Preliminary Exercise 13: Introduction to Sound in Film (Be a Sound Engineer)

 Introduction

Sound in film is an important part of film-making that promotes to creating an engaging and immersive sensory experience of the audience. It doesn't only enhance the storytelling by providing an emotional grasp and overtone to the dialogue, but also supports the genre, setting, and characters of a movie by creating a specific mood or atmosphere. Sound has the potential to keep viewers fully engaged by manipulating their emotions and maintaining their interest in the story. Overall, Sound plays a critical role in the overall quality and impact of a movie.

Word	Meaning and example
Sound in film	Audio in the film Ex: Background music
Sound engineer	Audio professionals who choose or create music, dialogue, and sound effects. Ex: Andy Nelson
Soundtrack	A selection of sounds chosen to be featured in a film. Ex: The Pulp Fiction soundtrack features Samuel L. Jackson's famous “Ezekiel 25:17” monologue.
Score	Original music made for a film. Ex: “Do you want to build a snowman”, from Frozen.
Incidental Music	Music without lyrics that connects with the audience creating a sense of suspense or emotion. Ex: Sound in a horror movie creating suspense or unease.
Theme music	A musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films. Ex: Teen titans go! Intro song from teen titans go.
Sound effects	A sound recorded and presented to make a specific storytelling or creative point without the use of dialogue or music. Ex: Bat shrieking.
Dialogue	A written or spoken exchange of words between two or more characters. Ex: “Hello”
Ambient Sound	The background or surrounding noise present in a scene or location. Ex: rain
Voiceover	The non-diegetic use of a character or omnipresent narrator talking over the visuals of a film or television show. Ex: “I’m Spider-Man.” - Spider-Man (2002)

A Cabin/The Woods (Horror)
Music	Creepy, slow, distorted, unnerving, suspenseful, shocking
	“Right Behind You” by David Robson “Monster In The Field” by David Fesliyan
Sound Effects	Footsteps, creaky floors, creaky doors, bushes moving in the wind, leaves brushing against the window, loud noises, heavy breathing, laughing, slashing sounds, and screams
Dialogue	“Run!” “Let’s get out of here!” “You go first.” “I’m not doing that.” “Don’t just stand there, run!”

Basketball Game (Teen Drama)
Music	Upbeat, groovy, intense, dramatic, dynamic, fast-paced
	“Survivor” by Destiny’s Child
Sound Effects	Basketball hitting the ground, the buzzer, running, panting, someone drinking water, the crowd cheering, the coach yelling, the ball hitting the backboard, the ball going through the hoop, and the ball hitting the rim
Dialogue	“Pass it!” “Get the ball!” “You suck!” “Defense!” “Shoot!” “Out of bounds.”

Urban City Scene (Thriller)
Music	Slow-paced, intense, loud, dramatic, suspenseful, mysterious
	“I’m Not What I Thought” by Darren Curtis
Sound Effects	Cars, bikes, bike bells, car horns, people greeting each other, birds chirping, dogs barking, children playing, lawnmowers, leaf blowers, garbage trucks, construction work, airplanes, garages opening and closing.
Dialogue	“Did you hear that?” “I don’t feel safe here.” “I’m going to check the basement.” “I’m calling the police.”

Car Chase (Action)
Music	Fast-paced, energetic, loud, sudden, dramatic, chaotic
	“BT- Chase Through Los Angeles” from The Fast and The Furious
Sound Effects	Crash, slam, brake screech, tire screech, exhaust, car revving, acceleration, vroom sound, door slam, and windshield breaking
Dialogue	“Look out!” “Coming through!” “Looks like my fuel line’s been shot.” “I’m out of this race,”

Haunted House (Horror)
Music	Eerie, creepy, scary, slow, quiet, high-pitched
	“Lurking in the Shadows” by Pianogeist
Sound Effects	Creaks, wind, falling noises, ghost noises, screams, rustling, footsteps, tapping sounds, knocking, and stair creaking
Dialogue	“Help!” “What was that?” “Did you hear that?” “Somebody help me, please!”

Reflection

Despite the assumption that sound is merely a tool used for aesthetic enhancement, the reality is that it plays a much deeper role in film-making. Researching the use of film allowed me and my team to learn that it greatly impacts the audiences engagement with the film. The importance of sound, particularly in terms of audience engagement, was reiterated when my team divided the work to produce our own projects. This allowed each team member to contribute their unique skill set to the project. To complete out respective assignments, we referred to various sources,  from soundtrack to dialogue. Using this approach, We were abled to mingle lines and sound effects from a fast and furious movie, while one of my teammates drew from an old thriller. we all worked collaboratively to put together a strong assignment. Despite the challenges, we believe that we did a great job.

cite

Gula, D. (2023) Sound effect techniques and Pro-Tips, StudioBinder. Available at: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/film-sound-effect-techniques/ (Accessed: 03 April 2024).