No Time To Die Director Says Movie Was Influenced By Video Game Sound Design

Kay TurnerNov 2, 2021

The James Bond series has been going for decades now, taken from book form straight to the big screen. Portrayed by seven different actors, Bond has appeared in many movies adapted from the late Ian Flemming’s novels of the same name. The first movie, Dr No, was released in 1962, and with the release of No Time To Die having only just passed, the director of the movie had some interesting things to say about how he was inspired by his love of video games during the creation of the film. So sit back, grab some popcorn and enjoy a tour around the mind of Cary Joji Fukunaga.

The Spy Who Loved Sound

Sound design in both movies and video games has always been a huge part of making either seem immersive, realistic and entertaining. It is no surprise, then, that director Cary Joji Fukunaga took his love for video games and put them into action in his newest movie, No Time To Die, starring the great Daniel Craig as James Bond. “What’s very interesting about the sound design in video games is,” says Fukunaga in an interview with IGN, “how much the design from games has re-influenced cinema.” The director goes on to talk about what can be drawn from sound and how impactful it is. This is clear, too, when you look at how games at GGPoker use sound to create a fun atmosphere for entertainment, or how The Last of Us uses it to create quiet, dread-filled environments to build the tension.

Fukunaga talks at length about the differences between how things sound and how they should sound when on the big screen. He uses the example of a machine gun from the game Call of Duty, and how the metallic clank has made it into his own movies. “I know that guns sound different in real life, but when you’re doing a movie you’re trying to influence your senses to make it appear like real life.” He explains how some things in the real world don’t sound the same as our expectations as to how they should sound, and that this doesn’t translate into an immersive experience but rather pulls you out of the feeling. Sound design is important as it is something that the brain shouldn’t think about during the movie, rather should simply understand. When something doesn’t sound quite right it stands out and interrupts the continued enjoyment of the film.

The Man With The GoldenEye 007

Of course, the talk surrounding No Time To Die and video game design is an apt, if not slightly late, discussion. Pulling the many years back to reveal the Nintendo 64, many people will fondly remember the game GoldenEye 007, developed by Rare and based on the film of the same name. This game has been rated one of the best shooting games for that generation with a 9.7 rating out of 10. Therefore it makes sense that Fukunaga uses video game sound design as such an inspiration, as video games are, in a sense, part of the fantastic heritage that this new movie has. Not only are video games part of the ancestry that makes up the series, but it seems that video games may make up the future too, as IO Interactive have announced a new James Bond game, with the working title of “Project 007”. What is in store for players is unknown but the company has promised a brand new origin story where players can earn their 00 rating.

It seems that director Cary Joji Fukunaga is a huge fan of video games and is keen to bring the world of cinema and video games together to bounce off of each other and develop alongside each other. For those who want to watch No Time To Die, it is out now and ready to watch.