Sound design and music

Question 1

challenges with early sound films

Answer 1

low quality of recorded sound, lack of amplification equipment, synchronization issues and cultural shift.

Question 2

how does sound add meaning to an image?

Answer 2

sound can clarify the context, contradict the visual narrative to create irony and introduce ambiguity to keep the audience guessing.

Question 3

how does sound influence audience expectations?

Answer 3

sound can set up expectations for what is to come.

Question 4

how does sound evoke associations?

Answer 4

sound can trigger memories or emotions in the audience liking them to specific characters, places or ideas.

Question 5

Leitmotif

Answer 5

a recurring musical theme associated with a particular character, place or idea. helps to create a deeper connection and recognition.

Question 6

elements of sound

Answer 6

loudness, pitch, timbre and rhythm

Question 7

loudness/ volume/ amplitude

Answer 7

this can influence our perception of space. louder seems closer to the camera and softer appears more distant.

Question 8

pitch/ frequency

Answer 8

the highness or lowness of a sound helps distinguish speech and music from background music adding clarity and depth to the audio landscape.

Question 9

timbre

Answer 9

the tonal quality or texture of a sound, describing its unique character and feel which evoke specific emotions or atmosphere.

Question 10

rhythm

Answer 10

the beat or pulse, tempo or pace and patterns of accents with stronger and weaker beats. can punctuate emotional moments and drive the narrative flow.

Question 11

soundtrack

Answer 11

all the sounds we hear in a film, forming its sound design.

Question 12

diegetic sound

Answer 12

originates from sources within the film’s world, characters can hear these sounds

Question 13

non-diegetic sound

Answer 13

comes from outside the film world, characters cannot hear.

Question 14

synchronous sound

Answer 14

diegetic sound that matches the visuals, heard at the same time as the source is seen.

Question 15

asynchronous sound

Answer 15

sound that does not match the visual source, used for a comedic or dramatic effect

Question 16

simultaneous sound

Answer 16

sound that occurs the same time as the story or image on the screen, matching the visual action.

Question 17

non- simultaneous sound

Answer 17

sound that does not correspond with the current visuals, often used to manipulate the story order or provide additional context.

Question 18

aural point of view

Answer 18

only hearing what the characters hear, limiting our knowledge to their auditory perspective and enhancing immersion.

Question 19

onscreen/ offscreen sound

Answer 19

sound originating within the film’s diegesis. if it is a visible source its onscreen, if its a unseen source its offscreen.

Question 20

sound mix

Answer 20

the balance of volume levels for various sounds in the soundtrack, controlling the duration and tonal quality of each sound to create a cohesive auditory experience.

Question 21

types of sounds

Answer 21

speech, music and sound effects

Question 22

types of speech

Answer 22

non- diegetic speech (voice over), diegetic speech (dialogue), elements of storytelling.

Question 23

non- diegetic speech- voiceover narration

Answer 23

perspective, authority/ reliability

Question 24

diegetic speech- dialogue

Answer 24

external and internal speech

Question 25

elements of speech in storytelling

Answer 25

language and accent, timbre, rhythm

Question 26

non- diegetic music- the score

Answer 26

the score refers to all non-diegetic music in a film. used to manipulate the emotions of the audience (empathetic music). it is meant to be invisible to support the dialogue and understand the emotional movements.

Question 27

mickey mousing

Answer 27

the score follows the rhythm and pace of the action, where the music closely matches the on-screen action, emotions and images.

Question 28

diegetic music

Answer 28

creates a mood and evoke emotions. it blends with non diegetic music.

Question 29

sound effects

Answer 29

sound effects are all the sounds that are not speech or music. it includes character’s actions, and ambient noise. sound effects are artificial sounds created for a film, it can be diegetic or non-diegetic.

Question 30

sound mixing conventions

Answer 30

it is usually mixed to prioritize dialogue and narrative. the vocal track is clarified and re-recorded if necessary using ADR (automated dialogue replacement). ambient sound is minimized.