Sound theory and visual theory in film.

1. Aoife Brown and
Shona Rooney
ARE AUDIENCES IMPACTED
MORE BY THE SOUND, OR
THE VISUALS OF A FILM
TEXT?

2. Silent films are the perfect medium for artistic expression due to its importance
solely on visuals. The visuals bring out more creative expressiveness to express
feelings, mood, thoughts and concepts to an audience. This style of film is most
commonly known as German Expressionism cinema.
In the early 1920’s, silent films used lighting, shadows and unusual camera angles
to create the mood and atmosphere they wished to convey. Themes that most films
of the1920’s expressed the culture and mentality of the period.
VISUALS IN FILM
1920 1990

3. A famous German Expressionist film is The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (Robert Wiene);
it inspired a lot of filmmakers and directors for decades later. This film used a lot of
painted sets with harsh angular forms to express the narrative regarding mental
illness, fear and horror. All visuals express the illusion of Dr Caligari’s ‘sick mind’.
The use of a variety of camera angles and techniques it helps engage its audience
through the puzzling journey expressed.
Musical scores where engaged into silent
films to heighten emotions of characters
and create an atmosphere for its audience to
perceive.
VISUAL FILM EXAMPLE

4. The first sound heard in early cinema was music, performed live on acoustic
instruments. Although musical composition is a subject it has aesthetic properties
that blend strongly in the mix with dialogic speech, narration, sound effects and
ambience.
“Herrmann (1999) argues that ‘any film could not ‘come to life’ without the
assistance of a musical track.” Crook, Tim; The Sound Handbook Chapter 6, pg
171
Crook states “Film music must supply what actors cannot say” meaning music
delivers what the actual word can’t.
SOUND IN FILM

5.  TALK ABOUT HOW VISUALS
AND SOUND TOGETHER.
MAYBE TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT
SLIENT MOVIES AND THE
RELIANCE THEY HAD ON
VISUALS, AND HOW SOUND
FILMS CHANGED THE FILM
WORLD COMPLETELY. BUT
EVEN SO VISUALS KEPT
IMPROVING ALONG WITH
SOUND. GETS QUOTES ETC
TO BACK THIS UP.
VISUALS AND SOUND

6. What other elements have heighten the atmosphere/emotions created?
-
-
-
-
SOUND EXAMPLES

7. The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Attack scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgHQa2V8yC8
E.g. An ECU heightens Cesare’s actions along with intensifying musical score, this
makes us feel uneasy to what will happen.
What other elements have heighten the atmosphere/emotions created?
-
-
-
-
VISUALS EXAMPLES

8.  Video of us showing people videos/sound clips and getting their feelings on both.
RESEARCH OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

9. To conclude our seminar intervention, with gathering your research we hope to
develop the hypothesis “Are audiences impacted more by the sound, or the visuals
of a film text?” to a firmer understanding.
CONCLUSION

10. ACTIVITY

11. http://www.ozsilentfilmfestival.com.au/cms/uploads/movies/the_cabinet_of_dr_calig
ari.pdf
Crook, Tim; The Sound Handbook Chapter 6, pg 171
REFERENCES