Sound in Film
""Sound” refers to everything we hear in a movie — words, sound effects, and music. Sound is used in film to heighten a mood, provide us with information about the location of a scene, advance the plot, and tell us about the characters in the story. [...] Sound effects can be used to add mood or atmosphere to a film by creating a soundscape that accents or adds another layer of meaning to the images on the screen. [...] Perhaps the most interesting use of sound in a movie is the very absence of it: silence." - Sound in Filmmaking, in Point the on-line production resource at Pacific Cinémathèque.
There are two categories of sound in film: Diegetic (or Actual Sound) and Non-Diegetic. Diegetic Sound refers to all audio elements coming from visual sources inside the screen - this includes dialogue, sounds made by objects in the story, music represented as coming from instruments in the story space (= source music), etc. Non-Diegetic Sound refers to all audio elements that come from outside of the fictional world we see on screen - this includes the musical score, sound effects and narrator's commentary (voice-over).
Sound effects heighten the film experience and are used to add mood or set the atmosphere on a film, it creates another layer of meaning to the images on a screen. High-pitched sounds, like screams or squealing tires, create a tense mood, while low-pitched sounds, like waves or swinging doors, create a sense of calm or mystery.
Music can be used for a number of effects in a movie - the most obvious one is to guide the emotional response of the audience. They provide
clues to the story, as guides to what the reaction of the public should be.
Voice-overs are typical to documentary film, and they are used to shape the film and to provide sub-text to a scene.
"Sound is 50% of the experience but it sometimes only gets 1% of the budget. Spending all the money on the visual aspect is short-sighted. Good sound and music can tell a story that the picture can’t always communicate on its own." - Giles Packham, music composer and managing director of Waveform Studios, Dublin.
Sources:
http://thecinematheque.ca/education/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/LanguageofFilm07.pdf
http://filmbase.ie/the-importance-of-sound/#.W-Gs3hP7TOQ
http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm
There are two categories of sound in film: Diegetic (or Actual Sound) and Non-Diegetic. Diegetic Sound refers to all audio elements coming from visual sources inside the screen - this includes dialogue, sounds made by objects in the story, music represented as coming from instruments in the story space (= source music), etc. Non-Diegetic Sound refers to all audio elements that come from outside of the fictional world we see on screen - this includes the musical score, sound effects and narrator's commentary (voice-over).
Sound effects heighten the film experience and are used to add mood or set the atmosphere on a film, it creates another layer of meaning to the images on a screen. High-pitched sounds, like screams or squealing tires, create a tense mood, while low-pitched sounds, like waves or swinging doors, create a sense of calm or mystery.
Music can be used for a number of effects in a movie - the most obvious one is to guide the emotional response of the audience. They provide
clues to the story, as guides to what the reaction of the public should be.
Voice-overs are typical to documentary film, and they are used to shape the film and to provide sub-text to a scene.
"Sound is 50% of the experience but it sometimes only gets 1% of the budget. Spending all the money on the visual aspect is short-sighted. Good sound and music can tell a story that the picture can’t always communicate on its own." - Giles Packham, music composer and managing director of Waveform Studios, Dublin.
Sources:
http://thecinematheque.ca/education/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/LanguageofFilm07.pdf
http://filmbase.ie/the-importance-of-sound/#.W-Gs3hP7TOQ
http://filmsound.org/terminology/diegetic.htm
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