What is the importance of sound in TV or Film, and how can it be used creatively in driving the narrative forward? Sound is important in film and how it is used to drive a narrative progression. I will analyse how and why in this essay. Covering the history of sound in films and the essential component it plays in the film industry. The introduction of sound to film started in the 1920’s. By the 1930’s a vast majority of films were now talkies. ‘If you put a sound consistent to visual image and specifically human voice you make a “talkie”’ (Braun 1985 pg. 97). In 1926 Warner Brothers introduced sound to film but, other competing studios such as FOX, didn’t find it necessary to incorporate sound to their motion pictures production, as they were making enough money through their silent movies. Warner Brothers decided to take what was considered a risky move by adding sound to their motion picture, a risk taken, as they weren’t as successful in the silent movie department. But this risk paid off with the hit release of ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1927. Though sound in films was then acceptable and successful it wasn’t until the 1950’s that it became feasible to the public as sound was introduced to cinema by the invention of Cinerama by Fred Waller. The Cinerama used 35mm film strip and seven channels of audio. The use of sound has been greatly developed and is now considered as "one of the richest sources of meaning in film art." (Giannetti, 2002). When sound in film is being examined, two positions must be assumed; digetic sound and non-digetic sound. These positions relate to the basis of the sound in film and television. For example, digetic sound refers to the sound that materialises inside the creation of the film (if a character h... ... middle of paper ... ...n, the use of sound in films is highly significant in the development of the plot and in turn the development of the theme. Although, the sound components play a very significant role individually, it is through the combination and manipulation of such components that the sound design of the sound track has a greater impact emotionally upon the audience. Moreover, the effectiveness of this emotional impact can be significantly increased through the implementation of an effective combination sound to the image. Such combination can be seen within Gravity which exhibits a soundscape that successfully assist in bringing the world of the film to life. Sound is important to films and is an essential feature, many a time an audience will not even self-consciously acknowledge the music or sound effects but if they weren’t there the viewing pleasure would not be as pleasing
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreFor this essay I will be looking at the work of Hans Zimmer to discuss how music in film engages the viewer and evokes emotion and pulls the viewer toward the film. Hans Zimmer is a German born music composer. Hans Zimmer’s love of music stems from his childhood when he learned how to play various instruments. Before Zimmer began composing music for films he was in a well-known band. The band was called The Buggles whom were famous for their song Video Killed the Radio Star. After the Buggles Zimmer played in other bands but never had another hit. As Zimmer has progressed as a film composer so has his list of nominations and awards. Zimmer has won 4 Grammy Awards and 2 Golden Globes and many more for his outstanding film scores. The reason I chose to write this essay on Zimmer was that his genres and music score are extremely versatile ranging from animations to comedy to dark thrillers. This is important to highlight as it shows Zimmer can create almost any atmosphere with his music whether it be sad or creating tension that all cause us to engage with the film. Zimmer's use of themes and introduction of different instruments allowed him to create these wonderful engaging film score. In this essay I will look at three films by Hans Zimmer these are The Holiday Rush and Rain Man.
natural sounds, voices of character) and non-diegetic (which are added during editing and the characters in the film are unaware about it) are also used for rhetorical purpose (79). Thus, spoken word, sound effect, music and silent shots are considered as a pertinent text in documentary film rhetoric. Context of using the sound bears a significant role in generating the meaning. Emphasising on the spoken word as a meaning clarifier, Plantinga says that the ideological function or effect of photography and sound recording in the nonfiction film is varied and can be superficial or informative, veridical or misleading, depending on their specific use and context (81). Plantinga in his artcle What a Documentary Film is, After All deals with the question of defining documentary films and how to distinguish it from non-fictions and other videos. He categorises all classical documentries as Documentaries as Indexical Record (DIR) and Documentaries as Assertion (DA) accounts and shows how these accounts fail to satisfy traditional definition of documentary (105). He suggests an alternative account ‘asserted veridical representation’, representation that is ‘in case of implicitly or directly asserted propositions truthful; and in the case of images, sound or combinations thereof, a reliable guide to relevant elements of the scenes’
In conclusion, I have demonstrated how Coppola exploits a wide array of sound and editing to create suspense, intensity, and anxiety in the sequence to affect the audience’s emotions, using diegetic ambient sound effects, non-diegetic music, voice over and four editing types. With this sequence, Coppola has shown the savagery of war and our complicity in this violence as an audience.
Bela Balazs’ theory of sound is an eye-opener to how we take the sound film for granted. He beautifully explains how sound improved the film viewing experience after living in a time talking pictures didn’t exist. While Goodfellas wasn’t the first film to include sound, it takes advantage of sound in many different ways that Balazs explains himself in his chapter, Theory of the Film: Sound. Through the use of Bela Balazs’ concepts of asynchronous sound, silence, and acoustical close-ups, Goodfellas is able to convey tension to the audience that would otherwise be less effective without sound.
Music can decipher a narrative event by indicating a perspective. To unify a set of diverse images and provide rhythmic and formal continuity and momentum, a film’s structure is more often than not, directly articulated by a musical structure. Music can assist the dialogue and visuals of film and often is inaudible (e.g. music is meant to be heard unconsciously, not consciously). Music has been used by directors to reinforce or strengthen certain weak scenes in film and then on the other hand when music is not needed to reinforce a scene
Since the creation of films, their main goal was to appeal to mass audiences. However, once, the viewer looks past the appearance of films, the viewer realizes that the all-important purpose of films is to serve as a bridge connecting countries, cultures, and languages. This is because if you compare any two films that are from a foreign country or spoken in another language, there is the possibility of a connection between the two because of the fact that they have a universally understanding or interpretation. This is true for the French New Wave films; Contempt and Breathless directed by Jean-Luc Godard, and contemporary Indian films; Earth and Water directed by Deepa Mehta. All four films portray an individual’s role in society using sound and editing.
Every year, millions of people watch celebrities walk down the red carpet in expensive clothing and receive awards for their achievements in the entertainment industry. At one of the most prestigious award shows, the Academy Awards, nominees for best music deliver a grandiose performance. Music is a part of our daily lives, but it seems to have become an essential element of film industry as well. It is surprising to see how music became such a big part of a film, and how far the technology has enhanced with this relationship. It is fascinating to discover how it began; how music became a part of the film industry, and how important it is for filmmakers and musicians today.
With the discovery of techniques such as continuous editing, multiple camera angles, montage editing, and more, silent filmmaking developed from simple minute-long films to some of the most beautiful, awe-inspiring films that have ever been created—in only a few decades. In Visions of Light, someone alluded that if the invention of sound had come along a mere ten years later, visual storytelling would be years ahead of what it is today. This statement rings true. When looking at the immense amount of progress that was made during the silent era of films, one must consider where the art of film has been, where it is, and where it is
The sounds used in cinema have the ability to alter how we perceive what we are viewing. In Andrea Arnolds film, Fish Tank, she uses sound to draw the audience into Mia’s journey through self-development in lower class Britain. The background noises are emphasized throughout the film which creates a sense of realism as we feel like we have been thrown into Mia’s world. These consistent white noises engulf Mia and accentuate her isolation and vulnerability through the lack of privacy she sustains. Additionally, without a soundtrack, we are not told how to feel, instead, we must decipher that for ourselves. Both these points build on the sense of realism that is created by the sound devices used in the film and will further be discuThe sounds
After listening to all four movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C minor, I have suddenly been awakened to the tremendous influence that the Classical Form of music has had on modern day works, especially in the area of the film industry which it is used to create drama, tension, and joy. History owes a debt of gratitude to composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, who build upon the legacy of pioneers such as Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to create his own unique blend of symphonic compositions which will be revered throughout generations because of their continued appeal to the
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
This essay will broaden your ability to view films from behind the scene of film shooting, set design, lighting, screenwriting, casting, makeup, special effects, color, sound effect, dialogue, soundtracks to editing and post production. It will clarify how to analyze films by exposing the art of watching, analyzing and evaluating films from differential approaches.
Thinking Sound. (2011). Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola Talks about the Evolution of Movie Sound. [Online]. Available from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-fNpE9vQJw [Accessed 05 February 2012]
Shirin Neshat is a multi versatile Iranian artist and filmmaker. Her artistic works cover the fields of photography, video and sound installations, and film. However, she is mostly known and highly regarded for her video work. More importantly, I want to investigate the purpose behind the implementation of sound in her video installations and its importance. Specifically Turbulent (1998), Rapture (1999), and Soliloquy (1999). As she’s stated repeatedly, sound is always a very important part of her videos. In some instances of her videos, the sound aspect has a deeper and more conceptual value than the visual itself, meaning that perfecting this part of her video pieces is of huge significance for her.
Freer, Justin. "The Importance of Music in Film." Los Angeles Brass Ensemble RSS. Los Angeles Brass Ensemble, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013.