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- This article is about a sound effect; for information about the punk rock band, see A Wilhelm Scream.
The Wilhelm scream is a stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the movie Distant Drums. It has been featured in dozens of movies since. Alongside a certain recording of the cry of the Red-tailed Hawk, the "Universal telephone ring" * and "castle thunder," it is probably one of the most well-known cinematic sound clichés.
History
The Wilhelm's revival came from Star Wars series sound designer Ben Burtt, who tracked down the original recording (which he found as a studio reel labeled "Man being eaten by alligator"). The recording was actually from a film from 1951 titled Distant Drums. Although Distant Drums was the first known use of the sound, Burtt named it after "Pvt. Wilhelm", a minor character who emitted the same scream in the 1953 movie The Charge at Feather River. Its use in the Star Wars films was the beginning of something of an in-joke amongst some sound designers of the film industry, especially at Skywalker Sound. They continue to try to incorporate it into movies wherever feasible; action movies are naturals, but film sound cognoscente are particularly impressed when it is used naturally in films such as A Star Is Born (with Judy Garland) and A Goofy Movie. In a tribute to its origins, the clip was used in the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when the villain Mola Ram was eaten by alligators. It was also used in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when an ambusher was killed during the attack on the German convoy.
Sheb Wooley is considered by many to be the most likely voice actor for the scream, having appeared on a memo as a voice extra for Distant Drums.
Criticism
Because of the over-use of the Wilhelm scream in the film sound industry, many big-name studios will force the producers of their films to replace the scream with other screams. Nowadays, after the scream has "lost its luster", so to speak, many sound designers will attempt to sneak it into their films as a joke, or to see if it can make it past the initial previewing sequences.
See also
External links
- The Wilhelm Scream in .wav sound format
- Films with the keyword "Wilhelm Scream" at the Internet Movie Database
- A Wilhelm Scream filmography (cached version)
- Radio report about the Wilhelm scream, with transcript and audio examples of uses of the scream
- Several examples including some from George Lucas' movies and coverage of the surrounding story can be heard in the last segment of the December 30, 2005 edition of NPR's On the Media.
- Film Sound Clichés at FilmSound.org
- Article: The Silver Scream: Wilhelm and Immortality
Wilhelmsschrei | Wilhelmschreeuw | Wilhelm (äänitehoste) | Wilhelmskriket
"Wilhelm scream"