knight rider online

I was wondering, how does KITT's scanner light make that whoosh,whoosh sound? Is is actually possible?

I am sure that it is physically possible to make the whoosh whoosh sound, they did it for the sound of the show. As for the light, you would most likely have to have a separate sound generator to make the right noise.

knightimmortal

What about in the Pilot, when Michael's in the hangar place just after he has been jogging, talks to Wilton? When he goes and stands in the spotlight, he sees KITT's red scanner light. It makes a wierd sound - not like "whoosh whoosh" but like "da-da-da-daaaaa da-da-da-daaaaa". How comes? When KITT starts up when impounded I think the sound is the normal whoosh whoosh.

PS. When I went to reply to this topic, it asked me to enter username and password (normal) but then it took me to the reply box of the "KR favourite toys" topic. How comes?

I think it might be a sound for the audience..! [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
But i could be wrong [img]images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

regards

C.A.R.R

I think Michael Knight can hear it. Unless you want to subscribe to the supernatural theory that Michael could feel KITT, Michael knew when KITT was there, without looking many a time.

As for the pilot sound:
KR Explanation: They hadn't totally calibrated it yet.

Real Explanation: How many things from the pilot made it into the first episode? Things did change a bit, subtly, but they changed.

knightimmortal

Wasn't KITT's scanner sound taken from the robots out of Battle Star Galactica(sp)?

Dave

KITT and the Cylons had somewhat similar sounds, but KITT's scanner was more whooshy. Yes, whooshy.

And I hadn't thought about it until this thread, but I don't think characters standing next to KITT could hear the scanner. I think it was just for our benefit in the TV audience.

Mike

[ September 05, 2002: Message edited by: Michael Pajaro ]

It would be hard to tell, since the characters would have already pretty much known what it was, and were already enticed by the light, you wouldn't know if it was the sound or the light that had gotten their attention.

knightimmortal

Didn't the Cylons and Karr's scanner sound the same?(been a while since I saw Battlestar) I thought Karr's scanner kinda sounded like a train.


Cheri

I think the creators wanted a crowd-pleasing effect from the sound, but it also had to make some sense, and fit into the show. No viewer is gonna like it just because it's a neat sound, if it's out of place. It just seemed to fit, and it was part of KITT...like hearing him breathe or something. Now, to explain the function for the whooshing sound in the fictional world of KR would take some creativity. Perhaps the scanner had mechanical contact points that would light the bulbs in sequence, and the rubbing would create the sound. Interestingly, I think it sounds like a material object of some sort being swung back and forth through the air. In that sense, it gives the scanner a very physical presence, and reinforces the idea in the viewer that the scanner does more than just flash...that there are moving parts in there, heh, doing what they do best, scanning!
[img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Darknight

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by knightimmortal:
<STRONG>How many things from the pilot made it into the first episode?

knightimmortal</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

An equally great question: How many things in the pilot even made it through the WHOLE pilot? :P

Within the fictional Knight Rider world, can you hear the scanner? Or is that just a dramatic sound effect for the TV audience? I'm not talking about whether or not David Hasselhoff (the actor) could hear it, I'm asking if Michael Knight, the CHARACTER could hear it.

Mike

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by knightimmortal:
<STRONG>I think Michael Knight can hear it. Unless you want to subscribe to the supernatural theory that Michael could feel KITT, Michael knew when KITT was there, without looking many a time.

knightimmortal</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A nice detail in 'Short Notice', I thought, was when Michael recognised Kitt's approach, not from his scanner, but from his distinctive engine. As Kitt returned to the ghost town, on the other side of that fake back-drop, Michael told Nicole, "That's Kitt!" (It was the turbine sound he was picking up) Devon did the same in 'Just My Bill'

Slightly off-topic, but it added to Michael and Kitt's partnership, I thought. (A point in Richie and Joe's book I agreed with - one of the directors asked his secretaries what they liked best about the show, and they said Michael and Kitt's relationship. When he asked why, they told him, 'Who wouldn't want a friend like that?')

And Michael knowing that Kitt was close by is shown in 'Soul Survivor' - there wasn't even the scanner to make a noise in that case [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Sarah

This is why I think KITT's scanner does NOT make any noise within the fictional KR world:

When Samantha twitches her nose on Bewitched, do the characters hear little bells ringing?

When Steve Austin is chasing the bad guys, can he hear those "bionic spring" noises?

I think KITT's scanner falls into the same category.

Sound effects are such an integral part of a TV show that sometimes we don't stop to think about if they are really supposed to be in the scene with the characters, or if they are simply there for the TV audience.

Mike

Nobody will ever know for sure the answer to those questions. How are we to know if they heard the sounds or not?

Though there is one interesting thing to note: when Silent Mode finally came into play, the scanner went quiet too, if I remember correctly. (Probably I don't, so don't jump on me, please.)

knightimmortal