Technical Sound

In my previous post I spoke about sound as a whole and the affects it has and audiences emotions, but here I am going to touch on sound from a technical aspect.
With in media there is diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound refers to the sound that the viewer can see the source of, for example a phone ringing or actors talking. Non-diegetic sound is the term used to describe the sound that has been added in post production. The two are combine to create the most appropriate sound for the scene.
Certain technical sound techniques can be used to add to the dynamic of a scene such as asynchronous sound. This type of sound is where the audio is deliberately matched out of sync with the visual, it can help to create the feeling of chaos and confusion. Asynchronous sound can also be used to describe unfitting music, for example a violent fight paced with calming classical music.
Voice overs are often used within media, a voice over is when the audience is receiving information which is usually given from the main character. They are a good way to fill in holes of the story with out breaking continuity.
Sound motifs are sound that is played for a particular character. It can be used to help enforce the presence of a character, sound motifs can be subtle which helps create a familiar feeling with the audience or they can be more obvious for example a sinister sound when the 'bad guy' appears.

Some other technical aspects of sound include ambient sound, this is sounds that the audience hear from the back ground such as traffic from the city or birds tweeting. Sound bridges are also used, this is where sound continues over cuts of editing. This may be a voice over or music on the radio in the characters homes.



Here is an example of a voice over from 'American Psycho'. Having the introduction to Bateman's life style from the character allows the audience to become immersed in and understand more about him, if the scene did not have the voice over the audience wouldn't understand Batemen's mind when entering the rest of the film which could effect how he is persevered early on.

Having a better knowledge of technical sound will benefit me when it comes to produce my final piece.

Sound

Whilst becoming more familiar with film language I have come to learn that sound plays a very important role in any media production. Sound is 50% of the over all product and is necessary when it comes to telling the story and holding the audience. With out sound images can become boring and not very stimulating to watch therefore causing the the audience to lose interest. Sound is able to make a film alluring and is able to draw you just as much as the visuals. Personally the reason why I love my favourite films so much is part to do with the soundtrack, certain soundtracks also become iconic with in the world of film such as 'American Beauty'. With out sound, it becomes difficult to immerser the audience in the piece that they are being presented.

Sound is important in every genre but it can be more crucial in some that others, for example films from the horror genre rely massively on the use of sound and sound effect to create that creepy or frightening aspect of a scene. Other emotions that sound can influence are ones of sadness, sad moments where the characters are showing high emotion are often accompanied by sorrowful music which helps transfer the sadness to the audience. However some more shocking scenes are sometimes followed by silence which creates a different impact. A example of sad music playing during a scene is from doctor who.

Knowing more about sound will help me in future productions as I will be able to choose the most appropriate soundtrack that compliments my piece in the best way.