Genndy Tartakovsky discussed his use of silence, sound effects, and music in the sound design of his new series, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal.
Tartakovsky told Vulture, “I’m a product of ’70s filmmaking. In the ’70s, things were just a little bit more avant-garde. They were experimenting. Sound was a big part of it. Movie storytelling in the 1940s and ’50s was about grandeur, and there was a lot of musical underscoring. When you get to the ’60s and ’70s, the sound of the movies feels more independent — a little more raw, for lack of a better word.” He then gives an example of what he means to further illustrate his point: "The beginning of Once Upon a Time in the West is just guys waiting for a train. You’ve got these incredibly detailed faces. Minimum sound design. But if you watch it, especially on a big screen, you’re sucked in like crazy.”
“When I design or write stories, I keep that in mind: It’s about contrast and rhythm. We’re making a song. A good song has quiet parts and loud parts. Classical music, of course, is the best example of that,” Tartakovsky said. He remembers when he started working on Dexter's Laboratory, nobody was talking about sound design. Sound design was something Tartakovsky had to figure out for himself by re-watching his favorite movies and paying attention to the way music and sound were used.
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is a Major Step Forward for Genndy Tartakovsky
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is a groundbreaking series from the creator of Primal, Dexter's Laboratory, and Samurai Jack, among other popular series. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal has been a passion project for Tartakovsky, who has been working for years to bring together a diverse set of ideas, inspirations, and styles into this new series. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is a new story from Tartakovsky about three resurrected warriors and their robot guardian.
After being in development for years, Tartakovsky’s Unicorn: Warriors Eternal series finally received an order for a ten-episode first season on Adult Swim. The first two episodes premiered on May 4, 2023, and were released on HBO Max the following day. The series has been received positively by both critics and fans alike. The final episode of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal will premiere on June 30, 2023, on Adult Swim.
Source: Vulture