[78-L] Mit-Out Sound

[joe@salerno.com]

So if the term dates from 1933 or so, it would have been coined after 
the Vitaphone system was pretty much abandoned in favor of optical, 
would this not be so?

joe salerno


Harold Aherne wrote:
> I have looked in a couple of different sources to back up this claim (and 
> because my curiosity was piqued):
>  
> In "The Camera Assistant's Manual" (David Elkins, Focal Press, 2000), the 
> term is glossed as "minus optical sound", meaning that the scene
> is filmed without synchronised sound (which would be added
> later). The opposite of MOS is "synch", meaning that the sound
> is recorded with the action (pp. 3-4). That definiton is also given in 
> "The Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound" (Yendall, 2003).
>  
> The ascription of "mit out sound" to Erich von Stroheim is noted in a few places, 
> but the only dialogue film that he directed was "Hello Sister" (aka "Walking Down
> Broadway", Fox, 1933). Although he appeared in leading and supporting parts
> in several early talkies from 1929-32, there seems no obvious reason
> why he'd have to be concerned with the mechanics of sound on any of 
> them. If the "mit out sound" legend is correctly attributed to him, it would
> almost have to result from his work on that single film.
>  
> The more usual German-accented pronunciation of "without" would
> seem to be "vitout", though there could be variations (the German word for
> "without" is ,,ohne''). None of this proves that "minus optical system" isn't in
> fact a "backronym", but it's the best I can do!
>  
> -Harold
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
> 
> 
> --- On Mon, 10/13/08, joe at salerno.com <jsalerno at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> From: joe at salerno.com <jsalerno at earthlink.net>
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Mit-Out Sound
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Date: Monday, October 13, 2008, 9:55 AM
> 
> It seems strange calling a film "minus optical system"
> 
> In the beginning film sound was on disc, was it not? like Vitaphone discs?
> 
> joe salerno
> 
> 
> 
> 
>       
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