This document discusses various types of sound and music used in films, including ambient sound, asynchronous sound, character themes, contraputal sound, Foley, hyper-real sound, pitch, sound effects, sound bridges, and voice overs. Examples are provided for each type to illustrate how they are used to establish mood, create tension, introduce characters, contradict or comment on the visuals, and add impact or meaning to scenes.

1. SOUND AND MUSIC IN
FILM
Aisha Touray

2. AMBIENT SOUND
• The normal sound which exists in a particular scene or location e.g.
• An example of when Ambient sound is used, is in Harry Potter in the Great Hall at
Hogwarts.
• In the scene, the sound of children chatting and knives and forks hitting the plates.
• Providing audio continuity between shots.
• Preventing an unnatural silence when no other sound is present.
• Establishing or reinforcing the mood.

3. ASYNCHRONOUS SOUND
• An effect which only occurs when the sound is either intentionally or
unintentionally out of sync with the image
• An example of this is in the Pyscho driving scene
• This creates tension as the viewer can hear the sound but not see where it is coming
from

4. CHARACTER THEME
• The part of a soundtrack which is associated with a particular character
• An example of this is the James Bond theme tune
• The character theme might be used to introduce the character into a scene or to
indicate their status within a scene.

5. CONTRAPUNTAL SOUND
• A term which refers to sound which refers to sound which dos not seem to ‘fit’ with
the scene or image you are watching
• An example of this is the song ‘Over the Rainbow’ is used in John Wo’s film Face/Off
, in a shot out scene.
• The sound contradicts the violence that is being shown , but is also used to calm a
frightened boy

6. FOLEY
• A foley artist supplies the live action sounds that production microphone may have
missed
• An example of this is the sounds of swords locking together for a fight scene. This
can be seen in Parent trap, when the two girls were fencing

7. HYPER-REAL SOUND
• The exaggeration of sounds compared to experience of those sound in real life
• An example of this is the water running in Pyscho
• The sound of the water is amplified to make the sound more prominent and to show
its significance within the scene

8. PITCH
• The pitch of a sound is determined by its frequency, whether it belongs in low,
midrange or high frequency grouping.
• An example of this is creaming in horror films
• Low frequencies re often used to invoke a powerful or warm feeling
• Midrange frequencies give sound its energy
• High frequencies give a sound its overall presence

9. SOUND EFFECTS
• Sounds which are added to a film in the post-production stage in order to increase
the impact and potential meaning of a particular moment within a film
• An example of this is in Fast and Furious 8, when a loud explosion can be heard

10. SOUND BRIDGE
• Sound which is sustained from one scene into the next
• An example of this can be seen in Downton Abbey. Calm music can be herd over a
series of different shots
• A director may decide to continue a piece of music associated with one of the
characters into the next scene where the character is not present.
• This indicates that he presence of the character is even felt in there absence

11. VOICE OVER
• A commentary or narrative guide, only heard by audience of film and not the other
characters, which describes and comments on events portrayed in a film
• An example of this can be seen in Beauty and the beast
• The voice over acts as a means of explaining and discussing the image presented