Reflections on Sound Design

Adventure Time - It Came from the Nightosphere Scene

 

 

Script transcribed by Anthony Shadows

Being an aspiring sound designer/editor, the creativity of this sequence intrigued me. The show is Adventure Time, and it airs on Cartoon Network, it's geared towards the ages of 10-18 but also has enough tangible substance to appeal and entertain those of us 21 year olds. What really fascinated me was how astounding the creativity of the sound design was, within a scene that the sound script was quite simple. 

One of the very first aspects to catch my attention was what the designers did with the listening modes. In order to bring about an otherworldly feel to Marceline's father they used a contrast of causal and semantic sounds. The causal sounds being when he, and the other characters, are speaking. Where-as the semantic sounds are the disembodied noises that accompany his actions and words in order to represent his demonic powers. Most notably is while he attempts to suck out Finn's soul, he is able to explain (in the most terrifying echoing manner) what exactly he is doing. 

Another striking aspect of the sound design is the utilization of some gestalt principals, once more, to create a demonic feel to Marceline's father. Their manipulation of proximity to show the fluctuations of his powers were effective and were able to elicit an impressive emotional response. By increasing the pitch and intensity of the screeching shrieks the designers created an increase in the power and terror of his presence. Also by using the illusion of sound, they blended many of the jagged and shrill sounds with screaming to create a new and horrifying hellish sound. 

By taking a simplistic sound scheme and adding some tiny yet creatively placed editing the designers made this scene in a cartoon show, one of the most impressive and memorable scenes in the sound medium.