Research: Sound (Mr. S)

Sound

Sounds are used to create understanding, create meanings about character's emotions and create a response from the audience. Sound is not just what you pick up using your eardrums, there are different kinds which will be explained here.

• Diegetic sound | Sound that is a part of the film world. This can be on or off screen. The characters are able to hear these sounds as well as the audience (for example, a radio or a jukebox).
• Non-diegetic sound | Sound that is not a part of the film world. The characters cannot hear these sounds, but the audience can (for example, a voiceover narrative sharing information directly to the audience).
• On screen sound | Seeing the source of the sound (for example, a radio is a physical object and has a close-range, so it would have to be in the shot with the character to make sense).
• Off screen sound | A sound that is heard but the source not seen (for example, when a camera is directed onto a park bench but we can hear the car on the main road behind the park).
• Parallel sound | Sounds that are expected (for example, at a beach we would expect laughter, children playing, the splash of waves and seagulls talking).
• Contrapuntal sound | Sounds that do not match expectations of the setting.



In this Scene of Jaws, we can hear contrapuntal sound - starting from 1:34, a 'dun dun' builds up, getting faster and louder, something which is what you would last expect to accompany children playing in the water on a bright day. This music is also non-diegetic; the characters are oblivious and their attention is focused on the screams of the child which is a diegetic sound. The response from the audience would be excitement, because they know something is about to happen - yet fear, because the contrapuntal sound is a giveaway that the upcoming scene will be horrific.

Conclusion | Sound is a key part in most films, and since I will be using it in my opening, these terms have helped me think of more ideas. For instance, before I made the assumption that horrors always need scary music, comedies always need upbeat music and thrillers always need creepy music. But like in the scene of Jaws I looked at, this isn't always the case; sound does not have to meet the stereotypical expectation from the audience. Doing something different may in fact create more of a response, for the music in Jaws is a tune known worldwide.