Some more terminology!

This week we'll investigate how sound can be used to...

♦ establish environment

♦ support narrative

♦ create or support transition

♦ set the mood

♦ establish character

♦ convey emotions

Your task will then be to find examples of each of these.

establish environment

Here is an example of the sound used to establish environment in the computer game Darkfall 

support narrative

Here is the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. The director is trying to convey how disorientating and chaotic the battle is. Sound is used to reinforce this. Pay particular attention to the change that occurs at 4:37. Note how the sound changes, as if our character played by Tom Hanks has lost his hearing. This emphasizes the confusion and disorientation he would have felt.

Here is another example this time from the cartoon Wonder Jungle. This time the job of supporting the story is done purely by the music.

create or support transition

In this example we will return to an old favourite of ours Shawshank Redemption. Keep in mind that we have gone from a noisy court room scene complete with lots of music to a very different scene that feels claustrophobic. The opening of the creaky doors supports this transition.

set the mood

Here is a short piece about the sound setting the mood on the batman film the dark night

establish character

In Jaws a powerful piece of music is used to tell us when the shark is around!  

convey emotions

Here is the famous shower scene from the film Psyco. Listen to how the dissonant music conveys the horror during the attack.

Directed study for Friday afternoon group

Unfortunately I have been called to a meeting so I can't make class today, however I have prepared thios lesson for you so all is not lost!


Your task:

1. Read through the sound design terms listed below. 
2. Talk with a partner about what these terms might mean. 
3. Use youtube to look for examples of each of these terms. 
4. Write down the youtube video address and the time in the video that the sound design term comes in.
5. Aim to get three examples of each term (but don't worry too much if you don't manage them all). 
6. At 2:30pm (halfway through class) you should move around pairing up with people. Show them one of your videos and skip to the time in the video where the sound design term comes in. Ask them to tell you which sound design term it is. You will then swap rolls - watch one of their clips and try and work out what term is encountered.
7. Keep your list of terms to show me next week.

Here are the sound design terms

Harmony: These sounds are pleasing to our ears. They are often used in sound design to create a sense of relaxation or to demonstrate that everything is in its right place within a scene.
Dissonance: Sounds that don’t please our ears – often described as a clash of sounds. They create a sense of conflict or making us feel uneasy. They show us that something is wrong in the scene. 
Diegetic: Any sound that would be heard by the characters in the story.
Nondiegetic: Any sound that would not be heard by the characters in the story. Examples include voice over narration and musical accompaniment.
On screen: Use this term to refer to sound that comes from a source that we can see on screen. E.g. door slams, footsteps. 
Off screen: We hear the sound and we know it is ‘in scene’ but we don’t see the source. Examples are traffic background noise, bird song, thunder or even hearing a monster moving around but we can’t yet see it!  
Active: This relates to off-screen sounds. Active off-screen sounds raise questions in the audience such as “What is it?”, “What’s happening?”, “What does that scary monster look like?”.
Passive: This relates to off-screen sounds. Passive off-screen sounds create atmosphere and environment helping to immerse the audience in the situation.