Sound

Sound:

Funny Games (2001) Michael Haneke:

In this clip, Non-Diegetic Sound is used and this is added during post production, e.g. voice over or music soundrack. In this first sequence, a family is introduced who are are in their car. It seems like they may be going somewhere suspicious as nothing is revealed in the beginning. The heavy metal/rock music does not associate with the scene we are watching therefore, this is called contrapuntal sound. As the loud rock music is being played, they seem to be talking amongst each other but this conversation has been silenced due to the crazy soundrack. In terms of narrative, at the end of the scene, they stop, stare at this ominous building  and talk to each other which can be seen as diegetic sound as this comes under dialogue.This may suggest that something bad is going to happen and the clip ends with the audience wanting to know more. This scene also has some comedic elements to it due to the way the mother casually plays the alarming rock music in a calm and collective car journey setting.

A Clockwork Orange (1971) Stanley Kubrick:

1. Discuss the choice of music. Is it the kind of music you would expect for this scene? In this scene, dramatic classical music is used during a slow-motion fight scene. I would not expect this kind of music for this scene and this is what we call contrapuntal sound. This refers to music that we don't normally associate with the scene however, one may argue that the classical piece does in fact associate with the scene and so therefore, can be classed as parallel sound. Non-Diegetic sound is also used as it is a music soundtrack piece that the characters cannot hear.
2. Why do you think the director used this piece to go with the action on the screen? I think the director used this piece to go with the action on the screen to kind of give it that comedic element as this marina scene was all of the place. It was hard to believe that these men were beating each other up in this manner hence why it made the audience laugh very much. This scene was also very notable for it's use of sound and in turn worked very well for this action filled/comedic scene.

Life on Mars (2006) Season 1 Episode 1:

1. How does the sound help establish the setting and time period? The retro/funk style music depicts of that a late 70s early 80s glorious cop show. The parallel sound makes the characters appear as rebellious and almost as quite 'chilled' in what they do. For the audience's pleasure, the characters use a lot of slang and insults which gives this scene that touch of the comedic element. In addition to this, the northern accent also contributes to this comedic element. This show has a very odd concept as it is based off of the time travel element where a police officer wakes up in the late 70s early 80s to solve the problems in society.
2. Note the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in this clip. What impact does the sound have on the audience? Non-Diegetic sound is used as the funky music piece is played throughout the whole car journey and it continues as they come out of the car to enter the park where a group of boys are playing football. This is what we call a sound bridge which is something that helps create a smooth transition from one scene to the next. The radio, whistle blowing, car screeches and the dialogue can all be seen as diegetic sound which is added in post production.

Once Upon A Time In The West (1968), Sergio Leone:

1. What sounds do you hear? How do they help to build up tension? This scene is very captivating and as it's the opening sequence, it instantly draws the audience into every aspect of the scene. Pretty much every element of sound is diegetic. The setting is incredibly serene and tranquil to the point that you can hear sounds from the wind to the footsteps and the quietness builds up tension. We first hear the screeching of the machine. This annoying sound intrigues the audience as to where it is coming from as we are unaware of this. The water droplets are very amplified and the sound of the water droplets creates a dramatic atmosphere. They are also diegetic. Some other sounds within this scene are: the buzzing of the fly (diegetic), the cracking of knuckles (diegetic), and the sound of the train approaching (also diegetic).
2. Can you identify the sound bridge? What is the effect on the audience? The sound bridge is identified from the sound of the train approaching. This sound is introduced as the shot is on the man's face and we experience the train approaching through the eye-line of the character. This eye-line matches with the character as he seems to be staring at the train and then we see it.

Once Upon a Time In America (1984) Sergio Leone:

1. Discuss what sound is diegetic and what is non-diegetic. This scene is very mysterious and suspenseful. The music in the background in the first scene is diegetic and sounds very calming. Soon after, the sound of the alarming telephone is introduced and is also diegetic. A sound bridge is also used when the camera zooms into the light bulb and the sound of the rain (for the next scene) is introduced. The clamming of the locks when the officers clip the names to the dead body is an example of diegetic sound.
2. How does the director use the sound of the phone to link the narrative? The phone plays a focal part throughout the clip. The fact that we are unaware of where the phone call is coming from builds tension and suspense that this phone call may be the saviour or end of the narrative. At the end we get a close up shot of the phone but barely get any screening time and so this also raises questions about what the phone call is regarding. But what we do know is that the phone links to the character that we see in the beginning on the bed. The narrative seems to be linked with a crime scene and dead bodies and so this may suggest that the phone call plays huge part in discovering the criminals behind the accident.