Role of sound in film
narrative (direct storytelling role]
subliminal narrative role [willing suspension of disbelief]; can be manipulated to produce emotional involvement in the material--Hitchcock was a master of manipulating sound to tell his tales in the most compelling way possible. e.g, Birds, Psycho
function of music is to tell audience how to feel from moment to moment
emotional sound equation: e.g. low frequencies represent a threat
foreshadowing: distant thunderstorm played underneath an otherwise sunny scene indicates a sense of foreboding or doom (shark in Jaws introduced by four low notes]
suspense/drama: in horror movies, people do the stupidest things, like walking down steps to dark cellar, opening door that just slammed shut---much of the drama and suspense comes from music
Notes:
Let's do a fast wrap on the role of sound in film:
It can play a narrative or direct storytelling role or a
subliminal narrative role, inviting our willing suspension of disbelief
it can be manipulated to produce emotional involvement in the material--Hitchcock, for example, was a master of manipulating sound to tell his tales in the most compelling way possible--think for example, of the Birds or Psycho-- their audio tracks have
The function of music in a movie is to tell the audience how to feel from moment to moment....there is a set of unwritten emotional sound equations, where, for example, low frequencies represent a threat.....it probably goes back to some primordial roo
Think about the shark in Jaws, introduced by four low notes, implying this sense of foreboding or doom...if you take a perfectly pleasant sunny scene and punctuate it with distant thunderclaps, you're sending a very clear message to the audience. I mean,