however, secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael FassbenderTilda SwintonCharles ParnellAfter a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.
- DirectorHlynur PálmasonStarsÍda Mekkín HlynsdóttirGrímur HlynssonÞorgils HlynssonSiblings building a tree house together over the course of a year. We experience the beauty and brutality of the seasons, as we follow them through their struggles and moments of joy.
- DirectorSriram RaghavanStarsKatrina KaifVijay SethupathiTinnu AnandTwo strangers meet on a fateful Christmas Eve. A night of delirious romance turns into a nightmare. Revealing anything more would be a crime.
- DirectorNishtha JainStarsMaqsoood AlamBabujaanS.C. ChandraOutside Kolkata a few jute mills crank on, virtually unchanged since the industrial revolution. Powered by steam and sweat, work is a dance to the dictate of profit and century-old machines. The Golden Thread follows the weft and warp of jute work alongside the creative labour of the film's own making. In this near dystopian industrial town can there be a potential for a collective re-imagination?
- DirectorJonathan GlazerStarsScarlett JohanssonJeremy McWilliamsLynsey Taylor MackayA mysterious young woman seduces lonely men in the evening hours in Scotland. However, events lead her to begin a process of self-discovery.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsTimothée ChalametZendayaRebecca FergusonPaul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
- DirectorAri AsterStarsToni ColletteMilly ShapiroGabriel ByrneA grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.
- DirectorAkira KurosawaStarsTatsuya NakadaiAkira TeraoJinpachi NezuIn Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.Classic example of ambience depicting the state of mind of the character. When Hidetora is banished, the extreme use of chaotic crickets denotes his disturbed and maddening state of mind. Use of other natural elements like a specific kind of bird or wind to punctuate emotions.
Purpose driven use of music. Very minimal and extremely effective.
In the attack on the third castle scene, the absence of any sound effects and only music creates a very helpless atmosphere. The music is interrupted suddenly by the gunshot killing Taro, after which sound effects take over to depict the horror and ruthlessness of the attack. It's one of my favourite moments in the film.
The sound of horses running through the war field sounds very grand. To achieve this in a monaural soundtrack is commendable.
Some creative use of exaggerated reverbs especially in the Kyoami and Hidetora scene around a rocky hill top. The reverb makes it feel otherworldly where the role of servant and master has flipped. - DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsEmma StoneMark RuffaloWillem DafoeAn account of the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.The music is extremely unique. It uses conventional instruments like flute in an unconventional way. The usual purpose of music in films is to provide an emotional background to a scene. In Poor things, it hardly does that. Music here helps in the world building to make it more peculiar and awkward.
The sound design was very understated and done around the score. On first watch, it never caught my attention. It is very difficult to achieve that because visually the world was so surreal, the temptation, to make sound grab your attention, is very difficult to resist. Every sound was well thought, carefully measured and purpose driven. It brought a dry sense of humour to the scenes. As with visuals, the sound design was also a hybrid of realism with a pinch of surrealism. I particularly liked the ambience of the ship. Instead of a ship engine they used a rhythmic pounding sound and metal rumbles and squeaks. It doesn't sound completely realistic but also doesn't sound completely off. - DirectorMichael HanekeStarsSusanne LotharUlrich MüheArno FrischTwo violent young men take a mother, father, and son hostage in their vacation cabin and force them to play sadistic "games" with one another for their own amusement.It is evident that Haneke's style is influenced by Robert Bresson. He uses sound to create images in the mind of the audience. Some gruesome violence is not shown, but heard. Image often maintain a conflicting relation with sound. Sound is not used here as an emotive tool, but as a provoking one. Haneke establishes this from the first scene where a seemingly normal game of guessing opera singers is suddenly disrupted by a loud chaotic death metal song. It's so bizarre that you feel like its there by mistake. We can see the characters talking but can't hear them. Haneke foreshadows the violence that's about to come through this. We hear the same song when Paul, the torturer, plays it again from a CD later.
The scene where they kill the child is a striking one. We hear the violence and see a very mundane image of the torturer making a sandwich, but right after that there's a long take with a wide shot where we see the child lying dead, the mother sitting still with shock, we hear sounds of a racing sport commentary alongwith the buzzing noise of the racing cars from the TV. This combination of image and sound disturbs the audience. The mother, it feels, then takes the role of the audience. The first thing she does when she moves is turn off the damn TV. - DirectorJ.A. BayonaStarsEnzo VogrincicAgustín PardellaMatías RecaltThe flight of a rugby team crashes on a glacier in the Andes. The few passengers who survive the crash find themselves in one of the world's toughest environments to survive.The biggest challenge for sound in this kind of realistic survival drama is create immersion through realistic sound. The plane crash scene with no music to create drama, the brilliant sound effects makes you feel like you are sitting with them on the plane. The mix is delicately balanced making every little sound register and create an emotion- The vibrating metal parts, the deafening engine, the break of a bone, the rummage of luggages moving around, the deep rumble. The design of the wind on the crash site is also very emotive and detailed. With almost no other sound, its different kinds of wind interacting with the metal remains of the plane.