Sound’s talents

• suggest a mood, evoke a feeling

• set a pace

• indicate geographic locale

• indicate historical period

• clarify plot

• define character

• connect otherwise unconnected ideas, character, places, images, or moments

• heighten realism [or diminish it]

• heighten (or reduce] ambiguity

• draw attention to detail [or away from it]

• indicate changes in time

• smooth otherwise abrupt changes between shots or scenes

• emphasize transitions for dramatic effect

• describe an acoustic space

• startle or soothe

• exaggerate action (or mediate)At any given moment in film, sound is likely to be doing several of these things at once.

Music, dialogue, sound effects

Previous slide

Next slide

Back to first slide

View graphic version

OK--enough about the tools already--what can we do with sound? Well, maybe one of the things we should do is look to the movie makers for some starting points about what to do--and what not to do. Let's turn to film for a minute, and look at what sound ca

[read these fast]

Music, dialogue, sound effects....

--suggest a mood and evoke a feeling

--set a pace

--indicate geographic locale

--indicate historical period

--clarify plot

--define character

---they can connect otherwise unconnected ideas, characters, places, images, or moments

--draw attention to detail [or away from it]...

indicate changes in time...

--describe an acoustic space

--startle or soothe...and

--exaggerate (or mediate) action

At any given moment in a film, sound is likely to be doing several of these things at once.