Silent Film

[Wolverine237]

Just need some advice.

Would it be a good idea to make my first feature a silent film?

 

[Alcove Audio]

The huge misunderstanding made by hearing people is that deaf people live in a world of silence, which is completely untrue. The vast majority of people classified as deaf still have a significant amount of hearing but the quality of what they hear is distorted to the point that they cannot understand speech (from hearing alone).

Way back in the day ('77/'78) I went to see a friend perform at CBGBs in NYC. The headliner that night was George Thorogood. This is long before he was a big name. There was a guy who was plastered to the PA stack with his head literally inside of it. After Thorogood finished his set the guy went backstage with his friend. Via sign language he told Thorogood (through his friend) that he was deaf, and that Thorogood was the best band he ever felt.

You may want to check out this following thread, lots of fun info about the era of "silent" films.

http://www.indietalk.com/showthread.php?t=40224

And, BTW, "The Artist" was loaded with terrific sound work.

 

[Wolverine237]

The reason the character is deaf is not meant to delve into the experience of of life as a deaf person but instead it simply adds only to his character and sets him apart from people around him. I personally feel complete silence heightens the drama of a movie if used sparingly and at the right moments. My style of filmmaking is simply to tell a great story and I know I can't tell a good story without incredible music or sound design.