3. Sound is aural rather than visual
It can provoke an equally
powerful response
4. Sound can be divided into two main categories:
Diegetic Sound
Sound that has an
onscreen source and
belongs to the world of the
film
e.g.
Dialogue
Sound effects
Ambient sound
Non-diegetic Sound
Sound that does not have
an onscreen source &
characters onscreen do
NOT hear it
e.g.
Added music
Contrapuntal sound
Voice over
5. Sound can help create “meaning” by
Enhancing the audience's emotional experience / providing
emotional focus
Establishing the mood and atmosphere of a location
Identifying characters/character types (e.g. good Vs evil in
Star Wars).
6. Jaws
View these two clips and note how sound can completely change the
viewing experience
9. Jaws non- diegetic sound
introduces threatening element in the film
first shots underwater
shark not seen but its presence is implied by the
soundtrack
the score uses a series of low , repeated notes in order
to illustrate the relentless threatening nature of the
shark
the notes continue to build tension and anxiety for the
viewer, no resolution
THE NON- DIEGETIC SOUND IN THIS SEQUENCE
ESTABLISHES THE TONE, ATMOSPHERE, GENRE AND THE
MAIN THREAT WITHIN THE FILM.
10. Non-diegetic sound & character
can establish
evil or good
victim or hero
character regularly have a piece of music attached to them- called
a character theme
can establish status
a character can be signalled by playing their theme when not on
screen
Aural motifs( not music but repeated sounds)
A character’s nervous state of mind could be conveyed through
non- diegetic sound
A sudden shift in the non- diegetic soundtrack of a film into a
sequence of long-held, low chords could indicate peril for a
character
11. How to describe film score
Discordant
Harmonious
Harmonic
Orchestral
Rhythm
Tempo
Pitch
13. Rear Window- diegetic sound
the first sounds we hear are what Jeffries can hear:
voices, jazz music, traffic sounds.
We hear these as Jeffries would hear them, the
diegetic sound has a muffled echoing quality
Jeffries is detached from the life going on around
him and in a bored frame of mind. The diegetic
sound helps to establish this.
14. sound & setting
ambient sounds can give clues about the setting and people in it
soundtrack can help establish the setting
16. Contrapuntal and Parallel
Sounds
Contrapuntal
Where sounds and visuals are
contrasted
Sound does not fit the events that
are happening on screen
Creates confusion and can
disorientate the viewer into thinking
something else
Sound can be used to create a twist
Parallel
Where sounds and visuals match
Sounds we expect to hear
Reflects the emotion of the scene
17. Contrapuntal Sounds
LISTEN CAREFULLY to this scene
How do you feel about the police officer? How would you describe him?
21. KEY SOUND TERMINOLOGY
Diegetic sound – any sound that has an onscreen source and
belongs to the world of the film.
Non-diegetic sound – any sound that does not have an onscreen
source & characters onscreen do NOT hear it e.g. some voiceovers,
music.
Parallel sound – any sound that fits the visual onscreen
Contrapuntal – any sounds that contrast or contradict what is seen
onscreen
22. KEY SOUND TERMINOLOGY
Score – non-diegetic soundtrack music
Theme music/tune - a recurrent melody in the film.
Sound effects - sounds other than dialogue or music made
artificially (Often referred to as Foley Sound)
Ambient sound - buzz and/or surrounding sounds.
Dialogue - speech.
23. ACTIVITY
Select one of the scenes on the next slide and write
an 800 word analysis of the use of sound to create
meaning
Think about audience positioning in relation to
characters
How is the setting established?
Denotation/Connotation
