Audio Arts | Week 2 | Matrix Lobby Scene

The Matrix has been one of the most influential action movies ever made, most notably with its pioneering use of 'bullet-time'. I have probably watched it over 50 times in my life, and the famed lobby scene will always be one of my favourite moments in any film.

The lobby scene begins with the pile driver sound that started in the previous scene with Agent Smith and Morpheus. The presence of this sound in the previous scene seems to pre-empt the impending character Neo entering the building. The sound is linked to Neo's feet, giving a great weight to his footsteps. This is then joined by a fast hihat rhythm, increasing the tension of the scene as soon as you see the high-level security. There is a strange 'zip' sound as Neo puts his bag on the x-ray conveyor belt, which does not seem to fit the on-screen action.

When Neo opens his coat to expose his personal artillery to a security guard, a large whooshing sound enhances the significance of such a simple action. At this moment a pile driver hit echoes and the hihat stops, mimicking the shock of the security guard. Word count reached. Holy shit!