The Wilhelm scream. Can it die already?

As long as there's a soundman that thinks its funny and should be used, and the director agrees with him,, it's not going to die.
 
It has been used well in the past, but nowdays it seems sound fx folks put it in 'cos they think it's cool. Sometimes it's so blatant it takes me out of what I'm watching; Primeval was guilty of this, I actually decided to count the Wilhelms in one episode - I stoped after six. When it's re-used within seconds for two obviously different characters it just ruins the effect.

I'm not saying don't use it, just use it better.
 
I'm used to seeing "in-jokes" and things that filmmakers do as a wink to the audience or to other filmmakers, and I get a kick out of all of them. The Wilhelm is no different.

And really, we're the extreme minority here. I'd be willing to bet that 99% of the moviegoing audience doesn't even know the thing exists.
 
We were watching return of the king the other day and it is used 3 times within 1 minute during a battle. It completely took me out of it. Normally if I hear it once in a movie its not bad. Using it multiple times is like saying the punchline of a joke over and over and no one in the room is laughing.
 
Show me where. I've watched that movie a dozen times.

It's in there, but I do not believe it is ever 3 times in 1 minute.

No sound designer who knows to use it at all wouldn't be that dumb.
 
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Yeah, I hadn't heard that one. It shows up twice in TTT, but I'm pretty sure only once in ROTK. I'm not sure it shows up in FOTR at all.
 
Yeah I understand that there are six variations of the scream but three are common-

The one we've heard a million times (AUOOOWWWWW!)

A second version is in ESB when the Rebel laser dish blows up (and when the Nazi falls off the truck tearing the canvas in Raiders):

http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/sounds/Wilhelm_tk1.wav


And a third can be heard in Star Wars when the Stormtrooper is shot just before falling down the shaft in the Death Star (followed by the classic scream):

http://www.hollywoodlostandfound.net/sounds/Wilhelm_tk3.wav


Of the three, I prefer the ESB one.


Kevin
 
I know my post isn't going stop it from being used in films. It's silly to assume that I would think a forum post would somehow lay down the law on all of film sound production. I posted this to see if others on here felt the same way.
 
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