Chapter 8: Sound Effects and Dialogue This is not all-inclusive, and I have referenced the pages on which to nd additional

examples relating to what I have written here.

Sound in the Modern Film

Sound plays an increasingly important role in the modern lm because its here-and-now reality relies heavily on the three elements that make up the soundtrack: sound effects, dialogue, and the musical score. ! -These elements add levels of meaning and provide sensual and emotional ! stimuli that increase the range, depth, and intensity of our experience far beyond ! what can be achieved through visual means alone. Because we are more consciously aware of what we see than of what we hear, we generally accept the soundtrack without much thought, responding intuitively to the information it provides while ignoring the complex techniques employed to create those responses. Foley Sounds: articial sound effects to replicate the sound an object or person makes in a movie, often produced with everyday materials (like shaking tin foil to make the sound of thunder)(Or Xavier making a motorcycle sound with his guitar...) The modern soundtrack demands so much of our conscious attention that if we want fully to appreciate a modern lm, we should perhaps be prepared as much to hear the lm as to see it.

Dialogue
A major part of our attention to sound in the modern lm is naturally directed toward understanding the dialogue, for in most lms dialogue gives us a great deal of important information Movie dialogue different than stage dialogue, stage must be spoken loudly and measuredly so as to allow everyone in the house to hear it. This is not a limitation in lm, so dialogue can be more realistic in a movie. In order to be successful, most important sounds should be singled out and be made clear, with less important sounds blurred out or in the background. Filmmakers need to be careful not to put in the dialogue what has already been showed visually. Even this slight redundancy is extremely noticeable. Film can tell a story even with very little dialogue.

Three-Dimensionality in Sound
In Citizen Kane, Orson Welles created a strong impression of three-dimensional sound without the benet of the multiple soundtracks and speakers required for true stereo. Welles achieved this effect by varying the sound quality (volume, clarity, reverb, and tonal qualities) of voices and sound effects to reect their relative distance from the camera. In 1952, three-dimensionality of a sound was achieved by combining Welles technique with a six-track stereophonic system in the triple-wide-screen This is Cinerama. In the mid-70s, a technology called Sensurround derived its sound from two closet-size speaker systems. It was designed to literally shake the movie theater, but was used for only a few lms. Around the same time, the Dolby Surround-Sound employed an encoding process to achieve a truly 360 sound and it created the effect of a greater number of separate speakers. (Surround Sound). Ex: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Raging Bull, Gladiator.

Visible and Invisible Sound

As the popular term talking pictures indicates, the audience of earlier lms was fascinated by the reproduction of the human voice. Although some sound effects were used, they were generally limited to sounds that would naturally and realistically emanate from the images on the screenthat is, the visible sound. Invisible Sound can be used to emanate from sources not on the screen and can be used to extend the dimensions of lm beyond what is seen and to achieve more powerful dramatic effects as well. Invisible sound is important to the modern lm for a variety of reasons: Many of the sounds around us in real life are invisible (cicadas in the trees during summer), simply because we nd it unnecessary or impossible to look for their sources. In other cases, it can create a more powerful effect alone than would be possible by actually showing it, like in a horror lm, hearing a door creak but not seeing whats making the noise. They are also used to intensify the lmgoers sense of actually being there. Thus, sound effects achieve their most original and effective results not through simultaneous use with the visual image but as independent images, enhancing and enriching the picture rather than merely duplicating it.

Points of View in Sound

In a lm shot from the objective point of view the characters and the action of a scene are perceived as if by a somewhat remote observer who looks calmly on the events without becoming emotionally or physically involved. Camera and microphone perceive the characters externally, from the sidelines, without stepping in. The subjective point

of view, in contrast, is that of one who is intensely involved, either emotionally or physically, in the happenings on the screen. Cameras become the eyes and ears of the screen. It is easiest for directors to switch back and forth between objective and subjective. For an example, see page 243/244.

Special Uses of Sound Effects and Dialogue

Sound Effects to Tell an Inner Story Directors manipulate and distort sound for artistic endsto put us inside a character so that we can understand what he or she is feeling. In a powerful scene from On the Waterfront, Elia Kazan employs the sounds of the waterfront to dramatize the emotions of Terry Malloy and Edie Doyle. Distortion of Sound to Suggest Subjective States See specic example on 246/247 The Personality of Mechanical Sounds Mechanical sounds can be integrated into the overall tone of a specic scene by giving them personalities. See specic example on 247/248. Slow-Motion Sound In an action movie, this can be used to slow down both the lm and the audio to portray lots of action that happens in a small amount of time. Specic example on 248. Placing Unusual Emphasis on Sound A director who wishes to place some unusual emphasis on sound has several options. Two obvious methods involve se-emphasizing the visual image: (1) dropping the image altogether by fading to black or (2) purposely making the image uninteresting or dull by holding a meaningless shot for a long period or by prolonging the use of dead screen (screen area in which there is little or no interesting visual info). Specic examples on 249-251. Using Sound for Texture, Time, and Temperature Director Robert Altman uses dialogue and sound recording differently by movig away from dramatic enhancement of dialogue and sound and toward a thick, realistic sound texture in which dialogue can become a series of fragmented, blurred, and unseparated utterances, equal to but not dramatically more important than the ambient sounds. Sound can be an important element in period pieces (lms that take place not in the present but in some earlier period of history). By recording the sounds made by authentic objects from the era, lmmakers can enhance the storys credibility for the audience. Specic examples on 251/252.

Sound as a Plot Device

This part is basically all examples- See page 252.

Sound as a Transitional Element

Sound is also an extremely important transitional device in lms. It can be used to show the relationship between shots, scenes, or sequences, or it can make a change from one shot or sequence to another seem more uid or natural. Example: Two scenes might run overlap each other sound-wise, with the sound of the next scene coming in before the rst scene fades out. Sound links, aural bridges between scenes or sequences, are created through the use of similar or identical sounds in both sequences. For example, a buzzing alarm clock at the end of one sequence becomes a buzzing telephone switchboard at the start of the next. Examples on 253/254.

Voice-Over Narration
A human voice offscreen, called voice-over narration, has a variety of functions. It is perhaps the most commonly used as an expository device to convey necessary background info or ll in gaps for continuity that cannot be presented dramatically. Think Forrest Gump or anything that Morgan Freeman has ever been in. More examples 254-257.

Silence as a Sound Effect

In certain situations a short dead track, the complete absence of sound, may be as effective as the most powerful sound effect. The ghostly, unnatural quality of lm without sound forces us to look intently at the image. This effect is used to great advantage with the freeze frame. More examples on 260.

Rhythmic Qualities of Dialogue and Sound Effects

Both dialogue and sound effects are important for the rhythmic patterns, or cadences, they create. These rhythmic elements often match the visual rhythms and reect the mood, emotion, or pace of the action. Thus, the pace of the dialogue and the rhythmic qualities of the sound effects inuence the pace of the lm as a whole.