Silent movies may look cool, old and antique to us now, but back in the day, that was all they really had. When audio and video first began to work together making "talking pictures", there were many challenges presented. (Side note - Professor Santiago would wish that I emphasize that Audio and Video are two VERY different and separate things. Yes, they can synchronize but audio did it's own completely separate and video did it's own thing). One of the challenges was the microphone, because they were not very high-tech in the beginning. The microphone had to be positioned so that the sound was consistent in volume even when the actors and actresses turned their heads or away from each other. Another challenge was the synchronization. This meant they had to get the audio to match the video so every word, expression and sound matched together with the lip movement and motion of objects.
Actress Myrna Loy said to New York Times writer Guy Flatley in 1977, ‘This is ridiculous! Who wants to hear people talk?" Many People didn't understand why there needed to be a change. Silent films were appreciated because that's all they had and weren't used to talking pictures. People didn't understand them. It is like how I often go to the movies and purposely choose the normal movie over the 3D version, because I just don't see why it's necessary sometimes.
Sound affected every person in film though. It must have been extremely frustrating for the directors, producers, and confusing for the actors and actresses who were forced to change their job description.
Singing in the Rain from 1952 is a great example of a movie made right at the beginning of the sound in film era.
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