Specific types of movies have a specific sound. Overtime, these associations inevitably become subconscious. The wave of electric sound from the 40s onwards transformed not just how people watched movies and how they identified genre, but how they listened to it as well. The otherworldly chords of the theremin became indelibly linked to science fiction, while husband and wife composers Bebe and Louis Barron are credited with creating the first fully realised electronic film score for 50s cult classic Forbidden Planet (1956). From deploying unconventional instruments to early looping and splicing techniques, the legacy of electric sound can still be found today in the works of composers like Danny Elfman.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
181534
Curatorial sections
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-05. Sound and Colour → MI-05-AV02B
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-05. Sound and Colour → MI-05-C02
Object Types
Moving image file/Digital