walla

A walla is painting a fence in the garden.

Definition

1. Noun (uncountable, often used attributively):
   • Background conversation or ambient noise: In film, television, and theater production, "walla" refers to the indistinct murmur of a crowd or group of people talking in the background, typically used to create a sense of atmosphere or realism without intelligible dialogue. It is often performed by a group of actors called "walla walla" or "walla group."

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The sound engineer recorded walla to fill the restaurant scene with realistic chatter. (Indistinct background noise simulating a crowd.)
  • During the rehearsal, the actors provided walla to simulate a busy market. (Ambient crowd noise for a scene.)

Advanced Usage

• "to do walla": to perform background crowd noise in a production.

  • The extras were asked to do walla for the party scene. (They provided indistinct conversation.)

• "walla walla": a term sometimes used synonymously with walla, or to refer to the specific technique of repeating the word "walla" to create natural-sounding crowd murmur.

  • The actors chanted "walla walla" softly to generate background noise. (A specific method for creating walla.)

Variants and Related Words

• Walla group (n): a team of performers specialized in creating background crowd sounds.

  • The walla group was hired to add depth to the stadium scene. (A dedicated cast for ambient noise.)

• Walla walla (n): an alternative term for walla, especially in informal contexts.

  • We need more walla walla for the courtroom scene. (Additional background murmur.)

Synonyms

• Ambient noise: general background sound in an environment.
• Crowd murmur: indistinct speech from a group of people.
• Room tone: the natural sound of a space, often used in film production.

Related Idioms

• "Walla walla": an onomatopoeic term used by actors to simulate the sound of a crowd, derived from the repeated word "walla."
  • The director asked the extras to whisper "walla walla" to create a natural buzz. (A common technique for generating walla.)

Notes

• Origin: The term "walla" is believed to be onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of a crowd, and is widely used in the film and theater industries. It is not related to the Welsh word "walla" meaning "wall" or the informal English term "walla" (as in "voilà").