Blade Runner and Sound

The dystopian futuristic film Blade Runner is an exemplary sample to highlight how the
sounds in a film can really set a films themes and moods. Since the film is set in a future with a
dark atmosphere, sound plays an important role in helping the audience understand what the
culture and setting of 2019 Los Angeles. As Giannetti states in the text, sound is one of the
richest sources of meaning in art film (202). Blade Runner craftily utilizes this art form to
impact the audience and make them better understand the life and culture of the dystopian future.
Many people mistakenly equate a films sound to its soundtrack. While the music in a
film is a key element to sound, one must also understand the importance to sound effects within a
film. The sound effects cement what the audience sees and how to interpret what they see.
Giannetti describes the critics describe sounds in a film in two ways sounds characters can hear
as diegetic and sounds they cant hear are nondiegetic (208). Blade runner, being set in a
futuristic time setting, utilizes key diegetic and nondiegetic sounds. An example of both
nondiegetic and diegetic sounds are when Rachael plays the piano as Deckard lies in the bed.
The sound of her playing the piano is a diegetic sound, but at the same time a saxophone
soundtrack plays in the background, which is nondiegetic. The overlap of these two sounds
creates uneasiness in the scene, which is representative of the issue at hand. Another example of
a diegetic sound is the repetitious Walk Now, Dont Walk sound heard from the street crossing
signs as Deckard chases Zhora. Usually, a cityscape sound would be irrelevant to the audience,
but this sound is so audible throughout the entire scene, its hard to ignore. The importance of it
is that adds a surreal element to the scene. That sound is supposed to be a part of normal life for
that society, so it makes the audience realize just how normal it is to have an android being

chased and retired as a part of life in the futuristic Los Angeles. With these examples, sound is
an important art form to fully conveying themes in a film.