Unit 38 – Sound Analysis
Analyse how music, sound effects and dialogue are used to create mood (atmosphere) and meaning (knowledge and understanding of plot and character) in three specific film or television scenes of your choice.
You should focus on specific sounds and lines of dialogue and their purpose in the scene and the effect on the audience and be as detailed as possible.
Ru Paul's Drag Race - Ru Vs Pearl Scene (Season 7 Episode 5) (Source: Netflix.com)
13:30 - 14:30
At the very beginning of this scene, 13:34 there is an indescribable non-diegetic sound which would spawn an air of awkwardness The is quite a grand example of emotional realism as the sound did convey an emotional feeling that was experienced in the scene. I would also add that it's an example of a synchronous sound effects because the sound is played just one second after a character had used a piece of conversational dialogue. The use of this sound effect was to appear directly after the awkwardness in both the characters' conversational dialog was delivered.
At 13:36 the sound sharply stops for half a second before the music plays again and at a slightly upbeat pace before gradually slowing down a few seconds later. This is an example of a score as it is obvious from the adaptability of this sound that it was specially tailored to this scene to create the mood of confrontation. From 13:44 to 13:51, there isn't a hint of conversational dialogue left as the two characters stare each other down to the non-diegetic sound of intense music which leaves the audience drawn into the drama. at 14:26 the diegetic sound of the character's footsteps can be heard underneath the contrasting sound of the non-diegetic sound of music. This helps to add naturalistic value to the amidst all of the drama going on.Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules - Did Somebody Say Dance? Scene
The scene commences with loud diegetic music to demonstrate the fact that there is a party going on. During this scene one of the characters is talking to another character who seems quite uninterested in the conversation however she replies back. This is an example of conversation dialogue. The purpose of a conversation going on whilst diegetic music is playing is to create a naturalistic effect which is an event that is likely to happen in real life. Due to the loud nature of the music in this scene, one of the characters shouted in their conversational dialogue to another character in efforts to deliver their message with complete clarity. At 0:09 the diegetic music had stopped which resulted in a deafening silence which in itself conveyed emotional realism. This is clear from the characters' expressions that there is a mood of shock and humiliation, perfectly conveyed by this excellent execution of the technique.
At 0:33 the sound of a crisp packet being thrown can be heard above the music. This is an exemplary example of foley sound which would have had to be used in this scene because in a real life scenario, the sound of a crisp packet couldn't be heard above loud music. I feel as though this could also be a great illustration of hyperrealism as the audience may not identify that the sound was formulated rather than being authentic. Nevertheless the foley sound is still is a very seamless blend and does not seem artificial.Gossip Girl: Field Hockey Serena & Blair Style! Scene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ajtLtTgzg
The scene immediately commences with upbeat non-diegetic music which delivers a very lively mood which the audience can appreciate. From 0:13 to 0:17 the diegetic sound of a hockey stick hitting a ball can be heard as well as the accompaniment of conversational dialogue between two characters. The purpose of this is to present to the audience a scene of an interactive game being played. During the time of both actions occurring simultaneously, the non-diegetic music that could be heard previously has drastically been muted. The effect of this was to draw the audience's attention to the main features of the scene; The conversational dialog and the diegetic sounds of the hockey sticks.
At 0:35 there is an admirable example of a non-synchronous (asynchronous) sound effect since there is the sound of a whistle blowing, however at the current scene, there is no sign of the person who had blown the whistle. The purpose of this is to give the atmosphere of a real hockey game, where the player may have heard the whistle without actually seeing the referee. It seems as though in this whole scene the director's vision was a naturalistic depiction of a hockey game and therefore all of the sound effects used seem very realistic.
