Sound and music in film

Key Terms

Ambient sound: background sound that fit the scene

Example: sound nature and the birds singing in Dan Auerbach - “Waiting On A Song” it  fits the scene and location , making it feel natural and realistic to the audience, the sound also contrasts with the heated argument

Asynchronous sound: it matches the action but does not precisely match the scene and is out of sync with the image

Example: sound of the train but image of women screaming

Character theme: the part of a soundtrack that links to a particular character. This might be used to introduce the character into a scene or to reveal their status within the scene

Example: James Bond theme music, the song relates to the character contrapuntal sound: It does not fit with the scene

Foley: Provides the live action sound that might have been missed out by the film

Example: Alex Joseph, Foley supervisor, was asked to recreate the sound of a head being chopped off for Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven.,” he tells me. “Or a frozen cabbage.” Instead, Joseph opted used a green coconut

Hyper real sound: When a sound is being exaggerated

Example: in psycho the sound of the curtain and shower is empathised

Pitch: This is determined by the frequency of the sound, it can be low or high.

Example:  In scream ring tones and door bells were used, heightening those sounds into something terrifying.

Sound effects: it is added to the film during post production to add meaning to the scene

Example:  the phone booth ever appears in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure – it comes with lightning, crackling electricity, and an implacable battery-power sound.

Sound bridge: sound that is sustained to the next following scene. It can be used to extend a piece of music or sound but also used to smooth out cuts and match action.

Example: in matrix when she talks to his ear than there’s a shot of him but the sound of her talking is carried on

Voice over: A narrative or commentary that is only heard by the audience of the film and not the characters in the scene, which talk about what is happening in the film or provides further information

Example: Train spotting is narrated by the main characters, shows the thoughts of the character