Why are the sounds so important in 'Dune'?

In 1956, Forbidden Planet was released in theaters, marking the first major science fiction film that effectively codified the genre. For the soundtrack, the production hired a pair of sound engineers, Bebe and Louis Barron, who – in a pioneering move – decided to utilize electronic music. They were the first to consider linking these sounds to the science fiction universe. It was an unprecedented choice for the time, but crucial for the film's success: audiences had never before heard such sounds accompanying moving images. Associating electronic music with science fiction films then became the norm in the following decades. However, Star Wars partially broke this tradition: for example, the iconic sounds of lightsabers were created by combining those of an old movie projector and the hum of a television. Then came Dune, which pushed this approach to the extreme by utilizing over 3,000 "real" sounds – of which only five were created with electronic music instruments. If the universe of Dune is entirely imaginary, then its sound tapestry has been woven from actual recordings. Director Villeneuve himself, speaking with Le Monde, confirmed that the story of Dune unfolds on an imaginary planet, but its sounds are intended to be somewhat familiar to the viewers.

How were the sounds of Dune created?

Through its own sounds, Dune seeks to bring people closer to the described science fiction universe, making the one depicted in the film a dimension somewhat familiar to the audience. The goal is to give the audience the impression of being "inside the film," creating an engaging and immersive viewing experience. The effect, in this sense, is almost documentary-like. But how does Dune, both the first and second parts, make an otherwise non-existent universe seem real through specific sounds? The formula involves the use of sounds that are almost identifiable. The characteristic dragonfly-shaped aircraft in the film illustrates Dune's approach to sound design well: among other things, its now-iconic noise is created by combining recordings of a cat's purr with those of a beetle's wingbeats. The result, indeed, is a sense of naturalness and plausibility in terms of sound. Furthermore, before being customized, the noise emitted by the shields during clashes, when activated and struck, was derived from machine guns. In Lynch's Dune, the same sound had been created with a synthesizer, and indeed, it is noted how artificial and lacking in "body" it is – unlike Villeneuve's film. Our brains, in fact, are able to recognize a sound from a natural context more readily than one that is more artificial. Mark Mangini, the sound designer of Dune (who won the Oscar for "Best Sound" for the first film of the saga in 2022), hypothesizes that viewers would instinctively recognize the "real" sounds, thus drawing them closer to the story. Additionally, as Villeneuve explained, in Dune, sound was not intended to be applied "over" the image but integrated into the editing, and in this sense, it is considered as important as the visuals.

The importance of sound design in films

Sound design applied to films begins with the recording or creation of sounds and involves steps such as editing, montage, and mixing. These steps correspond to different professions and, for decades, have been awarded in two separate categories at the Academy Awards: the Oscar for Best Sound Editing and the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing. The former corresponds to the choice of sounds heard, while the latter concerns how they are meant to be heard. Since 2021, the two Oscars have been merged into a single award: according to Variety, this is evidence of how sound in cinema is underestimated. However, this crucial component for the success of a film is highly valued by directors, especially the most prominent ones. This year's Oscar nominee for "Best Sound," for instance, is The Zone of Interest. As in the case of Dune, the film's sound designer compiled a vast library of "real" noises consistent with what could have occurred in a concentration camp. To do this, sounds were recorded from a textile factory, an incinerator, marching boots on cobblestones, vintage rifles, and people's screams. These sounds were then processed considering distance, reverberation, surrounding nature noises, and the fact that a perimeter wall might dampen them. The result is an accurate and faithful version of what the film's protagonist family could have actually heard, living adjacent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The film never shows it, but it conveys this dimension exclusively through the noises produced within it, confirming the fundamental role of sound in giving substance to plots.