You know it when you hear it -- Godzilla's roar. It's possibly one of the most famous monster sounds in cinematic history, which meant that revamping it for the 2014 remake of Godzilla wasn't a task to be taken lightly for the film's sound designer Erik Aadahl and sound editor Ethan Van der Ryn. Aadahl is joined by director Gareth Edwards and producer Thomas Tull in this SoundWorks Collection video that takes us behind the scenes of how the team used an assortment of different sound layers in order to recreate the universally recognized cry of the legendary daikaiju.
Though it may not have been the first monster movie, Ishiro Honda's original Godzilla (Gojira) from 1954 was, and still is, one of the most widely known monster movies of all time. One of the reasons why the film's monster, mutated due to nuclear radiation, has become such a pop culture icon is because of its famous roar.
This famous sound effect was created by composer Akira Ifukube by rubbing a pine tar resin-covered leather glove along the strings of a loosened double bass; the sound was then slowed down during playback. Check out the video below to listen to an assortment of original Godzilla roars:
As Aadahl, Edwards, and Tull express in the SoundWorks Collection video below, recreating one of the most famous sound effects of all time is a huge responsibility, and undoubtedly means paying respect and homage to the original. There's no doubt that mega-fans of the franchise would be scrutinizing their work -- of course they would (we've been burned before), so the sound design team used the original template as a starting point -- even reproducing Ifukube's sound. They experimented with rusty door hinges, drum toms, and an assortment of other objects until they eventually were happy with the product -- which, in my opinion, is just -- epic.
What are your thoughts on the new Godzilla roar? Does it do the original justice? Let us know in the comments below!
