A film may seem like a purely visual experience, however sounds plays massive importance in a film. The human voice, sound effects and music all play important roles in a productions success. These three need to be mixed and balanced to produce the necessary emphases to create a desired effect. Many of these aspects are areas a viewer is not even aware they are registering during viewing, but if they were absent the viewer would notice quickly that something is wrong with what they are seeing.
For example if a scene in a film is depicting a couple walking along a beach you would expect for some dialogue between the pair but if you do not have the sounds of the water hitting the sand, the call of wild birds and even other people creating background noise it would seem extremely alien and unnatural. By adding appropriate background noises to a scene is known as synchronous sounds. Depending on the nature of the dialogue it could even call for background music to aid in guiding the audience into a feeling. If the pair were discussing ending their relationship a piece of sad music could play, or if the female was revealing she was expecting a baby the music could be more joyful in tone, tempo and pitch. An actor’s voice can also supply elements of character to the actor’s character. For example Humphery Bogart is Sam Spade as his film personality and life personality have merged to create a realistic character for the viewers.
Sound can also tell an audience about a TV program or a film’s genres tend to have their own unique sounds to tell the audience what to expect. Horror movies tend to use a larger range of deep tones, an increasing tempo to represent an increased heart rate and music that sounds eerily creepy to some. In contrast with the fantasy genre which would use typically large orchestral produced music that sounds magical and mysterious. With many produced films that open up with credits accompanied by music the audience can normally tell the genre before they have even seen a character appear.
Many productions will added the sound during editing to increase the realism factor behind the production. This is known as non-diegetic sound. This can include voiceovers, sound effects and background music. By adding sounds it can make a piece come to life for an audience. For example by adding a clicking sound a door creates when closed is something that people expect to hear, however the sound from the day of footage may be quiet. So by adding a louder version of the sound it triggers a response in audiences that it is a real event that has just happen. The door has been closed as they did not just see it, but they also heard the sound of it closing.
Bibliography.
Marshall, J. (Unknown) An Introduction to Film Sound [Online] Available From: http://filmsound.org/marshall/ [Accessed: 16th June 2015]
Learn About Film. (Unknown) Using Sound in your Film [Online] Available From: http://learnaboutfilm.com/film-language/sound/ [Accessed: 16th June 2015]
Arnott, C. (2015) How Crucial is Music to a Movie? [Online] Available From: http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/04/18/how-crucial-is-music-to-a-movie-2868935?lt_source=external,manual [Accessed: 16th June 2015]
Sound and Music. (Unknown) Sound on Film: Thinking about Sound in Film [Online] Available From: http://www.soundandmusic.org/features/sound-film/thinking-about-sound-film [Accessed: 16th June 2015]
For example if a scene in a film is depicting a couple walking along a beach you would expect for some dialogue between the pair but if you do not have the sounds of the water hitting the sand, the call of wild birds and even other people creating background noise it would seem extremely alien and unnatural. By adding appropriate background noises to a scene is known as synchronous sounds. Depending on the nature of the dialogue it could even call for background music to aid in guiding the audience into a feeling. If the pair were discussing ending their relationship a piece of sad music could play, or if the female was revealing she was expecting a baby the music could be more joyful in tone, tempo and pitch. An actor’s voice can also supply elements of character to the actor’s character. For example Humphery Bogart is Sam Spade as his film personality and life personality have merged to create a realistic character for the viewers.
Sound can also tell an audience about a TV program or a film’s genres tend to have their own unique sounds to tell the audience what to expect. Horror movies tend to use a larger range of deep tones, an increasing tempo to represent an increased heart rate and music that sounds eerily creepy to some. In contrast with the fantasy genre which would use typically large orchestral produced music that sounds magical and mysterious. With many produced films that open up with credits accompanied by music the audience can normally tell the genre before they have even seen a character appear.
Many productions will added the sound during editing to increase the realism factor behind the production. This is known as non-diegetic sound. This can include voiceovers, sound effects and background music. By adding sounds it can make a piece come to life for an audience. For example by adding a clicking sound a door creates when closed is something that people expect to hear, however the sound from the day of footage may be quiet. So by adding a louder version of the sound it triggers a response in audiences that it is a real event that has just happen. The door has been closed as they did not just see it, but they also heard the sound of it closing.
Bibliography.
Marshall, J. (Unknown) An Introduction to Film Sound [Online] Available From: http://filmsound.org/marshall/ [Accessed: 16th June 2015]
Learn About Film. (Unknown) Using Sound in your Film [Online] Available From: http://learnaboutfilm.com/film-language/sound/ [Accessed: 16th June 2015]
Arnott, C. (2015) How Crucial is Music to a Movie? [Online] Available From: http://moviepilot.com/posts/2015/04/18/how-crucial-is-music-to-a-movie-2868935?lt_source=external,manual [Accessed: 16th June 2015]
Sound and Music. (Unknown) Sound on Film: Thinking about Sound in Film [Online] Available From: http://www.soundandmusic.org/features/sound-film/thinking-about-sound-film [Accessed: 16th June 2015]