The Key Elements of Film Form: Sound Flashcards
Filmmakers use a range of elements in constructing narrative meaning and generating response.
What are the five Key Elements of Film Form?
MSPEC
- Mise en scene
- Sound
- Performance
- Editing
- Cinematography
What are the 4 Principal Elements of Sound?
- Vocal sounds (dialogue and narration), environmental sounds (ambient, sound effects and Foley), music, silence
- diegetic or non-diegetic sound
- Parallel and contrapuntal sound and the distinction between them
- Multitrack sound mixing and layering, asychronous sound, sound design
List 2 Creative Uses of Sound.
- How sound is used expressively
- How sound relates to characters and narrative development including sound motifs
List 4 ways that Sound Conveys Messages and Values.
- Why different spectators –> different interpretations of the same sound
- How sound –> used to align spectators and relates to interpretation of narrative
- How sound –> contributes to ideologies of film
What are the 4 common things to think about when analysing how the Key Elements of Film Form (cinematography, mise-en-scene, sound, editing, performance) convey Messages and Values?
- How [Camera shot / M-e-s / Editing / Sound / Performance] –> contributes to narrative development
- How [Camera shot / M-e-s / Editing / Sound / Performance] –> generates multiple connotations and suggests a range of interpretations
- Why different spectators –> different interpretations of the same [Camera shot / M-e-s / Editing / Sound / Performance]
- How [Camera shot / M-e-s / Editing / Sound / Performance] –> used to align spectators and relates to interpretation of narrative
- How [Camera shot / M-e-s / Editing / Sound / Performance] –> contributes to ideologies of film
Core Study Areas: Film Form
What is aesthetic?
The style adopted by an artist or a film movement
Core Study Areas: Film Form
What is production?
The period of actual shooting
Core Study Areas: Film Form
What are auteurs?
Certain directors will have a strong aesthetic
Core Study Areas: Film Form
What is pre-production?
The period prior to filming, where key decisions are made, including securing funding, selecting actors and creative personnel, choosing locations, building sets, designing costumes and determining the film’s aesthetic and planning the production schedule.
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound
Name 4 aural elements
- Speech
- Music
- Noise
- Absence of aural elements
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound
Complete the cloze:
Most films have music comprising an ______ ____ ____ from a ________ (___-____) and or existing/new songs (both _____ and ___-_____)
- Original
- Music
- Score
- Composer
- (Non-diegetic)
- (Diegetic
- (Non-diegetic)
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound
Describe 3 things that film music is designed to do.
- Set the tone
- Further the character/story
- Enhance the filmmaker’s aesthetic
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound
Describe the roles of:
- a music supervisor
- a sound recordist
- Foley and additional dialogue recording artists (ADR)
- Sound designer/editor
- (MS) Responsible for bringing the original music score from a composer and/or existing new songs
- (SR) Records sound and dialogue on location
- (F) Add further sound during post-production
- SD/E) Brings all these components together
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound
Name the two types of sound-track.
- Diegetic sound
- Non-diegetic sound
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound: Diegetic and Non-diegetic sound
What is diegetic sound? Give two examples. Where can the sound occur?
- The vocal and ambient sound that the characters can hear: footsteps when someone is walking and radio when a car is turned on. The sounds will be those from both the on- and off-screen spaces
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound: Diegetic and Non-diegetic sound
What is non-diegetic sound? Give two examples.
- The sound that does not come from the actual world of narrative: accompanying music and voice-overs
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound: Vocal and ambient sounds (diegetic)
What is the primary focus for the sound recordist while on set or location? Why?
- To capture the actor’s dialogue and performance.
Core Study Areas: Film Form: Sound: Vocal and ambient sounds (diegetic)
What are the 4 types of ambient sound? Give a few examples of each.
- Objects
- The environment
- Human noises
- Special sound effects