RESEARCH: Blog Post 15 - Importance of sound

Blog Post 15: Importance of Sound

• Sound is vibrations that travel through the air and are heard when they reach a persons ear. Sound is used all the time as we rely on sound to communicate. Also, unexpected noises warn us of danger. 
• A soundscape is a piece of music that is considered in terms of its component sound. It is a sound or a combination sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. 
• The process of specifying or generating audio elements is called sound design. 
• 'Suspending disbelief': If a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative. Suspension of disbelief often applies to fictional works of the action, comedy, fantasy, and horror genres. Cognitive estrangement in fiction involves using a person's ignorance or lack of knowledge to promote suspension of disbelief.

Sound Terms:

• Wild track: When sound recorded will be removed and new sounds are recorded for the footage.
• Ambient sound: Sounds heard from the outside (natural sounds.)
• Diegetic: sound that actors can hear.
• Non-diegetic: Sound that actors can't hear whilst filming. it is added afterwards.
• Score: Specifically composed piece (orchestral)
• Song: Music
• Voiceover: When you talk over an original footage (narrating)
• Dialogue: When more than one person speaks, mostly in foreign language films. (not a monologue) 
• Dubbing: When new voices or sounds are added.
• Foley: Sounds to add effect or emphasise/ make actions more dramatic in film. For example the sound of a punch, rusty clothes, a bouncy ball. 
• Synchronous: When the sound/music used matches the mood. E.g sunny = happy
• Asynchronous: When the sound/music does not match the mood of the scene. E.g. pictures of family with creepy sounds playing. The Stepfather is an example of an asynchronous film. 
• Sound Bridge: Links two scenes
• Sound Motif: When a sound pops up every time a character shows up. For example in the film Jaws we can hear a specific sound that just tells the audience when the shark is coming. 

Sound is very important in film. Lets say someone was watching a film, they were in a cinema theatre and they receive a text, they will obviously get distracted by the text whether the film is with or without sound. However it is easier for them to loose their concentration when the sound is not there. Also, if there wasn't sound in the film it would take longer for them to realise that the film is still on. This is because there would be nothing to grab their attention as they are using one of their main senses. We use both our senses when watching a film, so without sound only one of our senses are used and by only using one there is nothing else that can grab our attention except anything visual . This will make the film less appealing to the audience.

Sound is also important because it always gives off a sense of the genre by creating a certain atmosphere. For example in horror films, we can hear various sounds like silence, wind, child's cry or a girl's scream. The ones mentioned are all used to create ambiguity. Horror film makers rely on disturbing soundtracks because they heighten suspense and terror. Most of the time, sounds in the horror genre aren't expected in any other genre besides thrillers. E.g. disturbing noises or screams.

By not having sound, film makers are only able to maintain our concentration by making the film interestingly visual. Therefore it is hard to have a successful film without the use of sound.