Forest Ambience 2 [Special Mix] : Happy Birds

Forest Ambience 2 [Special Mix] : Happy Birds
video & sound
6 min 17 sec
2019

"Forest Ambience 2 [Special Mix]: Happy Birds" creatively restructures footage gathered from diverse film and television sources, centering on a singular sound effect as a "ready-made" audio element reoccurring across various contexts. Sound effects carry inherent narrative meaning, particularly the ambient sound of chirping birds is often utilized to convey natural settings and enhance reality. By compiling and editing these varied "happy birds" scenes, this video work unveils the acoustic methods used by Hollywood to craft a sense of place and mood. The title, derived from an easily accessible sound effect file, reveals the emotive quality of ambient sound and underscores the act of listening.

Bird watchers and nature enthusiasts will recognize the beautiful flute-like song of the Hermit Thrush, raising further questions about the geographical plausibility of its existence within such diverse settings.

Referenced Film and Television:
Café Society 2016
Get Out 2017
Girls (season 2, episode 7) 2013
Hatfields & McCoys (season 1, part 3) 2012
Hidden Figures 2016
It Follows 2014
The Americans (season 4, episode 1) 2016
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 2007
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs 2018
The Big Short 2015
The Birth of a Nation 2016
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 2017
The Last Samurai 2003
The Man in the High Castle (season 1, episode 4) 2015
The White Queen (season 1, episode 1) 2013
The Zookeeper’s Wife 2017
True Detective (season 3, episode 5) 2019
Narcos (season 2, episode 8) 2016
Scandal (season 2, episode 3) 2012
Z: The Beginning of Everything (season 1, episode 10) 2017