Sound design and music Flashcards
challenges with early sound films
low quality of recorded sound, lack of amplification equipment, synchronization issues and cultural shift.
how does sound add meaning to an image?
sound can clarify the context, contradict the visual narrative to create irony and introduce ambiguity to keep the audience guessing.
how does sound influence audience expectations?
sound can set up expectations for what is to come.
how does sound evoke associations?
sound can trigger memories or emotions in the audience liking them to specific characters, places or ideas.
Leitmotif
a recurring musical theme associated with a particular character, place or idea. helps to create a deeper connection and recognition.
elements of sound
loudness, pitch, timbre and rhythm
loudness/ volume/ amplitude
this can influence our perception of space. louder seems closer to the camera and softer appears more distant.
pitch/ frequency
the highness or lowness of a sound helps distinguish speech and music from background music adding clarity and depth to the audio landscape.
timbre
the tonal quality or texture of a sound, describing its unique character and feel which evoke specific emotions or atmosphere.
rhythm
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.
soundtrack
all the sounds we hear in a film, forming its sound design.
diegetic sound
originates from sources within the film’s world, characters can hear these sounds
non-diegetic sound
comes from outside the film world, characters cannot hear.
synchronous sound
diegetic sound that matches the visuals, heard at the same time as the source is seen.
asynchronous sound
sound that does not match the visual source, used for a comedic or dramatic effect
simultaneous sound
sound that occurs the same time as the story or image on the screen, matching the visual action.
non- simultaneous sound
sound that does not correspond with the current visuals, often used to manipulate the story order or provide additional context.
aural point of view
only hearing what the characters hear, limiting our knowledge to their auditory perspective and enhancing immersion.
onscreen/ offscreen sound
sound originating within the film’s diegesis. if it is a visible source its onscreen, if its a unseen source its offscreen.
sound mix
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.
types of sounds
speech, music and sound effects
types of speech
non- diegetic speech (voice over), diegetic speech (dialogue), elements of storytelling.
non- diegetic speech- voiceover narration
perspective, authority/ reliability
diegetic speech- dialogue
external and internal speech
elements of speech in storytelling
language and accent, timbre, rhythm
non- diegetic music- the score
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.
mickey mousing
the score follows the rhythm and pace of the action, where the music closely matches the on-screen action, emotions and images.
diegetic music
creates a mood and evoke emotions. it blends with non diegetic music.
sound effects
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.
sound mixing conventions
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.
