A few minutes ago I heard on a PBS radio station the end of an interview in which the two men were discussing a type of scream which is very distinctive and which movie directors and sound engineers as an inside joke try to sneak into otherwise innocuous scenes. I missed the name that was given to the scream. Does anyone know what they were talking about?
And it’s Johnny L.A., by a nose!
Don’t go to Youtube and listen to any Wilhelm Scream compilations; you’ll inevitably get pissed and suffer a temporary drop in your suspension of disbelief when you hear it in a movie (or TV show) somewhere. Yes I myself made that mistake, now I can’t help but notice them (I really hope Cameron didn’t put one into Avatar, which I’m planning to see tomorrow).
Is there a female equivalent one I’ve been hearing lately? It was used in a shampoo commercial a few years back and most recently in the Pixar short “Presto”.
::sniff:: I’m so proud of my kid! A year or so ago, we were watching a TV broadcast of LOTR, and during the siege of Helms Deep, he said, “Mom! Did you hear that? It was the Wilhelm!” And he was right!
Yeah. Part of my brain recognized that scream as being common and familiar, but as soon as I found out it wasn’t coincidence, it bugged the crap out of me thereafter.
I don’t think Cameron is a Wilhelm guy though. I hope not.
Same. See previous comments about moviemakers that like mugging for the camera.
What is the scream heard here at the :45ish mark?
I do love Avatar, but Cameron not only uses the Wilhelm, he uses it twice in the movie!
OK, are there names for the Wilhelm-type yowl and ‘prreow’ often heard when cats are involved or objects crash offscreen?
It’s this one, also used in Starcraft as the Terran Academy sound effect. I don’t think it has a name, though.