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In film and broadcasting, a soundbite is a very short piece of footage taken from a longer speech or an interview in which someone with authority or the average "man on the street" says something which is considered by those who edit the speech or interview to be a most important point. As the context of what is being said is missing, the insertion of soundbites into news broadcasts or documentaries is open to manipulation and thus requires a very high degree of journalistic ethics. Politicians of the new generation are carefully coached by their spin doctors to produce on demand soundbites which are clear and to the point.
A sound bite is an audiolinguistic and social communications phenomenon whose nature become realized in the late 20th century, helped by people such as Marshall McLuhan. It is characterized by a short phrase or sentence that deftly captures the essence of what the speaker is trying to say. Such key moments in dialogue (or monologue) stand out better in the audience's memory and thus become the "taste" that best represents the entire "meal" of the larger message or conversation. Sound bites are a natural consequence of people placing ever greater emphasis on summarizing ever-increasing amounts of information in their lives.
News media in particular cherish sound bites. Reporters agree that the best news footage contains at least one sound bite. Politicians in turn have learned (along with their speechwriters) to put greater effort into delivering the perfect sound bite. Originality is not necessary but highly valued. Sound bites are useful to help guide footage editors focus on parts of dialogue that help advance the overall message.
Not everyone enjoys hearing sound bites. They tend to sound best when delivered unplanned, and the reverse is often true -- the planned sound bite can easily ring forced and cast doubt as to the speaker's integrity.
Historical Soundbites
Classic examples of sound bites include Ronald Reagan's demand that "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" in reference to the increasing social pressure to remove the Berlin Wall. In this context, the well-delivered sound bite serves as a cultural icon that others are likely to know about.
Another memorable one is "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed." In one succinct phrase, the entire Apollo Moon program was culminated and everything the US had worked so hard for was suddenly made real.
Biblical verses that are known in popular culture are examples of sound bites: The Old Testament is often (correctly, or incorrectly) summarized in the minds of people with its opening statement: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." while the New Testament is often summarized in the minds of people with Jesus saying "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten son...".
Sound bites from Shakespeare appear often in popular culture, even if the source of the sound bite is not known: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." coming from Romeo and Juliet and "The quality of mercy is not strain'd" coming from The Merchant of Venice.
The quality of the best sound bite is that "the message hits home".
See also
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