2. Sound in TV and Film Film/TV sound has to be mixed very carefully to ensure that important sounds are emphasised and that the correct atmosphere for a sequence is maintained. Selective sound is used to emphasise key sound elements within a sequence Ambient sound is used to create a particular atmosphere or a sense of place Other elements of sound design to look out for: Sound bridges – the use of sound to help transitions between sequences pass more fluidly Sound effects – are these used to create a sense of realism or to create some psychological impact or effect?
3. Other more obvious sounds.... Theme music – This is the music that introduces, develops throughout and ends the film. It often indicates the ‘personality’ and mode of address of the movie. Characters can have their own theme music – this is used to indicate their presence or ‘emotional journey’. Musical Score – used to create atmosphere, to link shots or sequences, to help create the narrative or to offer information about characters. Silence –film/TV are very rarely completely silent, but this effect is occasionally used to provoke a reaction from the audience.
4. Diegetic Sound Sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film (its in the film): 1. Voices of characters. 2. Sounds made by objects in the story. 3. Music represented as coming from instruments in the story space. Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originated from source within the film's world. Diegetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. This type of sound can be used to create many different meanings for an audience.
5. Non-Diegetic Sound Sound whose source is neither visible on the screen nor has been implied to be present in the action (its not there): 1. Narrator's commentary. 2. Sound effects which are added for dramatic effect. 3. Musical score/Soundtrack. Non-diegetic soundis represented as coming from a source outside the story space. The distinction between diegetic or non-diegetic sound depends on our understanding of the conventions of film viewing and listening. We know that certain sounds are represented as coming from the story world, while others are represented as coming from outside the space of the story events.
6. Other sound related terms Voiceover – This is the ‘voice’ of a character. This voice often guides or informs the external audience but can be used to push them in wrong narrative directions. Synchronous sound – This is when a sound effect is matched with another technical event or action – this reinforces the effect. Asynchronous sound – This is when a sound originates from outside of the diegetic reality of the film; musical soundtrack. Contrapuntal - noise or sound effect which doesn’t match the visuals, often juxtaposed to create alternative meaning
7. Task: Sound in Sherlock Holmes First listen to the first 5 mins of the film. What sounds can you hear? List them. Now watch the clip, which sounds are diegetic and non diegetic? Now watch the clip again what can we say about the theme music?
8. Create a blog entry called ‘Glossary’ that we will add to across the year... Research and define the following words (don’t just copy and paste – re-write the definitions in your own words so they make sense to you!) : Diegetic Non-Diegetic Ambient SFX Mood Tone Genre Theme music Voiceover Musical Score Synchronous sound Asynchronous sound Contrapuntal Silence Selective sound Sound bridges
9. Task On your blogs, type up the opening 6 mins of Sherlock Holmes Use the sound glossary to help you use the appropriate media terms
