4 ms·

Personally I hate it because it will snap you out from suspension of disbelief immediately.

st_goliath 3y ago
Yes, ever since I was cobbling together Counter Strike maps back when I was in school, I became aware of a bunch of stock sound effects as well (after browsing through them in Hammer Editor numerous times). When you hear a toilet being flushed in a movie, it is the exact same stock sound. It makes me realize immediately, that I just watched an actor walk in frame (sometimes fidgeting with their belt), while the effect was added later during editing. Same thing with doors. For a long time, movies and TV shows have pretty much universally used the exact same stock sound of a door being closed. The sound effect is fairly recognizable and about as subtle as the Wilhelm Scream. Sometimes, you can even see that the door is not fully closed, but we still hear the latch snap in place. Sometimes it's also fairly obvious that this kind of door can't possibly produce that kind of sound. I guess people working at the studios have realized that too at some point, and in the past years increasingly (but not completely) moved to a different, more subtle door sound. It's now become a bit of a "will they/won't they" moment of suspense, whenever I see a door prominently in frame for a character to walk through it.
- adrenvi 3y ago
  I often hear sound effects from the original Doom and Doom II games in TV and movies.
  - ian0 3y ago
    Especially the doors opening and closing sounds..
LeonM 3y ago
There is also a commonly used sound effect of crowd cheering. I don't know what it is called, but it is used everywhere. I can't find is easily on YT, so my guess it is copyrighted. First time I heard it was in the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater game, every time you did a neat trick, you'd hear the same crowd cheer clip. I thought it was really annoying (I must have been ~14 yo at the time). Later as I got older, I started to recognise the same clip everywhere, with the same effect as you describe (immediately snapping you out from suspension of disbelief). It is also used a lot in 'live' audience reactions, such as talent shows, stand up comedy, sitcoms, etc.
- erenst 3y ago
  The cheering sound is probably from Audience Response Duplicator (or: Laff Box). There's a good episode [1] about it on 99% invisible. [1] https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-laff-box/ https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-laff-box/
- __alexs 3y ago
  Is this the THPS sound you know? https://soundeffects.fandom.com/wiki/Sound_Ideas,_APPLAUSE,_CHEERING_-_OUTDOOR:_SMALL_CROWD,_AUDIENCE_01 https://soundeffects.fandom.com/wiki/Sound_Ideas,_APPLAUSE,_...
- skrebbel 3y ago
  And in Scooter songs!
- Etherlord87 3y ago
  Once I made myself a marathon of watching James Bond movies, I noticed a particular sound of a gun ricochet, reused multiple times throughout the series. Then I started noticing it in other movies as well. I also often notice sounds from Heroes of Might and Magic III in movies, probably coming from some sound bank…
- lvncelot 3y ago
  Another one for me is a sound bite of kids laughing which I first noticed in Diddy Kong Racing's boot screen[1] and now I hear everywhere [1] https://youtu.be/_TtOPPKEqRI?t=10 https://youtu.be/_TtOPPKEqRI?t=10
  - bozhark 3y ago
    Grunts Birthday
- smazga 3y ago
  I don't know if they were stock sounds, or just lifted from the game, but so many bad shows use the police radio and fire engine siren from SimCity 3000.
nilslindemann 3y ago
It is the Easter egg of movies. How can you hate it, you barbarian ;-)
thom 3y ago
Yep. It’s the world’s most tired meme.
Karellen 3y ago
For me it's just part of the language of cinema, like a dolly zoom or a oner or slow-mo. I can notice those things, particularly when they fit the scene well, and still appreciate them as a part of cinema on one hand, but still maintain my investment in the narrative on the other. Like when my heartstrings are being pulled. If it's done well enough, it doesn't matter if you realise in the moment that it's something the filmmakers are doing deliberately; you still feel the emotion. I can appreciate the craft at the same time as being invested in the story. I enjoy appreciating a film on multiple levels at the same time. To be sure, Wilhelm is more of a "heh, nice" moment than a "wow, what incredible craftsmanship" realisation. And, to my knowledge, it's never used inappropriately, e.g. in a historical tragic war scene. If it showed up in, say, Saving Private Ryan or 1917, I probably would be annoyed in a way that I'm not if it showed up in an MCU or John Wick installment.

Yes, ever since I was cobbling together Counter Strike maps back when I was in school, I became aware of a bunch of stock sound effects as well (after browsing through them in Hammer Editor numerous times). When you hear a toilet being flushed in a movie, it is the exact same stock sound. It makes me realize immediately, that I just watched an actor walk in frame (sometimes fidgeting with their belt), while the effect was added later during editing. Same thing with doors. For a long time, movies and TV shows have pretty much universally used the exact same stock sound of a door being closed. The sound effect is fairly recognizable and about as subtle as the Wilhelm Scream. Sometimes, you can even see that the door is not fully closed, but we still hear the latch snap in place. Sometimes it's also fairly obvious that this kind of door can't possibly produce that kind of sound. I guess people working at the studios have realized that too at some point, and in the past years increasingly (but not completely) moved to a different, more subtle door sound. It's now become a bit of a "will they/won't they" moment of suspense, whenever I see a door prominently in frame for a character to walk through it.

adrenvi 3y ago
I often hear sound effects from the original Doom and Doom II games in TV and movies.
- ian0 3y ago
  Especially the doors opening and closing sounds..

LeonM 3y ago

There is also a commonly used sound effect of crowd cheering. I don't know what it is called, but it is used everywhere. I can't find is easily on YT, so my guess it is copyrighted. First time I heard it was in the original Tony Hawk Pro Skater game, every time you did a neat trick, you'd hear the same crowd cheer clip. I thought it was really annoying (I must have been ~14 yo at the time). Later as I got older, I started to recognise the same clip everywhere, with the same effect as you describe (immediately snapping you out from suspension of disbelief). It is also used a lot in 'live' audience reactions, such as talent shows, stand up comedy, sitcoms, etc.

erenst 3y ago
The cheering sound is probably from Audience Response Duplicator (or: Laff Box). There's a good episode [1] about it on 99% invisible. [1] https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-laff-box/ https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-laff-box/
__alexs 3y ago
Is this the THPS sound you know? https://soundeffects.fandom.com/wiki/Sound_Ideas,_APPLAUSE,_CHEERING_-_OUTDOOR:_SMALL_CROWD,_AUDIENCE_01 https://soundeffects.fandom.com/wiki/Sound_Ideas,_APPLAUSE,_...
skrebbel 3y ago
And in Scooter songs!
Etherlord87 3y ago
Once I made myself a marathon of watching James Bond movies, I noticed a particular sound of a gun ricochet, reused multiple times throughout the series. Then I started noticing it in other movies as well. I also often notice sounds from Heroes of Might and Magic III in movies, probably coming from some sound bank…
lvncelot 3y ago
Another one for me is a sound bite of kids laughing which I first noticed in Diddy Kong Racing's boot screen[1] and now I hear everywhere [1] https://youtu.be/_TtOPPKEqRI?t=10 https://youtu.be/_TtOPPKEqRI?t=10
- bozhark 3y ago
  Grunts Birthday
smazga 3y ago
I don't know if they were stock sounds, or just lifted from the game, but so many bad shows use the police radio and fire engine siren from SimCity 3000.

nilslindemann 3y ago

It is the Easter egg of movies. How can you hate it, you barbarian ;-)

thom 3y ago

Yep. It’s the world’s most tired meme.

Karellen 3y ago

For me it's just part of the language of cinema, like a dolly zoom or a oner or slow-mo. I can notice those things, particularly when they fit the scene well, and still appreciate them as a part of cinema on one hand, but still maintain my investment in the narrative on the other. Like when my heartstrings are being pulled. If it's done well enough, it doesn't matter if you realise in the moment that it's something the filmmakers are doing deliberately; you still feel the emotion. I can appreciate the craft at the same time as being invested in the story. I enjoy appreciating a film on multiple levels at the same time. To be sure, Wilhelm is more of a "heh, nice" moment than a "wow, what incredible craftsmanship" realisation. And, to my knowledge, it's never used inappropriately, e.g. in a historical tragic war scene. If it showed up in, say, Saving Private Ryan or 1917, I probably would be annoyed in a way that I'm not if it showed up in an MCU or John Wick installment.