I’ve written about both these things in passing if not in a dedicated post that are linked in my mind. They’re two of my newer cinematic traditions that occur as the year winds down that don’t just allow me to slow down for a minute and reflect, but demand it. One is the TCM Remembers video which is always graceful, respectful, inclusive and omits the postmortem popularity contest of the applause at the Academy Awards In Memoriam the other is Criterion’s gift of room tone. The “Remembers” video is self explanatory. For those unaware, room tone is the practice of recording the tone while of a space in order to smooth out potential audio issues in post. Everyone is quiet, but no space is truly silent and that natural tone is what filmmakers need. Recording room tone always struck me as the most meditative practice on a film set and a short video of it to watch and listen to it is quite soothing.

So here are both the aforementioned 2023 videos.

Criterion Room Tone 2023.