Sound in Film Film Analysis Part Three
Origins No completely silent period Organists, pianists or even full orchestras supplied live musicals accompaniment in theatres Sound effects created on spot by specialists October 1927: The Jazz Singer Al Jolson says “You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!” Not first, but most remembered
Origins (cont.) Sound drew more ticket buyers However, created new problems technically: Cameras in sound proof boxes Actors close to microphones Emphasized speech more than movement In theatres- can’t keep up reels with sound Comical misalignments (male voice with female) Movietone sound-on-film standard by 1931
Diegetic Sound Sound in film divided into two major categories: diegetic and non- diegetic Diegetic: sound that is within the world of the film/ characters can hear it Dialogue Sounds made by objects in the story Example: Perks of Being a Wallflower (0:00-1:00) Clip: 9I8KCD63MQ 9I8KCD63MQ 9I8KCD63MQ
Non-Diegetic Sound Sound that is not present within the world of the film: Score (aka background music) Narrator’s commentary Example: Marie Antoinette (0:00- 1:00) ?v=dfO0TgcDUnI ?v=dfO0TgcDUnI
Diegetic or Non-Diegetic? Which is which? Scene Number One (0:00-0:20): Scene Number Two (0:00-0:35):
Categories Four main kinds of sound: Dialogue Sound Effects Score Popular Song
Sound Effects All other sound (except most dialogue) is added later Foley is performed while watching projected film and is sometimes called “walking Foley” b/c of footsteps required The Foley techniques are named for Jack Foley, a sound editor at Universal Studios Car engines, explosions, etc. are added by the sound effects editor(s)
Foley Artists at Work Foley artists at work View film while creating sounds /watch?v=UNvKhe2npM M /watch?v=UNvKhe2npM M
Musical Score Film score conveys mood, emotion and character in ways dialogue cannot 1908: first score tailored for film Leitmotif: short musical phrase representing and recurring with a character, situation or emotion (examples: Jaws, Star Wars ) Hints at unspoken conflicts or feelings Film scores are usually composed after the film has finished shooting.
Songs Use of existing popular songs, composer takes advantage of the audience’s prior associations with music. Well-known songs can establish historical periods/time Original songs, written specifically for a film, may highlight a particular moment or entire film’s theme In musicals, songs function as a type of dialogue—closely interwoven with script Songs for musicals are written and recorded before production begins.
Which sounds are showcased? Scene One: Wayne’s World (0:18- 0:45) ture=related ture=relatedhttp:// ture=related Scene Two: The Social Network (0:20-1:34) lGM&list=PLB2DE A772 lGM&list=PLB2DE A772 lGM&list=PLB2DE A772
Which sounds are showcased? Scene Three: Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace (0:20-0:45) Scene Four: Jurassic Park (2:20-2:35)
Exit Activity After watching the following scene, use ALL of the information that we have learned in the past few days to evaluate the scene using the half- sheet given. Clip from Drive: dqbdEKeJ_4 dqbdEKeJ_4 dqbdEKeJ_4
Which film to analyze? Moneyball (2011) Director: Bennett Miller Genre: Biopic, Sports, Drama Trailer: 4QPVo0UIzc 4QPVo0UIzc 4QPVo0UIzc The Prestige (2006) Director: Chris Nolan Genre: Drama, Thriller, Mystery Trailer: VaCFcNGTHo VaCFcNGTHo VaCFcNGTHo