P1: Explain how sound elements are used
In this section I will be analysing how sound elements are used in different media products:
Animation
This clip is from the beginning of a feature length animated movie. The purpose of the product is mainly for entertainment, and to create an interesting and vibrant escape from reality for the audience whilst also following a journey of a group of friends.
Sound is used in this product in many different ways. Sound is used to portray the story and interactions between characters through use of dialogue, as well as foreshadowing the coming story and creating intrigue. Other human noises that aren't dialogue are also used to convey character tones and emotions within the clip. For example, at the start of this clip, we hear the central character panting heavily before we see their face or front section. This connotes to the audience that the character is exhausted, and has been wandering around for a long time for the clip started. This is accompanied by heavy footstep sound effects which further emphasises this in the audiences mind. The audience gathers all of this information through these simple sound effects, and this in turn creates intrigue about what led to this point in the story.
Another element of sound utilised heavily in this clip is a soundtrack. This soundtrack kicks in alongside the visuals of the island as the main character looks towards it in awe. The music reflects this sense of awe and discovery in it's beginnings utilising light chimes and wind instruments mixing in with the ambient sound to create atmosphere. As the main character snaps out of his awe and jumps off the cliff edge the music ramps up and adds a layer of tribal sounding drums, reflecting the action and natural jungle.
Sound is used in this product in many different ways. Sound is used to portray the story and interactions between characters through use of dialogue, as well as foreshadowing the coming story and creating intrigue. Other human noises that aren't dialogue are also used to convey character tones and emotions within the clip. For example, at the start of this clip, we hear the central character panting heavily before we see their face or front section. This connotes to the audience that the character is exhausted, and has been wandering around for a long time for the clip started. This is accompanied by heavy footstep sound effects which further emphasises this in the audiences mind. The audience gathers all of this information through these simple sound effects, and this in turn creates intrigue about what led to this point in the story.
Another element of sound utilised heavily in this clip is a soundtrack. This soundtrack kicks in alongside the visuals of the island as the main character looks towards it in awe. The music reflects this sense of awe and discovery in it's beginnings utilising light chimes and wind instruments mixing in with the ambient sound to create atmosphere. As the main character snaps out of his awe and jumps off the cliff edge the music ramps up and adds a layer of tribal sounding drums, reflecting the action and natural jungle.
This clip is from the popular animated adaptation of the Web comic "Mob Psycho 100." The purpose of this product is also for entertainment. It is a big climax moment of the series involving high emotions and intense fighting. This scene is intended to create excitement and thrill for the audience, which is achieved through a combination of impressive visuals and sound design.
Firstly, the Dialogue and voice acting is used at the start as the villain is taunting the protagonist. This is just after the character has been introduced and attacked a main character. This is a very tense moment, and the lack of music and aggressive voice acting paired with simple footstep sound effects creates a quiet rising tension.
The sound effects of the "Psychic attacks" and explosions paired with the realistic footstep and movement sounds makes the scene more immersive, and creates a sense of "weight" and "impact" to the characters movements. This is immersive as it makes the moves being pulled off sound and thus appear believable or context of the real life environment that the character's are in.
The sound effects at 1:07 when the words appear on screen like a comic book sound effect, there are loud sharp sounds to accompany the Japanese characters and how they appear on screen. This gives them more impact and creates that "Comic book sound effect" feel for the audience.
The music also adds a lot of meaning to this clip through atmosphere. As the tension is rising and during the first fight, the music is quite fast to reflect the intensity of the fight, and the instrumentation remains minimal but uses strange sounding synths to create a tense and eerie atmosphere. The music is then abruptly stopped when the character is finally hit at 1:18. This reflects the powerful nature of the attack and the impact that it had on the character. This is the climax to the buildup of tension and the music ends to match this climax.
Firstly, the Dialogue and voice acting is used at the start as the villain is taunting the protagonist. This is just after the character has been introduced and attacked a main character. This is a very tense moment, and the lack of music and aggressive voice acting paired with simple footstep sound effects creates a quiet rising tension.
The sound effects of the "Psychic attacks" and explosions paired with the realistic footstep and movement sounds makes the scene more immersive, and creates a sense of "weight" and "impact" to the characters movements. This is immersive as it makes the moves being pulled off sound and thus appear believable or context of the real life environment that the character's are in.
The sound effects at 1:07 when the words appear on screen like a comic book sound effect, there are loud sharp sounds to accompany the Japanese characters and how they appear on screen. This gives them more impact and creates that "Comic book sound effect" feel for the audience.
The music also adds a lot of meaning to this clip through atmosphere. As the tension is rising and during the first fight, the music is quite fast to reflect the intensity of the fight, and the instrumentation remains minimal but uses strange sounding synths to create a tense and eerie atmosphere. The music is then abruptly stopped when the character is finally hit at 1:18. This reflects the powerful nature of the attack and the impact that it had on the character. This is the climax to the buildup of tension and the music ends to match this climax.
Video Games
The clip above is from the indie game "Crypt of the NecroDancer." The main purpose of the product is of course entertainment as it is a video game and needs to entertain players to be successful.
Much of the game's success is accredited to it's sound design and music more so than other games as the music is a key aspect that links into how the game is played. The music is first of all important as it creates atmosphere and excitement for the enemy or level that is currently being faced. The clip on the left demonstrates a "Boss fight," one of the many high action climax moments of the game. The music creates meaning here as it is fast paced and has many layers including a funky bass-line, steady rhythm and powerful orchestral overtones. This creates an atmosphere of excitement and matches the fast paced nature of the fight.
The music as I said also creates meaning through pairing with the gameplay. The tempo and pulse of the music determines how enemies and the player move in the game, with players being rewarded for taking action on the beats of the music that is playing and enemies moving on these same or different regular beats. This creates a very new and unique meaning for the music in the game as players have to actively "Feel" the pulse of the music to succeed in the game.
The other key element of sound design used here are the various sound effects that play in response to player and enemy movement and interactions. For example, when enemies move towards the player, a "Splash" sound effect is made, indicating that they have moved from the water. This is followed up by a different "Swoosh" sound indicating that they have finished their movement. These sounds create meaning as they both clearly indicate to the player when an enemy has moved and what stage of movement they are on. These sounds vary for different enemies in the game and players are encouraged to learn these sounds and what they mean, giving players that do a sense of accomplishment and "Mastery" over the game. The actions of hitting an enemy, moving through water, a boss enemy approaching, interacting with the environment etc. all have unique sounds which indicate either something negative or positive, and create a sense of immersion for players as the sounds become something that they are used to hearing and that blend in well with the environment of the game.
Much of the game's success is accredited to it's sound design and music more so than other games as the music is a key aspect that links into how the game is played. The music is first of all important as it creates atmosphere and excitement for the enemy or level that is currently being faced. The clip on the left demonstrates a "Boss fight," one of the many high action climax moments of the game. The music creates meaning here as it is fast paced and has many layers including a funky bass-line, steady rhythm and powerful orchestral overtones. This creates an atmosphere of excitement and matches the fast paced nature of the fight.
The music as I said also creates meaning through pairing with the gameplay. The tempo and pulse of the music determines how enemies and the player move in the game, with players being rewarded for taking action on the beats of the music that is playing and enemies moving on these same or different regular beats. This creates a very new and unique meaning for the music in the game as players have to actively "Feel" the pulse of the music to succeed in the game.
The other key element of sound design used here are the various sound effects that play in response to player and enemy movement and interactions. For example, when enemies move towards the player, a "Splash" sound effect is made, indicating that they have moved from the water. This is followed up by a different "Swoosh" sound indicating that they have finished their movement. These sounds create meaning as they both clearly indicate to the player when an enemy has moved and what stage of movement they are on. These sounds vary for different enemies in the game and players are encouraged to learn these sounds and what they mean, giving players that do a sense of accomplishment and "Mastery" over the game. The actions of hitting an enemy, moving through water, a boss enemy approaching, interacting with the environment etc. all have unique sounds which indicate either something negative or positive, and create a sense of immersion for players as the sounds become something that they are used to hearing and that blend in well with the environment of the game.
Radio Advert
This clip is a radio advert for the theme park "Alton Towers" in the UK. The main purpose of this product is for promotional purposes, as it is intended to advertise the theme park and to attract potential customers. It has a side purpose of entertainment. This will help with the goal of promotion, as the advertisement wants to make the theme park to seem fun and entertaining, and as such aims to be entertaining itself so that this reflects the nature of the theme park.
Sound is used in a few ways in this product. Most notably within the use of dialogue. This dialogue makes up the majority of the sound within the advert, and as such is the key method of delivering the advertisement. The dialogue consists of 4 key characters, a father, his two children, and a mother. Immediately it can be seen that the casting and story of this advert is tailored specifically at potential target audiences of Alton Towers. The use of the "Family" voices within the advert will appeal to families, and make families listen. The range of ages and genders also appeals to a wide range of audiences that Alton Towers may want to attract. This dialogue is very effective at advertising, as it appeals to a wide range of potential markets, as well as hitting a key demographic of families. For example, children may hear the advert and hear the children in the advert getting excited, and in turn they would get excited and ask their parents to go to Alton Towers. Or Parents may hear the advert and think that it would be a fun day out that their children would enjoy.
Another sound element used here is music, which is implemented at the end of the advert. This music fades in at the end of the advert, after the key dialogue. This is a very short piece of music, which plays for roughly 8 seconds in total. This music is the theme music of Alton Towers, which is consistent across all of the theme parks advertisements. This sound element creates familiarity and a sense of identity with the brand for the listener, making the brand recognisable as well as making the advert effective even if someone is just tuning in for the ending of it.
The only other sound element used here is a simple voiceover, which has their slogan "Escape to Alton Towers Resort." This helps to further create brand identity, and the term 'Escape' creates a sense of the park being a place to relax and get away from everyday life. The Voiceover and entire advert finishes with the call to action "Book now at AltonTowers.com" which is effective as it gives listeners who are interest direction on how they can purchase the product (e.g. tickets) right in the advertisement, which means no confusion and an easier sale.
Overall this advertisement is effective, but could do with utilisation of more sound elements, such as sound effects to emphasise the excitement of the roller coasters as the children described them. Sound effects such as people screaming on roller coasters would have made this a much more effective advertisement.
Sound is used in a few ways in this product. Most notably within the use of dialogue. This dialogue makes up the majority of the sound within the advert, and as such is the key method of delivering the advertisement. The dialogue consists of 4 key characters, a father, his two children, and a mother. Immediately it can be seen that the casting and story of this advert is tailored specifically at potential target audiences of Alton Towers. The use of the "Family" voices within the advert will appeal to families, and make families listen. The range of ages and genders also appeals to a wide range of audiences that Alton Towers may want to attract. This dialogue is very effective at advertising, as it appeals to a wide range of potential markets, as well as hitting a key demographic of families. For example, children may hear the advert and hear the children in the advert getting excited, and in turn they would get excited and ask their parents to go to Alton Towers. Or Parents may hear the advert and think that it would be a fun day out that their children would enjoy.
Another sound element used here is music, which is implemented at the end of the advert. This music fades in at the end of the advert, after the key dialogue. This is a very short piece of music, which plays for roughly 8 seconds in total. This music is the theme music of Alton Towers, which is consistent across all of the theme parks advertisements. This sound element creates familiarity and a sense of identity with the brand for the listener, making the brand recognisable as well as making the advert effective even if someone is just tuning in for the ending of it.
The only other sound element used here is a simple voiceover, which has their slogan "Escape to Alton Towers Resort." This helps to further create brand identity, and the term 'Escape' creates a sense of the park being a place to relax and get away from everyday life. The Voiceover and entire advert finishes with the call to action "Book now at AltonTowers.com" which is effective as it gives listeners who are interest direction on how they can purchase the product (e.g. tickets) right in the advertisement, which means no confusion and an easier sale.
Overall this advertisement is effective, but could do with utilisation of more sound elements, such as sound effects to emphasise the excitement of the roller coasters as the children described them. Sound effects such as people screaming on roller coasters would have made this a much more effective advertisement.
Short Film
The clip above is a short film produced by 'VICE' about a boy who got stabbed in London. The purpose of this product is mainly for entertainment, and it is helped to achieve this goal through good sound design.
One sound element used in this product are sound effects. These sound effects can be used for dramatic tension, such as in the title sequence in which a kebab knife is sharpened and meat is cut. These shots are accompanied by dramatised sounds of the knife being sharpened and the meat being cut. These sound effects add tension to the scene as they are the only sounds in the scene, and continue to play even when the visuals are cut and replaced with a title screen. These sounds being so focused on creates a sense of tension and mystery within the audience, as it connotes that these will be important ant the viewer is given little context, so wants to find out how these props will be relevant to the story. This dramatic tension makes for effective entertainment in a short film like this as it is gripping and many audiences enjoy watching films that hook them in with tension and mystery.
Other sound effects include sounds of characters running, trains speeding past, characters being stabbed etc. All of these sound effects make the film more immersive as a whole, as they add life and realism to all of the actions that characters take. This includes significant action such as the knife sharpening, but also background sounds such as room ambience, slight character movements, trains, etc. All of these sounds add a sense of immersion and realism, making the experience more entertaining as a whole for the audience.
Another sound element utilised here is dialogue. The whole narrative is told from the perspective of these two characters in a kebab shop telling the events of the story. This means that there are only two voices that we hear throughout the film. This enhances the effect of the music, ambience and sound effects, as there aren't too many voices to distract from these aspects. The voices are recounting the story as well, and so are disconnected from the story, making them almost narrator-type voices.
The other key sound element of this production is music. This music is very ambient, utilising dramatic strings and rising dynamics in a minor key for tense action sequences, such as the boy being chased by the thugs and the kebab shop employees pulling out their knives. This music adds greatly to the tension as it creates an uneasy and dramatic atmosphere, which connotes to the audience that something dangerous is going to happen. The music is also used to create humour, such as when the tension is building to a climax between the thugs and kebab shop workers. The music rises to a climax along with the scene, until the scene cuts to the narrators in the kebab shop during the day, where one is confused and asks "What happened next?" Here the music cuts out suddenly to represent the change in atmosphere and create a comedic effect for enterainment.
One sound element used in this product are sound effects. These sound effects can be used for dramatic tension, such as in the title sequence in which a kebab knife is sharpened and meat is cut. These shots are accompanied by dramatised sounds of the knife being sharpened and the meat being cut. These sound effects add tension to the scene as they are the only sounds in the scene, and continue to play even when the visuals are cut and replaced with a title screen. These sounds being so focused on creates a sense of tension and mystery within the audience, as it connotes that these will be important ant the viewer is given little context, so wants to find out how these props will be relevant to the story. This dramatic tension makes for effective entertainment in a short film like this as it is gripping and many audiences enjoy watching films that hook them in with tension and mystery.
Other sound effects include sounds of characters running, trains speeding past, characters being stabbed etc. All of these sound effects make the film more immersive as a whole, as they add life and realism to all of the actions that characters take. This includes significant action such as the knife sharpening, but also background sounds such as room ambience, slight character movements, trains, etc. All of these sounds add a sense of immersion and realism, making the experience more entertaining as a whole for the audience.
Another sound element utilised here is dialogue. The whole narrative is told from the perspective of these two characters in a kebab shop telling the events of the story. This means that there are only two voices that we hear throughout the film. This enhances the effect of the music, ambience and sound effects, as there aren't too many voices to distract from these aspects. The voices are recounting the story as well, and so are disconnected from the story, making them almost narrator-type voices.
The other key sound element of this production is music. This music is very ambient, utilising dramatic strings and rising dynamics in a minor key for tense action sequences, such as the boy being chased by the thugs and the kebab shop employees pulling out their knives. This music adds greatly to the tension as it creates an uneasy and dramatic atmosphere, which connotes to the audience that something dangerous is going to happen. The music is also used to create humour, such as when the tension is building to a climax between the thugs and kebab shop workers. The music rises to a climax along with the scene, until the scene cuts to the narrators in the kebab shop during the day, where one is confused and asks "What happened next?" Here the music cuts out suddenly to represent the change in atmosphere and create a comedic effect for enterainment.