Walla
Encyclopedia
In American
radio
, film
, television
, and video games, walla is a sound effect imitating the murmur of a crowd in the background. A group of actor
s brought together in the post-production stage of film production to create this murmur is known as a walla group. According to one story, walla received its name during the early days of radio, when it was discovered that having several people repeat the sound walla in the background was sufficient to mimic the indistinct chatter of a crowd. Nowadays, walla actors make use of real words and conversations, often improvised, tailored to the languages, speech patterns, and accents
that might be expected of the crowd to be mimicked.
Walla is called rhubarb in the UK
, rhabarber in Germany
, rabarber in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) as well as Sweden, and gaya in Japan
, perhaps in part reflecting the varying textures of crowd noise in the different countries. Other phrases are "carrots and peas," "watermelon cantaloupe, watermelon cantaloupe" and "natter natter" (to which the response is "grommish grommish").
Walla is sometimes turned into an in-joke. The TV show South Park
often parodies walla by having angry mobs mutter "rabble rabble rabble," sometimes clearly and distinctly. In an episode of Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, a distraught courtroom audience distinctly and repeatedly shouts "rutabaga", a reference to the use of the term "rhubarb". In the Steve Martin film The Man With Two Brains
, the audience at a scientific presentation is quite clearly heard to be saying "murmur, murmur" after Martin invites them to "murmur all you want." French and Saunders
often make use of the phrase clearly and distinctly during sketches that feature film shoot extras.
While it is generally considered against actors' unions'--such as the Screen Actors Guild
-- rules to put distinct words in a specific background performer's mouth (as this would turn 'extras' into actors during the sound mix) this problem can be avoided by recording gibberish that syncs with the on screen mouth movements or 'lip flap' of a specific background performer [aka extra]. It is thereby possible to make it sound as though an extra is saying something, when in fact they are not delivering any actual dialogue. This gibberish is known as 'Snazzum' - named in reference to the way in which the cartoon character Yosemite Sam
would swear when angry i.e. "Yassin Sassin Snazzum Frazzum!".
The British comedian Eric Sykes
wrote, directed and starred in the 1969 film Rhubarb
, in which all of the actors' dialogue consists of the word "rhubarb" repeated over and over. This gives the finished movie the general feeling of a silent film
because it has no coherent dialogue, but with the crucial difference that the "rhubarb" dialogue still conveys the characters' emotions and moods.
In Season 5, Episode 3 ("Let's Stay Together") of 30 Rock
, Rob Reiner
repeats the phrase, "Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Peas and Carrots..." in a scene when a group of congressmen and women are muttering indistinctive chatter. A similar reference is made by Jack Donaghy's assistant, Jonathan, in Season 4, Episode 14 ("Future Husband
").
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, and video games, walla is a sound effect imitating the murmur of a crowd in the background. A group of actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s brought together in the post-production stage of film production to create this murmur is known as a walla group. According to one story, walla received its name during the early days of radio, when it was discovered that having several people repeat the sound walla in the background was sufficient to mimic the indistinct chatter of a crowd. Nowadays, walla actors make use of real words and conversations, often improvised, tailored to the languages, speech patterns, and accents
Accent (linguistics)
In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation.An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside , the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language In...
that might be expected of the crowd to be mimicked.
Walla is called rhubarb in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, rhabarber in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, rabarber in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) as well as Sweden, and gaya in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, perhaps in part reflecting the varying textures of crowd noise in the different countries. Other phrases are "carrots and peas," "watermelon cantaloupe, watermelon cantaloupe" and "natter natter" (to which the response is "grommish grommish").
Walla is sometimes turned into an in-joke. The TV show South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
often parodies walla by having angry mobs mutter "rabble rabble rabble," sometimes clearly and distinctly. In an episode of Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law, a distraught courtroom audience distinctly and repeatedly shouts "rutabaga", a reference to the use of the term "rhubarb". In the Steve Martin film The Man With Two Brains
The Man with Two Brains
The Man with Two Brains is a 1983 American science fiction comedy film directed by Carl Reiner and starring Steve Martin and Kathleen Turner....
, the audience at a scientific presentation is quite clearly heard to be saying "murmur, murmur" after Martin invites them to "murmur all you want." French and Saunders
French and Saunders
French and Saunders is a British sketch comedy television show written by and starring comic duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. It is also the name by which the performers are known on the occasions when they appear elsewhere as a double act....
often make use of the phrase clearly and distinctly during sketches that feature film shoot extras.
While it is generally considered against actors' unions'--such as the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
-- rules to put distinct words in a specific background performer's mouth (as this would turn 'extras' into actors during the sound mix) this problem can be avoided by recording gibberish that syncs with the on screen mouth movements or 'lip flap' of a specific background performer [aka extra]. It is thereby possible to make it sound as though an extra is saying something, when in fact they are not delivering any actual dialogue. This gibberish is known as 'Snazzum' - named in reference to the way in which the cartoon character Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park...
would swear when angry i.e. "Yassin Sassin Snazzum Frazzum!".
The British comedian Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes
Eric Sykes, CBE is an English radio, television and film writer, actor and director whose performing career has spanned more than 50 years. He frequently wrote for and/or performed with many other leading comedy performers and writers of the period, including Tony Hancock, Spike Milligan, Peter...
wrote, directed and starred in the 1969 film Rhubarb
Rhubarb (1969 film)
Rhubarb was a 1969 British short film written and directed by Eric Sykes, starring Sykes and Harry Secombe. The dialogue consisted entirely of repetitions of the word "rhubarb", all the characters last names were "Rhubarb", and even the license plates on vehicles were "RHU BAR B"...
, in which all of the actors' dialogue consists of the word "rhubarb" repeated over and over. This gives the finished movie the general feeling of a silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
because it has no coherent dialogue, but with the crucial difference that the "rhubarb" dialogue still conveys the characters' emotions and moods.
In Season 5, Episode 3 ("Let's Stay Together") of 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
repeats the phrase, "Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Peas and Carrots..." in a scene when a group of congressmen and women are muttering indistinctive chatter. A similar reference is made by Jack Donaghy's assistant, Jonathan, in Season 4, Episode 14 ("Future Husband
Future Husband
"Future Husband" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was directed by series producer Don Scardino, and written by Jon Haller and Tracey Wigfield. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network in the United...
").