Sound in Cinema

1
Sound in Cinema

• An Overview

2
The Powers of Sound

• Sound engages a distinct sense mode
• Sound can shape our perception and interpretation
  of images
• Sound can direct our attention
• Sound cues us to form expectations
• Sound enhances the value of silence

3
The Fundamentals of Film Sound

• Acoustic properties
• Loudness
• Pitch
• Timbre
• Types of sound in cinema
• Speech
• Music
• Noise
• Sound selection guides perception
• Dialogue overlap
• Sneaking in/out
• Use of pre-existing material v. new material
• Music and association

4
Dimensions of Film Sound

• Rhythm
• Musical
• Speech
• Sound effects
• Fidelity
• Space
• Diegeticsounds having a source w/in the story
  space
• Internal
• External
• Non-diegeticsounds represented as coming from
  outside the story world
• Onscreen and offscreen sounds
• Sound perspective

5
Dimensions of Film Sound

• Time
• Viewing time
• Story time
• Plot time
• Synchronous
• Asynchronous
• Simultaneous
• Nonsimultaneous
• Most nondiegetic sounds have no relevant temporal
  relationship to the story

6
Questions to ask

• What sounds are present?
• Music, speech, or noise?
• How are volume, pitch, and timbre used?
• Is the sound rhythmically related to the image?
• Is the sound faithful or unfaithful to its
  perceived source?
• From where is the sound coming?
• Within the storys space?
• Onscreen or offscreen?
• When is the sound occurring?
• Simultaneously with the story action?
• Before? After?
• How are the various sounds organized across a
  sequence of the entire film? Are any patterns
  formed?