Sound in film:

How important is sound? In terms of the impact it has when telling a story.

Diegetic sound, which is the Greek term for 'world'. This can be a dialogue, sound effects or ambient sound which all come from a source within the film world (we would be able to hear it if we were there).

Non-diegetic sound, is sound which has been added to support the mood and atmosphere that the filmmakers are trying to convey. This can be voice-over or background music.

The best sound design in filmmaking is something that we (the viewer/audience) do not recognise unless we really concentrate on it - this creates the most affective and best atmosphere.

Layers of sound

- Ambient sound: sound that is always around us (background noises, distant chatter, wind, traffic etc).

- Dialogue: speech (conversation between actors or monologue).

- Music: non-diegetic (mood) diegetic (ambient sound).

- Foley sound: sound effects (any sound that helps the narrative).

- Voice over: can be diegetic or non-diegetic.

John Williams who is a master of sound design in filmmaking, talks about how music is about sculpting it, and how at the beginning you don't really know where it's going or whats going to happen, but by experimenting and trying different things you can play around with the meaning that you're creating.

Theme music

You must make sure you use a recognisable melody/tune for your theme music, as majority of all the consumption is based on this. You need to create music which creates mood, and shouts at you which grabs your attention and in a way plants it in your head.

Leitmotif

Acknowledging the characters, and what you are trying to say about these characters. Therefore what sound will you associate with these characters in order to indicate the characteristics of that person. This can also be associated with a idea or situation

Task:

Create my own soundtrack for the short film sequence I made.