Film Language: Sound

Today we are: Learning about the impact sound can have in films Learning the difference between diegetic and non diegetic sound

Objectives:
By the end of this lesson:
All of you: Will know the difference between diegetic and non diegetic sound Most of you: Will be able to analyse sound from a film using the correct terminology. Some of you: Will be able to describe and select sound

appropriate to a piece of film.

Guess The Genre

Guess the Genre of Film based on the sounds heard (Teacher DO NOT PUT VISUAL ON
SCREEN!)

1. What Genre? Why do you think it is that genre? What generic conventions can you hear?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kw1UVovByw

2. . What Genre? Why do you think it is that genre? What generic conventions can you hear?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xd2ceHDd-g

Starter Questions:
What type sound do you find in films?

What effect can sound have on an audience?

Why do we have sound in films and television programmes?

Sound In Film...
In filmmaking, sound is manipulated independently of the image in film. It can be used representationally (we see a train and hear its engines), impressionistically (we see a rural landscape and hear bird song) and even psychologically (we see a terrified face and hear a high pitched train whistle).
What can sound do? Sound can fundamentally change the way we interpret the meaning of a shot or a sequence of images and can be used to emphasise an element of action within the frame. Or it can challenge and upset an expectation in order to achieve a dramatic and emotional effect. Silence the absence of sound can also be extremely effective.

Different Types of Sound

A distinction in film analysis is often made between diegetic and non-diegetic sound. In practice, the distinction between diegetic and non-diegetic sound is rarely clear-cut however, these definitions are a useful starting point for discussing the different uses of film sound. Diegetic sound Is sound heard within the world of the film or television programme. For example, dialogue, conversations, a song being heard from a radio in the room. (From 8 secs:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI3oRil4LHM&feature=channel

Non-diegetic sound Is sound not produced by a source within the world of the film or programme. Sound that exists beyond the world of the story, such as a voice over.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbX1U1tx9aw&feature=related

Sound Effects
The Foley Effects: When you watch footsteps on a film, the sound is not necessarily from the same source that we see on screen it can be created artificially, and sometimes has to be created artificially. This kind of sound effect is known as a Foley effect. Foley effects are usually used to enhance believability, making the sound match what is on the screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNvKhe2npMM&feature=related Sound for Animation: For animated films, the sound designer has to make the sounds seem real and authentic. They watch the film and then add the sounds in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A6z8QkVHk4&feature=related

Sound Bridge
This is an editing technique where sound from the following sequence begins before the shot has changed location or vice versa. The music bridges the gap between the scene change or action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOByH_iOn88

The origin of music in films

Silent Films: In the early days of cinema, before the use of synch sound, live music always accompanied 'silent' film screenings and, in early sound films, the music was played on set while the film was being shot. This was a natural extension of the way musical accompaniment was used in theatre and vaudeville and is just one legacy of the theatrical tradition which so informed the development of early narrative cinema. With the introduction of synch sound to filmmaking, music became more imaginatively integrated into film. Examples: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79i84xYelZI&feature=rel ated

Film Music
Film music includes source music (such as classical pieces or popular music) and music specially composed for the film. Example of source music (music from the jukebox): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik-RsDGPI5Y&feature=related Example of music written for the film: (From 1min 20 secs) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYi1nQf-GlE&feature=related Scoring to the Film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbPd88WsiXE It can be used as another voice in a film, influencing our response to images. It can enhance the meaning or dramatic effect of an image, or challenge it. It can also be used to link apparently unconnected scenes and situations together. While it is not 'realistic' for music to accompany action, it is an accepted convention of classical-styled narrative cinema, and tends to enhance our involvement in and acceptance of the world of the film. Music operates, like pictures, beyond the confines of language and dialect and so helps universalise film.

Film Music
Music and film are a strong marriage as they are both based around time and rhythm. In realistic films, courtroom dramas, and Dramas such as Twelve Angry Men and The Devils Advocate, music is used sparingly to enhance the moments where it is used in the drama, whether it is an upbeat or downbeat moment. This scene is the moment where he realises the truth...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WdWH53nsu8&feature=related

In other films, such as Forest Gump, music is used more extensively throughout and plays an integral part in the overall pace and structure of the film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsyYvFgdb5c&feature=related

Why Study Sound?

Exploring the way sound, especially music, and image work together, can help you peel away some of the layers of meaning within a film and identify how music and sound effects influence or manipulate audience response.
We are now going to study an extract of a film together and note down how the soundtrack influences the audience, looking at the effect it would have on the audience.

The Sound Analysis:

The Accused (BBC 2)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01mhgrc/Accused_S eries_2_Tinas_Story/

Write down the sounds you hear in the grid and the impact they have on the audience

Tell me what music, diegetic and non- diegetic sound you would use in the following scene.
A young girl is trapped in a wooden box. She thinks shes been kidnapped. The audience sees that she is in a large warehouse. Her kidnappers are nearby.

In Conclusion:
Lets return to our original questions, this time add in the detail you have learnt this lesson..
What type of sound do you find in films? What effect can sound have on an audience? Why do we have sound in film and television programmes?