The San Diego City College music department will host a screening of “Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound,” a documentary that analyzes the history of sound in film, April 26.

The film’s director, veteran Hollywood sound editor Midge Costin, will attend and follow up the screening with an in-person Q&A in AH-306 at 7 p.m.

The documentary reveals the power of sound in cinema, introducing the unsung heroes who create it, with insights from the directors they collaborate with.

In the film ,iconic Hollywood directors such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Sofia Coppola discuss the impact and importance of sound in their own work.

“Making Waves” begins by detailing the opening scene in the 1998 World War II film “Saving Private Ryan.” The documentary analyzes the use of sounds to portray the D-Day invasion sequence in a narrow-framed shot rather than the wide-frame shot traditionally used in past war movies.  

Different aspects of sound such as music, sound effects and voice are detailed in the film. It shows how each element is used to convey emotions, context and mood throughout the respective films. 

The film had its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival and its international premiere at Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

In addition to Friday’s screening, a related audio workshop will be hosted by the San Diego Section of the Audio Engineering Society April 27 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m..

The workshop, which will be held at Studio West in 11021 Via Frontera, Suite A, will discuss topics such as location sound, foley and sound design, according to the event flier.

A panel conversation featuring Sony foley artist Joanna Fang, Sony sound designer Jules Rascon and freelance sound recordist Alexandra Parral will follow the workshop.

Panelists will discuss what film directors need to know to effectively communicate with their sound teams, according to San Diego Media Pros whose media production company is co-sponsoring the event. 

City College music professor and film composer M.G. Espar will also be featured in the panel.

Saturday’s workshop is free for students with a student ID and is $25 for guests. Pre-registration is required to attend.  

Friday’s film screening is free, with pre-registration optional.

Update, April 26: The story has been updated with a promotional image from the movie.