Sound In Our Opening Scene

Different types of sound in our opening scene

 

Ambient Sound - sound which is not the focus of attention, but is crucial in the film

 

Asynchronous Sound - sounds which are not matched with actions being displayed

- indicates what is next to come
- adds realism

Diegetic Sound - sound which is present by the actor (which both the audience and the actors can hear)

- voice of characters
- sounds made by objects in the story
- the weather

Non-diegetic Sound - sound where the source is not visible (for the audience's benefit)

- soundtrack played over the top of the action

Sound Bridge - the use of sound to transport the audience from one scene to another, introduction of the next scene before cutting to it - the transition.

Sound Motif - sound or music which signifies a reoccurring mood, action or character

- sound motif in Jaws to represent the shark approaching

Synchronous Sound - sounds which are synchronised with the actions being displayed

- if someone is filmed playing the piano - the keys played are in sync with the notes
- it adds to the realism of the film to create a particular atmosphere

Voiceover - any spoken language not coming from the images on screen - a narrative

Diegetic sound will be used throughout our opening two minutes, mostly by our protagonist Christie. It will be an important part of our film as there is little dialogue, so it will help to set the scene, and allow the audience to determine and understand what is going on. It will also help aid the continuity of the film as it will fit with the actions, and so make sense to the audience. An example of when diegetic sound will be used is the sound of Christie's footsteps when she is running or when she closes the front door before leaving her house. Although these sounds are all natural and go unnoticed for the majority of the time, without them it would be obvious that something was missing, and so would not give our film the professional feel we are aiming to achieve.

Non-diegetic sound will also be a large feature in our opening scene for the same reason as the importance of diegetic sound - there is little dialogue. This means we will need to feature non-diegetic sound effectively, such as music, in order to keep hold of the audience's attention. Music will also play a large role due to its ability to set the scene and conform to stereotypes which will then aid the audience with their understanding. Due to our inability to use copy-right music, we are going to need to research non copy-right music in detail so that we are able to find/create some effective music of our own.

We have thought about creating a sound motif for the antagonist as we have seen it done effectively in films such as James Bond with the iconic, reoccurring sound motif; however we are unsure if we would be able to produce one that would both successfully and effectively work in a professional way. Similarly, we have thought about producing a sound bridge for the opening scene, one that would introduce/set the scene as the production credits are finishing so the audience is aware of what is happening before it happens. This would involve using the diegetic sound of our protagonist's footsteps on the gravel as she is leaving the house. As a group, we have decided to experiment by trying the production credits finishing with and without a sound bridge to see which is most effective in producing a professional feel.