Film Sound

Question 1

Sound history

Answer 1

While experiments with film sound date back to 1900, the first “talking” feature film was released in 1927. For some critics, the addition of synchronized sound threatened the core aesthetics of cinema
(mise-en-scene, cinematography, and editing).

Question 2

Within the context of visual primacy, sound in cinema can be used to:

Answer 2

• direct our attention to specific portions of the image to be emphasized
• anticipate or create expectations for visual elements, as yet unseen
• shape how we interpret the image
• make moments of silence even more expressive, with more impact

Question 3

Types of sound:

Answer 3

• speech
• music
• “noise” (or, sound FX & ambience)

Question 4

Acoustic properties of sound:

Answer 4

• loudness
• pitch or ‘frequency’: high or low
• timbre or ‘color’ or ‘feel’: the feeling(s) that the sound creates

Question 5

Bland

Answer 5

A film’s sound design is often bland when all people and objects in the frame simply produce the
“appropriate” sounds. When this is done, filmmakers sacrifice the chance to contribute a unique point-ofview
as to what is narratively important.

Question 6

Clip analysis:

Answer 6

Blue Velvet (David Lynch, 1986) and Batman Returns (Tim Burton, 1992)

Question 7

Spatial conditions of film sound:

Answer 7

diegetic or nondiegetic, onscreen or offscreen,
internal (subjective) or external, sound perspective (distance, loudness, echo)

Question 8

Clip analysis:

Answer 8

Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)

Question 9

Analysis of overall effects of sound design choices:

Answer 9

Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958)