In space, no one is listening anyway
POSTED BY: SittingDuck
UPDATED: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 14:31
VIEWED: 8045
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Has Joss Wheaden ever stated why he chose to go for silent space?
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Not really but I think it has a lot do with being realistic as well as a creative sense into it. I like the fact that the silence sort of makes it seem like they are alone out there in space. That no one but themselves care for them. And that they are always flying under the radar. The silence gives us the scope of it all.
Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.
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I believe that in the commentary for Serenity, he noted the realism factor as the reason, and said something about putting some music there for them as aren't comfortable with the "soundless space" factor. Haven't seen that commentary in a little bit, though, so I'll have to check.
Oh, darn, now I gotta go watch the ep again... 
~A~
...I'm still free,
You can't take the sky from me.
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I'm guessing it's to do with the "real world" motif he has going; note how all the space sequences look like they're shot by an actual space-going camera crew (with zooms and pans and wobbles).
"In space, no one can hear the Fat Lady."
-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.
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Oh my gawd, can you imagine Serenity "wooshing" and "swishing" across the screen? Some crazy "ka-blooey" sound when it does that special yellow gas move? I think the main reason would have to be integrity. Spaceships making noise has got to be one of the saddest conventions of sci-fi. What are the two coolest sci-fi shows of all time? 2001 and Firefly. 'Nough said.
HKCavalier
Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.
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Pretty much what's already been said, realism plus the fact that just about every other sci-fi movie has the loud vooming ships, earth shaking explosions, etc in space.
Personally when I saw the Alliance cruiser blow up the Trans-U in Bushwhacked I was completely sold on it. Before that I thought it was a cool idea but that scene with the silent explosions in space just made it.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
"Oh hey, I got an idea. Instead of us hanging
around playing art critic till I get pinched by
the Man, how's about we move away from this
eerie-ass piece of work and get on with our
increasingly eerie-ass day, how's that?"
My eerie-ass website:
http://gunhandsfirefly.homestead.com/Index.html
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No sound also provides an element of creepy suspense. Like the way he used no music in "The Body" for BTVS. If you remember the newer Romeo and Juliet, when Claire Danes looks at dead Romeo there is no sound, then she breaks it with this weird cry. Whenever I show that scene in my class, the kids sre completely spellbound. Nobody wants to break the silence. They're all waiting to see what happens, even though they know. So I think the silence in space also kind of forces us to concentrate.
"Dear diary, today I was pompous and my sister was crazy."
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I'm not sure why he did it that way, I'm just glad he did. It does make the whole show much more realistic. That and the exceeding the speed of light crap (warp drive or hyperspace, whatever) that other shows and movies all use. Hey, people: Einstein proved 100 years ago that it can't be done, period. I'm so glad Joss got that one right.
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Both in Out of Gas (the engine fire being sucked out into space) and Our Mrs. Reynolds (Jayne firing Vera soundless and the bullets ricocheting inside the control chamber of the net and the explosions there), the effect of going from sound inside and silence outside was amazingly effective. It made the sound-scenes so much more intimidating.
Same goes for blowing up the ship in Bushwacked (very poetic), or even in Serenity, when the acid-eaten door comes off so the crew can get the treasure on the derelict. I love it. First thing I said when I saw a spaceship go woosh was 'They can't do that, it's in space! Sound doesn't travel in space.' (I have loved my library card 
from when I could read). I always shrug and ignore it the rest of the time. But the soundlesness of space realy fits in well in this show.
"---------------------" (Spacecrickets)
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