The producers too lazy to use Foley artists, or Foley artists too lazy to create their own sounds are largely responsible for the irritating phenomenon of over-used, cheap, background sound in soundtracks. Three particular examples that exhibit the wide use of a sound clip or group of sound clips across video games, films and television come under the microscope for a proverbial spanking,
Kickin' It Old School
Remember GoldenEye 007 (1997) for the N64? Good! It was a classic. No ifs no buts. What was weird however was the careful player would notice that the sounds the guards and enemies made when shot and attacked ran in a repeated sequence of about 20 different noises. Nothing wrong with this per se, maybe even a sense of glee in knowing which was going to come next!
What is annoying is when low-budget action films pick these sounds straight from the bank and it gives the usually already dire movie a even cheaper feel. It is not the lack of effort involved in using these banked samples in movies, but rather the fact that they thought they might get away with it.
Many sources cite GoldenEye 007 as one of the best games of all time and most enjoyable multiplayer mode, and hence people WILL notice if some weasel in Hollywood decides to plonk a sound from the game right into their movie.
Why Does It All Come Back To N64 Games?
Another N64 phenomenon in 1997 was Diddy Kong Racing, basically an advancement of Mario Kart 64, sporting the aforementioned chimp and other Rareware stars such as Banjo. DKR incorporated hovercraft and plane antics as opposed to the kart only format of MK64. Anyway, the opening sequence of DKR featured a sound of a couple of cute sounding kids giggling gleefully. This is another sound that has been sampled elsewhere.
Many adverts that are aired on British TV feature this sound in their short. Usually family or child orientated products that are supposed to bring happiness and entertainment to all buyers have this sample dunked right in the middle of their advert. Make your own sounds!!
This particular sample, which to be frank is bloody annoying in itself, appears in an advert on British TV in a fabric softener ad as patchwork kids chase a patchwork butterfly across a patchwork field, or something equally nauseating. Also this sample makes a star appearance in Grand Theft Auto IV (2008) in one of the amusing radio ads.
If this trend continues, soon the airwaves will only consist of recycled sounds. And the already instigated dilapidation of unsuspecting TV viewers’ minds will be accelerated uncontrollably. It is useful to have a library of stocked sounds for TV and film purposes, but such frequent and obvious use is unacceptable.
