Different Types Of Sound Effects In Films

Types of Sound Effects

 

The main uses of sound in a film are to stimulate reality, to add or create something that is not really there (diegetic sound) or to help the director create a mood/help to introduce important elements of the plot. Sound is an important part of a film, and 90% of a motion picture exists as sound. There are many different types of sound used in film, such as dialogue, ambient or natural sound, additional dialogue recording (ADR) sound effects (SFX) score and soundtracks. The most important types of sound in a film are;

 

Hard sound effects: They are common sounds which are seen on the screen, like door slams, gunfire, and vehicles driving by.

 

Background sound effects: They are sounds which don’t completely coordinate with the picture (asynchronous sound), but denote setting to the audiences, like the sound of a fluorescent light being switched on and interiors of cars. The noise of crowd speaking (Walla) in the backdrop is considered a background sound effect, but only on the condition that the language is unrecognisable.

 

Foley sound effects: They are sounds which completely coordinate on the screen, and demand the skill of a Foley artist to record appropriately. The movement concerning hand props, like forks and knives and the rustling of cloth are commonly seen examples of Foley units. These types of sound are created on a Foley stage, which is simply a production room in which everything is a sound prop, including the floor, which can provide different kinds of footfalls. The film rolls on-screen, and the Foley artist matches the kind of sound the filmmaker wants to the image projected.

 

Design sound effects: They are sounds which don’t generally occur naturally, or are completely impossible to record in natural surroundings. These kinds of sounds are utilised to depict extravagant technology in any sci-fi film, or may be used in a musical manner to denote an emotionally heavy mood, often in the form of sound effects (SFX).