1. Sound Analysis
Sound is something that is used in everything television drama, it is one of the key
aspects of a programme because out this, we would not have as big of a connection
with the programme and the characters within it. For my analysis I have chosen a
clip from the television drama Pretty Little Liars which is an American dramatized
television programme based in a small, suburban town called Rosewood.
The clip starts with what is known as a theme song. A theme is a piece of music or a
song which is often played at the beginning or end of a clip when the credits are
running. It will often have memorable lyrics and a catchy tune which the audience
will easily be able to remember. The tune of the theme tune has quite a slow pace, I
believe that this is used for the benefit of the viewers as they are able to hear the
words that are a part of the theme tune.
When the programme starts just after the theme song has finished, non-diegetic
sound is played over the top of the over the shoulder shot that is being used to
introduce the first two characters that will appear in this scene. The non-diegetic
music that is being used creates quite an ambiguous mood which signifies that there
are a lot of unknowns in the programme.
After a few seconds, dialogue is added to the scene where we see a short discussion
take place between the two characters; Mona and Hanna. When they’re talking,
Mona apologises to Hanna for something which at that point we do not know why.
This can be associated with the ambiguity of the non-diegetic music playing in the
background. As Mona starts to say goodbye to Hanna, she kisses her on the cheek
and turns and walks away. These are both two good examples of synchronous sound
as when these actions take place, the sound is matched to the action in the scene.
This means that for example when we see her walking away we also hear the steps
that she takes.