MIDTERM

Q.1)
After the introduction of synchronous sound, the length of a cinema was shortened. Infact sound
now defines how long a film would be. It has the ability to speed up or slow down the pace of
the narrative. Upon the introduction of sound, time now had a fixed value, it became less
flexible. The screening time and the time in editing is the same now due to sound. As the scripts
includes all the sound and sound effects to the smallest detail. Hence, sound created a balance
in the whole art of cinema itself. During the era of sound cinema the duration of any shot would
not be fixed, after introduction of synchronous sound the projection speed could not be
manipulated anymore. Adding sound had hence put the image in a timeline box, giving an
expression of sound, also creating the term used in films “frames per second”. Therefore, we
can say the sound cinema is “chronographic” meaning it is written in time as well as the
movements of the cinema.

Q.2)
All sorts of sound that occurs in film is known as diegetic sound. This sound is heard by both the
audience as well as the characters of the film. Our perception of speed is natural for any sorts of
diegetic sounds. The function of these sounds is, as we watch the film and hear these sounds
occurring in the world of film, it gives us a sense of real life. As if everything happening in the
film is progressing in real time. Example: A scene from Baby driver is a brilliant display of
diegetic and non diegetic sound. Here the crew sits around the table as Doc gives them the
details to the jobs. The moment we see Doc’s lips moving and start hearing what he’s saying,
the sound becomes diegetic. As now the sounds that the audience can hear are also the same
sounds that the characters in the movie can hear. Dialogues are diegetic sounds as it occurs in
the film. As the characters speak, time isn’t slowed or sped up. We hear them in real-time hence
we perceive the speed of the scene to be natural. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=s0CTN8AdaMc&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0VtMPZ8RA7zpLDEh8SVK6lAe7OVk1M9lf7X
KKUJWl62JTnx9Dp-uAylXk

Sounds that are added in post production are non-diegetic sounds. These are not visible on
screen nor are they implied in action. Non-diegetic sounds are used to intensify or add depth to
the storyline. Alongside slow or fast music, different moods are created. A vital role is altering
the speed of the film.In a scene where the action is slow paced, it may still be perceived as a
fast scene if fast-paced music is added in the background. As a result, our perception of speed
is skewed as opposed to what’s actually going on. Example: In the scene of Amazing Spider-
Man 2 an amazing display of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound is shown. As Peter plugs his
headphones, we at first hear the music from the headphones and slowly the music gets louder
as the scene progresses and continues to play on even after Peter plugs out his
headphones.The addition of music to the scene compliments the scene as Peter digs through
his father’s briefcase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbKL5g5i8MI

Q.4)
Clappers should be used for synchronization. As the camera starts rolling, the sound is also
being recorded. Both separately but in sync. The sound director would say “rolling sound” which
means that the sound is now being recorded up until the time when the director says “cut” and
the shot ends.

In many cases during post production, it is seen that the audio was not recorded properly or
there were interferences. To avoid such mistakes, it is better to have someone in charge of
sound while it is being recorded. Their task would be to check what’s being recorded using high
quality headphones. They will provide real-time feedback as to whether the sound that was
recorded can be heard clearly or not.

In order to get a crisp audio and video Double system of recording audio and video should be
used. A double system is a technique where two separate mediums are used to record the
audio and video at the same time. This way we can record both the dialogues of the characters
and the respective visual clearly. In this case as the characters are arguing, using the built-in
mic of the camera is not a good idea. As they are going to be speaking fast there might be
overlapping. Hence it’s important that every word that they’re saying are being recorded. To do
that, a shotgun microphone must be used. One major advantage of the shotgun microphone is
that it can directly focus on the source of sound and pick up the sound with high gain while
recording any other noise in the environment without making it too prominent.Hence a shotgun
microphone that is placed between the two characters, would be able to pick up on the
dialogues that are said without any extra environmental noise. 

The setting being inside of a car already allows the filmmaker to keep external noise at a
minimum due to the car seats acting as cushion to the noise and help us focus on the dialogues
instead. This also reduces the reverb effect.The car needs to be in a location where there isnt
much traffic. As too much external noise will take away the intended impact of the argument as
we wouldn’t be able to hear them properly. The camera has to be placed in a way so that it
hides the microphone but still lets us see the characters and the main details needed.

Q.5)
Silence and space help create disturbance as the absence of sound makes us feel
uncomfortable. We as humans are used to hearing sounds all the time. It could be used  to
create awkwardness, tension, curiosity or even to draw our attention to a particular something.

For instance, inside a car two characters are having a heated conversation. If one of the
characters gets upset and suddenly bangs on the dashboard and their conversation abruptly
stops, we are going to feel uncomfortable with every passing second that the characters don’t
speak. We would then be able to focus on the ambient sounds. These ambient sounds were
actually present from the beginning but we just naturally tuned them out. 

Silence and sound go hand in hand to create depth and intensity. In an empty room, when
someone talks, it’s the volume of the sound and its reverb that creates an understanding of
depth. We get a sense of how big or small the room is. Whether it has a lot of furniture or if it is
relatively empty.

When sound is not present, everything seems one-dimensional and monotonous. Silence
makes the scene feel like one plane. It creates uneasiness and as a result, creates sounds of
horror.