Sound in Cinema An Overview 11/18/2018 Music in Film--Spring 2001
The Powers of Sound Sound engages a distinct sense mode Sound can shape our perception and interpretation of images Sound can direct our attention Sound cues us to form expectations Sound enhances the value of silence 11/18/2018 Music in Film--Spring 2001
The Fundamentals of Film Sound Acoustic properties Loudness Pitch Timbre Types of sound in cinema Speech Music Noise Sound selection guides perception Dialogue overlap Sneaking in/out Use of pre-existing material v. new material Music and association 11/18/2018 Music in Film--Spring 2001
Dimensions of Film Sound Rhythm Musical Speech Sound effects Fidelity Space Diegetic—sounds having a source w/in the story space Internal External Non-diegetic—sounds represented as coming from outside the story world Onscreen and offscreen sounds Sound perspective 11/18/2018 Music in Film--Spring 2001
Dimensions of Film Sound Time Viewing time Story time Plot time Synchronous Asynchronous Simultaneous Nonsimultaneous Most nondiegetic sounds have no relevant temporal relationship to the story 11/18/2018 Music in Film--Spring 2001
Questions to ask What sounds are present? Music, speech, or noise? How are volume, pitch, and timbre used? Is the sound rhythmically related to the image? Is the sound faithful or unfaithful to its perceived source? From where is the sound coming? Within the story’s space? Onscreen or offscreen? When is the sound occurring? Simultaneously with the story action? Before? After? How are the various sounds organized across a sequence of the entire film? Are any patterns formed? 11/18/2018 Music in Film--Spring 2001