BBC Radio 4
The Sound of Sport
30 April 2011
Presented by Dennis Baxter
Produced by Peregrine Andrews
When we think of the sound of sport on TV or radio, it's
generally commentary. But what's around the commentary? Broadcast sport would
be nothing without the crowds, the kicks, the thwacks and the grunts. This
programme is about those sounds and why they matter.
During the World Cup of 2010, the Vuvuzelas made many people
realise that the sound of a sports event, something they took for granted, does
matter.
Dennis Baxter's job is to think about the sound of sport,
and he is our guide. For nearly 20 years he's worked on the Olympics, defining
how the broadcast will sound, always trying to increase drama and excitement.
For him, closer is generally better. If he can put a microphone on an athlete,
he will.
At the Oxford-Cambridge boat race, the TV coverage is
enhanced by microphones on the cox in each boat. Whilst Wimbledon has a special
sonic drama all of its own, as we learn from Bill Whiston who mixed the
Bafta-nominated sound of the 2008 finals.
When good sound isn't available, it's not uncommon for a
prerecorded sound to be added to cover the shot. Is this cheating or merely
giving us what we expect?
The experience of "live" events can be highly
produced, very different from the experience of being there. Is this enhanced
sound so very different from that of a film or a video game? We meet a
Hollywood sound effects specialist and a video game sound designer to find out
what they do to create a sense of authenticity and excitement. Are they raising
our expectations of how "real" sport should sound?
As we approach the 2012 Olympics, this programme will make
you think more about what you hear when you watch sport.
The programme's producer Peregrine Andrews has written an article for
fastandwide.com about his BBC Radio 4 documentary The Sound of Sport,
which can be found on their website here
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