There are many, many nouns for the act of looking - a glance, a glimpse, a peep - but there's no noun for the act of listening. In general, we don't think primarily about sound. So I have a different perspective on the world; I can construct soundscapes that have an effect on people, but they don't know why. It's a sort of subterfuge.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the lack of language for auditory experiences compared to visual ones, suggesting a deeper understanding of sound's impact on perception.
Walter Murch reflects on the differences between our perception of visual and auditory experiences. He points out the abundance of terms associated with seeing, while emphasizing the scarcity of words for listening. This observation leads him to articulate a unique viewpoint on sound, suggesting that soundscapes can influence emotions and thoughts in ways that people may not consciously recognize. It underscores the profound yet often overlooked role of sound in shaping our understanding of the world.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of mindfulness, one could use this quote to illustrate how often we overlook the impact of sound.
You can always make a film somehow. You can beg, borrow, steal the equipment, use credit cards, use your friends' goodwill, wheedle your way into this or that situation. The real problem is, how do you get people to see it once it is made?
Film editing is now something almost everyone can do at a simple level and enjoy it, but to take it to a higher level requires the same dedication and persistence that any art form does.
The notion of directing a film is the invention of critics - the whole eloquence of cinema is achieved in the editing room.
I believe that one of the secret engines that allows cinema to work, and have the marvelous power over us that it does, is the fact that for thousands of years we have spent eight hours every night in a 'cinematic' dream-state, and so are familiar with this version of reality.
Film is really the one art form that can effectively use silence. Music and theater can play with silence, but they can't sustain silence without losing energy, whereas film can go into a silent mode and stay there for minutes at a time.
This applies to many film jobs, not just editing: half the job is doing the job, and the other half is finding ways to get along with people and tuning yourself in to the delicacy of the situation.
...the person who surrenders absolutely to God, with no reservations, is absolutely safe. From this safe hiding-place he can see the devil , but the devil cannot see him.
The efficacy of a prayer depends not on the words but on the sincerity of intention.
Among the many problems with taking the Bible literally is it reduces the most mysterious and complex of realities to simple - even simplistic - terms. Yes, scripture speaks of fire and damnation and eternal bliss, but the Bible is the product of human hands and hearts, and much of the imagery is allegorical, not meteorological.
A person may be greedy, envious, cowardly, cold, ungenerous, unkind, vain, or conceited, but behave perfectly by a monumental act of the will.
Why not, when it can be done without exposure or expense, let me rescue some of America's miserable children from vice and guilt?
If you want the truth rather than merely something to say, you will have a good deal less to say.
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