AS Film Studies Unit FM1

Introduction to Micro Features:

Sound

Lesson Aims

By the end of the lesson you will be able to:

• Understand and apply sound terminology to a sequence of film

• Deconstruct how sound is used to communicate meaning

Definition: Sound• The way in which sound is

used to communicate meaning

• The manipulation and layering of sound to create meaning

Sound can be a complicated feature of film

studies, unless deconstructed and certain

term applied it can pass you by and not

seem important. Trying watching a film

sequence with out the sound to truly feel

how important sound is

Diegetic vs. Non-Diegetic

• Any voice, musical passage, or sound effect presented as originating from a source within the film's world is diegetic.

• If it originates outside the film (as most background music) then it is non-diegetic.

External Diegetic vs. Internal Diegetic

we hear Iván speaking into the microphone as he works on the Spanish dubbing of Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954). Since he is speaking out loud and any other character could hear him, this is an example of external diegetic sound

we begin to hear the sounds of the battle: horses whimpering, weapons clashing, etc. These sounds exist only in Anna's troubled mind, which is highly sensitive to works of art. These are internal diegetic sounds (inside of a character's mind) that no one else in the gallery can hear.

but eerie score that sets up the scene

and mixes with the battle sounds is…

NON-SIMULTANEOUS SOUND

• Diegetic sound that comes from a source in time either earlier or later than the images it accompanies. While Pepa's voice is diagetic and simultaneous, Ivan's voice is also diegetic, and yet it is nonsimultaneous, since it comes from a previous moment in the film.

VOICEOVER

• When a voice, often that of a character in the film, is heard while we see an image of a space and time in which that character is not actually speaking. The voice over is often used to give a sense of a character's subjectivity or to narrate an event told in flashback.

SOUND BRIDGE

• Sound bridges can lead in or out of a scene. They can occur at the beginning of one scene when the sound from the previous scene carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene begins. Alternatively, they can occur at the end of a scene, when the sound from the next scene is heard before the image appears on the screen. Sound bridges are one of the most common transitions in the continuity editing style, one that stresses the connection between both scenes since their mood (suggested by the music) is still the same.

PLEONASTIC SOUND

• Pleonastic sound is exaggerated sound e.g. light sabers slashing the air in Star Wars - or a tap dripping more loudly than normal in a horror film etc.

• A technique used to create this kind of sound is Foley Sound

CONTRAPUNTAL SOUND

• Sounds that don’t easily match the images they are accompanying, or even run against them. This can have a quite disorientating effect upon the audience and make them question what they are seeing

DON’T FORGET…

• Silence – even when there is no sound this can create an impact

• Dialogue – the tone, pitch and volume of actors voices can all contribute to the meaning of a scene or how the audience relate to them

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

• Doctor Nicholas Garrigan has become the surgeon to dictator Idi Amin, who is so taken by Garrigan that he wants him to remain in Uganda.

• In this scene, Nicholas arrives back in his bungalow to discover that it has been ‘searched’ and that his British passport has been exchanged for a Ugandan one, making it almost impossible to leave.

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

1. As the sequence begins, what sounds do we hear before the music begins?

2. As the music begins we only see Nicholas’ face, not what he sees. How is the music used to indicate that all is not well?

3. How does the music change as he picks up the photograph? What mood or emotion is suggested?

4. As he notices the envelope, how does the music indicate that it is unlikely to contain good news?

5. How does the music change as he opens the envelope and discovers his new Ugandan passport? What does the music tell us about Nicholas’ feelings?

6. The image changes to blurred headlamps. A new style of music is heard. Try to describe this music and how it changes as he gets to the door.

Task

• Create a sequence of film, that uses all of the sound examples from this lesson.

• HOMEWORK• Please bring in a sequence of film that you

think you would like to write about for your coursework. Be prepared to discuss what micro features cause the most effect – I will be putting up some guidance on the blog