Exam Questions #1

Question 1

How the notion of acousmatic sound is understood by Michel Chion? How acousmatic sound works in radio, theatre, and film?

Answer 1

Michel Chion describes sound that is off-screen/not visible on screen as acousmatic sound. Acousmatic sound plays with the audiences familiarity of a sound and the emotional response from that. Acousmatic sound in film may be revealed, either at the start or at the end. If it is revealed in the beginning, then hidden, we talk about acoustamised/visualised sound. if the other way around, we talk about de-acoustmatising

Question 2

Identify three aspects on film music by the classic researches T. Adorno and H. Eisler by giving basic conception

Answer 2

Adorno was critising music in general as a part of the cultural industry (he was a Marxist). He thought film music, then, contributes to the sustainability of capitalism by rendering it “aesthetically pleasing” and “agreeable”. Essentially, that film music was commercialised just like the films

Question 3

What is the difference between diegetic and non-diegetic sound/music in film?

Answer 3

Diegetic: Sound elements heard by the characters -> Exists in the scene
Non-diegetic: Sound elements not heard by the characters -> Does not exist in the scene, but is added for the audience/exist for the audience only

Question 4

The introduction to film sound dates 1926. What were ultimate technological, economic, and social challenges to start the technology prior to that date?

Answer 4

Standardise film reel speed: Film reels was played in different speeds and were usually damaged over time, making it virtually impossible to synchronise sound with the film. The speed which the film was shown had to be standardised.
Installing speakers: It was a costly affair to install the speaker/sound system needed in the places were the films were shown. Prior to this there were no sound systems that could play loud enough to be of use.
Actors replaced: It was socially challenging because actors who did well in silent films suddenly could not provide good enough vocals.
Social challenge: It took time to normalise that this was the new way to do film. Before people would talk and so on during a showing, now you had to stay quiet? Unbelivable!
Language: Suddenly linguistic barriers became much more challening

Question 5

What is the aesthetic difference in music for the silent film and sound films? How film sound impacts the nature of music?

Answer 5

With sound films, the music had to take the backseat. This meant mostly removing the melody element of the music, as it was distracting and was inbalancing with speech and sound

Question 6

The power of the three: Max Steiner, Alfred Newman and Dmitrij Tiomkin. Identify key features in their approach to film scoring

Answer 6

They were all focused on narrative-driven form of film music. Steiner is known for “giving King Kong a symphony that accompanied the movie” and “every character should have a theme”. Essentially, it was a break from what was in the silent film era, where the artists would play whatever they wanted without the care to how the film music adds to the storytelling

Question 7

What are the 3 main industry features of the “Golden Hollywood Age” and what makes it different from other times?

Answer 7

The music is melodramatic, glorious and big. Large symphonic orchestras and formatted with a classic main title cue (fanfare). It usually had a brass fanfare for the opening or the heroic parts.

Question 8

Describe the aesthetic qualities of early German sound cinema of 1930-34s (Fritz Lang’s “M” and “The Testament of Dr. Mabuse)

Answer 8

M: Featured a narrator, sounds occuring off-camera, silence before sudden noise, sounds motivating actions. It was one of the first films to use leitmotifs, as the tune of “The Hall of the Mountain King” was used for the character Hans Beckert. Later, the whistling of this tune is heard off-screen, making the audience awarre of Beckert being nearby

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse: The character Hofmeister, who is a police detective gone mad, sings everytime he feels watched. Also, there is use of industrial sounds and so on based on the locations

Question 9

What were the technological and economic challenges of the transition from silent to sound in cinema?

Answer 9

Expensive sound system construction. Synchronisation of sound and image. Making films in different languages, meaning having to make different versions of the film entirely

Question 10

What does the film production “Call Northside 777” bring to the US?

Answer 10

It was one of the first films to be shot outside on location? As it was supposed to be a “documentary-like” experience? Idk other than that