WHY IS SOUND IMPORTANT IN FILMS?
There are many different reasons as to why sound is so important in film.
- One Reason would be that it allows users to follow dialogue which gives us key context.
- Another reason would be that it helps to suspend disbelief.
- Also, it helps to set atmosphere and tone by telling us how to respond and feel about what we see.
- Sound is can be used to quickly establish the genre of the film.
- Lastly, it provides a more engaging and realistic visual experience for the audience.
For example...
The following video shows a cut-scene clip from the video game: Star Wars The Force Unleashed 2. It shows the clip in three different forms. Firstly, with only sound effects and dialogue. Secondly, only with the music. Lastly, with all three aspects of sound playing in synchronization.
After seeing the clip in all three formats I am able to say that it definitely shows how all aspects of sound are important in telling a story through film.
When watching the clip in the first format, with only diegetic sounds (sound effects and dialogue), I felt that the experience of watching it felt very natural and as if I was seeing it play out as if it was actually happening.
However, there was a lack of feelings and emotions throughout the clip because of the absence of music.
Watching the clip in the second format, with the non-diegetic sound only (music only), I felt like I wasn't noticing the detail in the moving images as much as when I watched the first format.
Also, I could tell that there was supposed to be emotion expressed at certain points in the clip because of the music, however, it didn't fully match with the moving image because you could tell there was something missing.
I also realised that during moments when a character would be talking or when the diegetic sound was in focus, we were just presented with an awkward silence or pause in sound which wasn't very ideal.
Lastly, I watched the final cut with the moving image, diegetic and non-diegetic sound all synchronized. I thought that together, it all matched up and I could appreciate all the sound playing at once. I was able to notice the natural/realistic feel from the diegetic sound and the emotion from the non-diegetic sound. Overall, making this a well produced piece of film.
