Influences on Sound Design

So we see that there are many differences, as well as slew of similarities when it comes to the sound design of Kairo’s American remake, Pulse. Why is Pulse different from Kairo regarding audio? And what is the importance of all these elements being diverse, or at the very least, altered, in the remake? Does it matter in the end?

The answer lays in the artistic and nationalistic cultures of each nation. Culture and media influence each other cyclically. These films were produced within cultures, affected by various matters surrounding the filmmakers. Yet, the films can also in turn have effects on the culture it is produced in, perpetuating and/or changing aspects of the world around them. My work will focus on how I believe culture has influenced the films themselves, since the foundation of this research is the textual Kairo and Pulse movies.

I've divided my analysis into four sections.

1. Art Culture

This includes influences from the countries' artistic cultures, such as theatre and music, that affect film aspects.

2. Ma (間)

"Ma" is a notion unique to Japan that is influential on not just culture, but societial behavior and collective thought. Therefore, it can be found in creative products, like film.

3. Horror Culture

Fears not just vary from person to person, but also from country to country. National and mutally understood horror can change elements in film, even sound.

4. Temporal Influences

Time periods and creative endeavors are cyclically influential to one another- for instance, film can represent a certain time, but is also susceptible to factors of the era it was created in.

As you will see though the sections above, both nations’ cultures are starkly different, the things that scare the countries’ citizens are different, and the countries’ relationship and history with audio-visuals has been- you guessed it- different.

In the end, the choices made to the sound design does matter to the overall success of the film on a target culture; success being defined as if the movie actually scares audiences or not. If the film is made in Hollywood, the film is most likely produced for an American audience- even if it’s more successful overseas- the film is for Americans first. Just as Kairo, filmed in Japan, is made for a Japanese audience first. Therefore, the audio of each film reflects that notion.