Sound Analysis: Overview

Evaluation

Sound Analysis: Funny Games

Funny Games
(1997)

(There was a 2007 remake but the 1997 version is so much scarier)

• The scene starts with an opera song while the camera tracks a car along a motorway. It isn't uncommon for horror movies to include opera songs at the beginning but they are usually slow and calming. This song is very dramatic and intense which could be foreboding of the rest of the movie. 
• At first you can't be sure if the song is diegetic or non-diegetic. We then find out that the family in the car are guessing the songs playing on CDs in the car (diegetic). 
• When the woman and the man start to have a conversation, it catches the audience's attention because in the beginning they are just listing names of composers and the audience may be trying to guess at what they're talking about. 
• The conversation throughout the opening is not stimulating at all; the dialogue doesn't tell the audience anything about the plot except that these 3 characters are involved. Usually at quiet and peaceful parts of a horror movie something scary is expected to happen to give the audience a jump scare. This conversation may have been intended to keep the audience on edge.
• The disruption that the audience might have been expecting came in the form of a disturbing heavy metal song that suddenly presents itself along with the title of the film. This is contrapuntal because it completely counteracts the serenity and monotony of the first few minutes of the opening with disarray.
• This causes the audience to feel slightly disorientated and uncomfortable because their eyes are telling them one thing, but their ears are telling them something else. The situation isn't familiar and the music is especially disturbing with screaming and random bursts of yelping.
• This could also connote that the audience is being told something that the characters don't know (dramatic irony) because we can hear the loud commotion and feel uncomfortable confusion while the family sits in the car with happily with ignorance behind the blood-red titles.
• The music continues even after a CD is taken out of the player, demonstrating clearly that the music is non-diegetic and that the music is something that the family wouldn't listen to. The classical music and heavy metal are on opposite ends of the music spectrum, almost mirroring the innocent family's lives being ruined by something anarchic.

The use of conversation and music definitely worked well to convey genre and to manipulate the audience's emotions. I think contrapuntal sound is used a lot in films because it is an unusual and unconventional way to present the atmosphere (or genre, or storyline...) and is used  abstractly to draw audience's attention to the screen which would be useful in our opening sequence. However, because our film is crime action, if we used contrapuntal music it would end up sounding comedic, and we want our film to be thrilling and exciting.

Sound Analysis: The Prince Of Egypt

The Prince of Egypt

• The opening starts with a slow wind instrument (sounds like a horn) playing a majestic and inspiring tune. It's quite peaceful and gets the audience interested and focused as the title of the film appears.
• The soft and light non-diegetic piece gets lower and more chilling as the sequence continues (contrapuntal) until finally when the statue falls it transforms into something a lot more ominous and grim. This ruins the first impression of a dream-like atmosphere and emphasises the traumatic reality.
• The rhythm of the music could be identified with the repetitive, hard labour that is being shown on the screen as the theme of the opening.
• This could also be described as a folly track because the rhythmic drums and horns match the movements (Stomping feet, ploughing, lashing etc.) This accentuates their movements and helps the audience empathise with the situation on-screen which is especially helpful because the movie is animated and is hard to see as anything other than fictional and cartooned.
• The voices (from the male choir) that are singing the song create a sense of unity. This helps with the overall image of a nation of people suffering and to introduce the setting and story. 
• Because this film is animated, identifying diegetic and non-diegetic sound is less simple. The singing seems to be non-diegetic because their mouths aren't moving except for the yelled words in the song like 'Faster!' from the leaders. The non-diegetic music makes it seem like it is coming from their heads and not being said like silent prayers.
• The music starts to dim down and a flute-like instrument plays a traditional sounding tune. This highlights the setting and sets the scene. This happens when the location is changed from the busy work area to the more subdued town. 
• The dramatic voices (this time more female choir voices) pick up again as we see shadows of men with spears. A woman hides holding her baby and singing (Diegetic) which sounds quite sorrowful because she sounds desperate and alone with no one to help which plays with the audience's emotions to make them pity this woman.

This opening uses sound and music to effectively manipulate (in a good way) the audience's emotions. I think that the way contrapuntal music is used is interesting and attention grabbing and if we had time to add it in to our opening sequence it would be an effective way to keep the audience focused..

Sound Analysis: Jaws

Jaws

• The on screen diegetic sounds like the waves on the shore and the birds are meant to have a calming effect on the audience. 
• This is disrupted by the contrapuntal sound that comes in when we see the low angle shot of the woman swimming. This demands the audience's attention because it is so different to the previous shot. 
• There is a non-diegetic light harp pattern which keeps the calming ocean effect but also destroys it because of its persistence and because it is paired with a low menacing bass. The two sounds put together could be unsettling for the audience because they aren't certain that the environment is safe and serene any more.
• The bass and harp being played could also be classed as a Foley track because it helps the audience visualise the movement of the shark; rising slowly and smoothly but also determined.
• The low bass strings are repetitive which help to build tension and makes the audience aware of the presence of danger. The effect on the audience is to make them anxious and anticipatory.
• The sound of the birds and waves on the shore disappear after the introduction of the strings, but you can still hear the splashing of her arms while she swims. This could be to show that the shark is focused on her, or it could also be to eliminate the distractions so that the audience is centred on her.
• When she gets pulled down for the first time the strings change to a very high pitched chord. This is mostly to create a chilling atmosphere, but also to emphasise that the shark has got her.
• While she struggles to get free, the violins become more orchestral as more are added in to create layers of disturbing sound. The war created by the sound of the violins mimic the war between her and the shark.
• The shot frequently cuts between the loud chaotic noise in the water and her drunk friend on the quiet beach. This helps to compare the threat in the water and the safety on the beach. The violins are rapidly playing while the woman is shown and there is just one violin slowly playing one note while the man is shown.

This opening effectively used sound to illustrate the horror genre and the perilous situation so that the audience stays interested from the first second. I think that the way the atmosphere was created using a simple approach (a few string instruments) was something that we could mimic in our opening sequence.

Research and Planning: Institution

Institution

For our film, I would choose Revolver Entertainment because it is a distribution (and production) company dedicated to using the best marketing techniques to sell the film to its audience.

The reasons for this would be:

Low Budget-

Revolver has produced many low budget films including Ill Manors and Kidulthood. Their successful use of new technology helps them to be fair competitors in the game of distribution.

Digital Distribution-

This company realises that digital distribution is less expensive than traditional distribution which uses 35mm prints. These prints can cost around £1000. Less money is used and therefore there is a lower budget.

Online Movie Premiere-

This is a very effective method of increasing profit. People who prefer to stay at home and watch movies to save money can do that while those who prefer the 'cinema experience' can pay to watch it in a theater.

Social Networks-

By using social networks (e.g. Facebook pages, twitter accounts/ hashtags) we can target our audience (15-25) directly and also use it as free marketing.

Research and Planning: Genre

Genre

The genre for 'One Step Ahead' is Crime Action.

Crime:

'Crime film is a genre that revolves around the action of a criminal mastermind.'

-The Script Lab

Action:

'Action films are a film genre where action sequences, such as fighting, stunts, car chases or explosions, take precedence over elements like characterization or complex plotting.'

-Film Bug 

Codes and Conventions of Crime Action:

• Law breaking
• Fast paced editing
• Dramatic Non-diegetic sound
• Good vs Evil
• 'Identifiable' hero
• Weapons
• Urban settings
• Convicts
• Spies
• Criminals
• Police
• Cars

The Audience will see:

• Car chases
• Heroes and Villains
• Burglary
• Detectives
• Fast paced editing

Feelings/Emotions this creates:

• Excitement
• Anticipation
• Anxiety
• Tension

Film makers use low lighting, fast paced editing, tension building music, fast tempo music, close-up shots and stunt scenes to induce these emotions from the audience.

Examples of crime action films are; 

• The Fast and Furious films
• Crank
• Homefront
• The Dark Knight
• Heat

Art of the Title: Elementary

Elementary

• The title sequence starts with the camera tracking a clear marble through a contraption. The show is about a modern-day Sherlock Holmes who is a character known for his unconventional ways of thinking and solving his mysteries. The ball could represent his brain because it is clear and follows a different path to get to the destination.
• The marble also helps to hint at Sherlock's personality in the TV show because at the end of the titles when the marble reaches the end and is zoomed in to, the title 'Elementary' appears which means basic or easy. The audience can guess that the round-about way of thinking is something that Sherlock would consider simple, portraying him as a complex and intelligent individual.
• The Actors/Actresses' names emerge in pieces that become a whole. This can illustrate pieces being put together to finish a puzzle, or maybe clues put together to solve a crime. The font is a mix between Courier, a type-writer font and Times New Roman, a commonly used word processor font. This could represent old and new, i.e. the old well known Sherlock character vs. new modern relatable environment.
• There are a lot of connotations for Crime and Justice in the opening. The gun, which presents an image of murder, the cage dropping on the figurine, which shows the criminal being caught (justice) and the numbered card on the ground beside the mess that was made is a convention used for detectives when gathering evidence.

Because Elementary is a TV show it doesn't start the titles with the production company although there are some that do (e.g. Détectives). It follows the conventions for TV which is the main actors and creators before the name of the show (but it isn't always in that order).

The length used for the titles is short which is what we want in our film but maybe slightly shorter. We will also have to include production companies and directors in our titles which is something this show doesn't have. What we can take from this is the symbolism they use in the titles. We can use mise-en-scene to represent our genre and story well.

The order of titles are:

Main Actor #1

Main Actress #2

Main Actor #3

Main Actor #4

Created by...

Title of the Programme