SOUND Unit 5 Film Class

Historical Background 1927 – The Jazz Singer –Critics thought sound would be a deathblow to movies Prior to 1927 full orchestra or piano used Music used for practical and artistic reasons Eisenstein – wary of dialogue –He thought synchronous sound would destroy the flexibility of editing Early directors favored nonsynchronous sound, sound and image are not recorded simultaneously

Historical Background cont. Orson Welles –perfected sound montage –dialogue of one character overlaps with that of another, or others

Sound Effects Sound editor –Gathers all the different sounds for a movie Two types of sound –Diegetic – sounds characters can hear –Nondiegetic – sounds characters cannot hear Pitch –High-pitched sounds create tension –Low-frequency sounds emphasize dignity, anxiety, or mysterty Loud sounds are forceful and threatening

Sound effects cont. Tempo –The faster the tempo the greater the tension Off screen sound effects –Can produce anxiety Symbolic functions –Music can express internal emotions or something is about to happen –Silence can be used to symbolize death because sound usually means presence of life.

Music Eisenstein –Music must never serve merely as an accompaniment –Vertical montage Notes on staff of music moving from left to right parallel the movements of the actors –Mickeymousing – descriptive music

Music cont. Most composers begin working after they have seen the rough cut of a movie. Some composers don’t begin until the film has been totally completed. Directors of musicals work with composers before shooting begins. Foley artist –adds sound into a movie after it’s filmed Foreshadowing –Hitchcock put in casual sequences with anxious music.

Musicals One of the most enduring and popular film genres. Song and dance Both Realistic and Formalistic Dominated by Americans 1940’s and 1950’s –

Musicals cont. West Side Story –Sports and dance choreography Dance in everyday life (basketball) –Not just a love story Makes music tie into violence and social conflict –Mickeymousing

Musicals cont. Broadway Melody – 1929 –All-talking; all-singing; all-dancing movie –Admission 35¢; made $4 million –Used sound montage – overlapping sound

Spoken Language Dialects –Rich source of meaning Subtext –Implicit meaning behind language of a film Two types of spoken language –Monologue Associated with documentaries Offscreen narrator provides factual information Two types of information – visuals and narration

Monologue In fiction films –Narrative monologue condenses time and events –Voice-over produces an ironic contrast between the past and the present –Contrasts with what’s said socially and what’s thought privately –Off-screen narrations Sense of objectivity or predestination –Interior monologue – what character is thinking

Dialogue Film language doesn’t have to carry the burden of stage dialogue Can be sparce and realistic as in everyday life Doesn’t have to conform to everyday speech Sound and image are difficult to match in dubbed films

Sound Permits a director more visual freedom Many instances where sound is the most economical and precise way of conveying information in a film