Sound

Sound Analysis



Sound is important in creating meaning for the audience as it plays a key role in changing the mood of the film. The theme of a section of a film can be completely changed by the soundtrack that is played in the background.

Diegesis is the narrative construct that everything takes place in, it is the "story world that film and TV take place in". How real diegesis appears is linked to the level of verisimilitude (the appearance of being real).

Diegetic sounds are from noises that are happening from within the diegesis, for example: dialogue, sound effects such as footsteps (including foley sound).

Mode of address: peer to peer, parent to child, teacher to pupil

Accent - they way you pronounce words
Dialect - the words you use

Synchronous sounds are sounds which are synchronized or matched with what is viewed. This is diegetic sound. this can be used for simple examples such as footsteps or movement. Another example is when characters play instrument, in most cases the sound is added in post production.

Ambient sound refers to any sounds that are used to establish location.

Non-diegetic sound is when the source is not visible on the screen and clearly not coming from the story world (e.g. narrators commentary, theme music).

Sound bridges lead in or out of a scene; they are one of the most common transitions in the continuity editing style. Sound bridges can be both diegetic and non-diegetic; the can start as non-diegetic in one scene and then bridge to a scene where the music has a visible source.

Music composed in a film or play as a background to create or enhance a particular atmosphere. The incidental music is composed to accompany the action of a drama or to fill intervals between scenes.

Stings are used as distinctive background music to add emphasis to an important moment in a motion picture or television program. A sting can be used to introduce a section of a show or indicate the end of a scene.

The sound motifs condition the audience emotionally for the arrival or actions of a character. Active viewers find a pattern relating it to a character or action. The use of sound motifs can help shape a story that requires many characters and many locations as it helps to sustain the narrative as the help clarify the narrative functions of the characters and provide a sound association for those characters as we move through the story.