Sound

Diegetic sound Part of the cinematic ‘world’ E.G. natural sounds Non-diegetic sound Not part of the cinematic ‘world’ E.G. background music

Diegetic Sound Actual natural sounds caught on location or Foley: a scene’s aural design is manipulated in post-production

Diegetic sound Synchronous sound effects *Mechanical breathing* Matched to a visible source on screen. *Mechanical breathing* Bzzzzzz! Clashhh!

Asynchronous sound effects Sounds not matched to a visible source but logically part of the cinematic world Helicopters! Screams! Sirens! Stuff breaking!

Use of Sound Atmosphere Create the diegetic space Create meaning Steer narrative Suggest presence/absence – e.g. offscreen Compliment or contrast with the image Can be used to bridge/juxtapose scenes

Quality of sound Volume Timbre Pitch Processed : Distorted/echo/clear/etc Use of instruments Chords

Does the use of sound: Help locate the action – e.g. a war zone? Paths of Glory – Stanley Kubrick, 1957

Does the use of sound: Help us to build a diegetic geography? Casablanca – Michael Curtiz, 1942

Does the use of sound: Compliment or contradict the image? A juxtaposition or counterpoint to the visual information

Does the use of sound: Subliminally influence our emotional response to character?

Does the use of sound: Shock or surprise us – say in a sudden cut to a shot with high volume?

Does the use of sound: Work to make us anticipate – e.g. using a J-cut? Or leave a sound lingering (haunting?) using an L-cut?

Does the use of sound: Signify genre?

Does the use of sound: Signify a character’s state of mind? The Innocents – Jack Clayton, 1961

Does the use of sound: Signify the presence of an off-screen character?

Use of sound links http://filmsound.org/marshall/ http://filmanalysis.yctl.org/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em9QfKQUPlY http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2008/jul/17/ahistoryofsoundinfilmabr