1. Sound
What noises can you hear in the clip?
Piano from Sherlock, thunder horse footsteps, cellos, cocking a gun, chains, crow, flute,
glass breaking, voice, door opening, punching, man groaning, man making some sort of
ritual speech, violins, percussions, whispering between two men, running, high pitch noise, a
fight of some sorts, a knife, glass again, echoed speech
Film sound is as important and as carefully controlled as the visual elements of a
text. Although sound is often recorded on set, most film sound is added in post-
production
Film sound will be mixed very carefully to ensure that important sounds are
emphasised and that the correct atmosphere for a sequence is maintained
Selective sound is used to emphasise key sound elements within a sequence, adds
another noise to emphasise another noise.
Ambient sound is used to create a partivular atmosphere or a sense of place, a
class room would be the teacger talking.
Other elements of sound design to look out for:
Sound bridges – the use of sound to help the editor know when to put a
transition into the scene.
Sound effects – added noises used to create a sense of realism.
Sound can be either:
Diegetic – that is, it exists within the world of the film or
Non-diegetic – that is, it emerges from outside the world of the film, eg film
soundtracks
Diegetic Sound Non-Diegetic Sound
Sound that belongs in the scene and it isn’t
added in after, like someone talking is a
diegetic sound, it can be off screen and on
screen noises.
Sound that is added after the scene has
been shot (in post) like music and narration,
non-diegetic sounds are added to give effect.
Film sound can be either:
Synchronous – this is when a sound effect is matched with another technical
event or action this reinforces the effect (selective sound)
2. Asynchronous – this is when the sound originates from outside of the
diegetic reality of the film; musical soundtrack.
Contrapuntal – when the sounds don’t match the visuals.
Other elements of sound design to look out for:
Voiceovers – this is the voice of a character. The voice often guides or
informs the audience.
Theme music – the music that is used throughout the film normally in the
beginning and end, characters can have their own theme songs whether it
shows them as good or bad.
Musical Score – used to create atmosphere to link shots or sequences. Can
be used to give off both good and bad themes.
Silence – used to create
Identifying sound in Sherlock Holmes
The theme music is non diegetic, diegetic horses, diegetic crow, guns cocking diegetic, non-
diegetic voice over, more evil non diegetic music going down, diegetic whispering, theme
music
