How sound is used in Media productions
The use of sound in media productions
Introduction
In most media productions, sound is one of the most important aspects. They add many things to a scene that may complement the movie immensely according to how it is used. Sometimes simply the lack of sound is enough to make that particular scene. The following will discuss how sound creates mood and meaning in both theatrical releases and documentaries.
Sound effects used in Children of Men
The sound effects in this scene are very naturalistic. From the beginning you can hear the car and everything you would expect to hear in the car and then when the action starts, loads of sounds are being thrown at you. At 1:29 you have the car making a sound indicating that the vehicle is about to come into contact with something. Immediately after that a flurry of people start rushing out and attacking the car. We can hear the sound of things beating against the car and then at 1:47 we hear the sound of glass breaking. At 1:50 A Molotov is then thrown at the car with both glass and fire breaking out onto it. A motorbike then comes screaming from the angry crowd of people at 1:52 and races towards the car. Someone with a gun on the backseat then takes a shot at a character. Two distinct sounds are made at 2:02. The first is the sound of the windscreen slowly cracking and breaking and the second is the ringing sound from the beginning of the movie returns. Throughout the movie this sound returns when something loud and traumatic happens. Coming towards the end of the scene when the camera ends up outside of the car we hear naturalistic sounds again at 3:47. The sound of nature and peace return from what has just been a chaotic scene. The sound effects in this scene make for an even more intense action moment and it carries on that visceral feeling of this dystopian world.
Dialogue used in Fight Club
There is a lot of dialogue in this scene because this is a very important scene. It explains the big twist of the whole movie. From the beginning to the end there is lots of talking and it is made explicitly clear so that the viewer fully understands what has happened. This is mostly exposition and an explanation of what has already happened. The dialogue here is both functional and naturalistic because the way the Narrator speaks towards Tyler is how a normal person would react when something like this would happen but it also moves the scene onwards . This element combined with the music makes this scene really impactful and one of the more poignant parts of the movie.
Music used in Kingsman: The secret service.
Music is constant through out this scene and all of it is non-diegetic. Before the fight When the 2 main Characters Eggsy and Harry are talking, there is background music building up some sort of emotion. It then drastically changes at 1:30 when some thugs that Eggsy upset in an earlier scene come in and with anger then the music turns darker. It then cuts completely from 2:12 when Harry is about to walk out of the pub until one of the goons says a rude remark at 2:17. That is when the heroic score comes in for Harry at 2:20. As he is locking the doors of the pub the music follows along to those sounds. It continues to build up when the goons approach Harry and reaches a climax and pauses when the lines "Then let me teach a lesson" are uttered. When the glass is thrown at the leaders head and knocks him out, the music then continues making a beat every time something significant happens within the scene whilst simultaneously building the music up for the finale of the scene where the leader gets knocked out again. The music isn't necessarily comedic but it fits in with the stylish tone that the movie has going for it.
Sound used in live recordings
In most documentaries they use real sounds when interviewing people instead of effects and any other sounds. The most you will get is non diegetic music hen transitioning from one area to another. Somebody who does this a lot in their documentaries is Stacey Dooley. Her documentaries frequently use sound but when interviewing people it tends to be diegetic and naturalistic sounds. Everything from traffic to wildlife. The transition from non diegetic music to diegetic music makes allows the viewer to pay attention to the scenes without music and lay off a little bit when the music is on. However in some interviews there is background music but it does not intrude in the interview and you can clearly hear what Stacey and the interviewee are saying. At 6:37 in her kids selling drugs online documentary, she meets the boy and has the interview with him and the intervals in which she is not talking she has filled with voice over and explains more about interviewee and the deal going on. She still builds up tension with the background music when the boy realise that he is being recorded. This all draws the viewer in to find out more about this drug trade and it also creates a sense of unease to know that this stuff is real and happens on our streets.
Conclusion
In conclusion the use of sound in moving picture can effectively create a memorable scene depending on how it is used. From these different movies and documentaries we can see that there is a heavy emphasis on music, dialogue and special effects to make the scene especially poignant. The effect they have and the moods and meanings they create also stay with the viewer long after the movies is over which shows how well these scenes were made.
Dialogue used in Fight Club
There is a lot of dialogue in this scene because this is a very important scene. It explains the big twist of the whole movie. From the beginning to the end there is lots of talking and it is made explicitly clear so that the viewer fully understands what has happened. This is mostly exposition and an explanation of what has already happened. The dialogue here is both functional and naturalistic because the way the Narrator speaks towards Tyler is how a normal person would react when something like this would happen but it also moves the scene onwards . This element combined with the music makes this scene really impactful and one of the more poignant parts of the movie.
Music used in Kingsman: The secret service.
Music is constant through out this scene and all of it is non-diegetic. Before the fight When the 2 main Characters Eggsy and Harry are talking, there is background music building up some sort of emotion. It then drastically changes at 1:30 when some thugs that Eggsy upset in an earlier scene come in and with anger then the music turns darker. It then cuts completely from 2:12 when Harry is about to walk out of the pub until one of the goons says a rude remark at 2:17. That is when the heroic score comes in for Harry at 2:20. As he is locking the doors of the pub the music follows along to those sounds. It continues to build up when the goons approach Harry and reaches a climax and pauses when the lines "Then let me teach a lesson" are uttered. When the glass is thrown at the leaders head and knocks him out, the music then continues making a beat every time something significant happens within the scene whilst simultaneously building the music up for the finale of the scene where the leader gets knocked out again. The music isn't necessarily comedic but it fits in with the stylish tone that the movie has going for it.
Sound used in live recordings
In most documentaries they use real sounds when interviewing people instead of effects and any other sounds. The most you will get is non diegetic music hen transitioning from one area to another. Somebody who does this a lot in their documentaries is Stacey Dooley. Her documentaries frequently use sound but when interviewing people it tends to be diegetic and naturalistic sounds. Everything from traffic to wildlife. The transition from non diegetic music to diegetic music makes allows the viewer to pay attention to the scenes without music and lay off a little bit when the music is on. However in some interviews there is background music but it does not intrude in the interview and you can clearly hear what Stacey and the interviewee are saying. At 6:37 in her kids selling drugs online documentary, she meets the boy and has the interview with him and the intervals in which she is not talking she has filled with voice over and explains more about interviewee and the deal going on. She still builds up tension with the background music when the boy realise that he is being recorded. This all draws the viewer in to find out more about this drug trade and it also creates a sense of unease to know that this stuff is real and happens on our streets.
Conclusion
In conclusion the use of sound in moving picture can effectively create a memorable scene depending on how it is used. From these different movies and documentaries we can see that there is a heavy emphasis on music, dialogue and special effects to make the scene especially poignant. The effect they have and the moods and meanings they create also stay with the viewer long after the movies is over which shows how well these scenes were made.
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