Sound
Sound is very important part of film-making. If sound is used well, you can enhance scenes, and give them the desired effect on the audience.
However, some sound, or to be specific, different languages cannot be understood by everyone. That is where dubbing comes in. Dubbing is when the characters in the film are given new voices for different languages so people from different countries can watch films in their language, no matter what language they speak. While dubs don't enhance scenes, dubbing makes the film more accessible for everyone without having to resort to subtitles. Usually dubbing comes into play after the scenes have been filmed and edited together, so the film can be released in other countries.
When looking at the sound in the film, we have to distinguish between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. Dietetic sounds are sounds originating from the film's setting and characters themselves, such as talking, footsteps, rain, and so on. Non-diegetic sounds are sounds that come from outside the in-film universe, have no chance of being heard by the characters, (unless the film involves breaking the forth wall) Non-diegetic sounds include narration, music (unless the music is coming from an in-universe source such as a radio) or sound effects added in for emphasis (a crowd's laughter is commonly used in some TV shows.)
Sometimes, diegetic sounds such as a crowd talking can be too loud, and they may get in the way of the dialogue of an important character, or another important sound, as such, reducing the volume of the "background noise" can make it easier to listen to important or funny dialogue. While this isn't how sound works in real life, people tend to tune out noise that they don't pay attention to so they can focus on what someone is saying, so it makes sense for the background noise to be quieter to the characters, and by extension, the audience. Muting dietetic sound could also be used for dramatic effect. For instance, if a character comes to a shocking realisation, or sees something important, tuning out the background noise can make the scene more dramatic.
Sound mixing is when you take the soundtrack, sound effects, and any other sound you want to add to the film, and merge the sound together for the finished film. Mixing sound makes sure that the film has music, sound effects, ambience, dialog and so on. During the mixing process, you have to factor in the volume, pitch and timbre of the sound, and you may have to edit those factors (aside from timbre) for better-quality sound, leading to better film atmosphere, and a better synchronisation between dialog, sound effects and music.
A common way to manipulate and control sound is by using a mixer. A mixer can hold multiple sound samples at once, and the user can change the sound in accordance to how it sounds next to the other samples.
While dubbing, a mixer can be very useful, as you can edit the sound to make it match the original sound and lip-sync more effectively. If you don't keep the voice in time with the lip-movement, then the new voice appears to be sloppy, and the dub will be considered inferior to the original
Fading is a big aspect of working with sound. There are four kinds of fading. Fading up and Fading down is when the volume is turned up or down. Something important to note is that fading up or down is not the same as fading in or fading out, which are turning the music up from nothing or down to nothing respectively, whereas fading up or down isn't creating or removing sound, its merely editing it's volume. Fading up or down can signify something approaching or moving away, such as a car or a train, while fading out or fading in could indicate a character falling into or out of consciousness. Changing the volume of certain sounds can give whatever is making the noise a change in significance at the current time, as quieter things are less likely to be noticed.
Pitch means how light or deep the sound is. This is a useful asset for setting the mood. Higher-pitched music can be used to put the viewers on edge if the setting is already creepy. For instance, high-pitched ambience and door creak would definitely put a reader on edge if the setting is a dark room, while a higher or lower voice may indicate the age or gender of an unseen character (young and female voices are usually higher pitched while older and male voices are usually lower pitched.)
Timbre is the quality and characteristics of the sound, excluding pitch or volume. Different timbre is produced by different instruments. Different instruments can provide different effects on the viewers. For instance, a well-used piano can make a scene more emotional then a kazoo doing the same tune at the same pitch and volume.
Acoustics refer to the sounds reflecting around the room as waves, and their journey to the listener's ears. Different acoustics can make the sound worse in quality. Ideal acoustics aim to be neutral, and do not effect the sound. That is why voice actors record in small booths, so the sound remains unaffected by the environment.
Sound perspective is the distance and location of where the sound is coming from, compared to the focus of the setting. For instance: a person with a radio across a long hall. Depending on the length of the hall, the music from the radio will seem fainter, and will probably have a bit of an echo. Even if you cannot see the screen, you can get a decent idea of the setting based on the in-universe sound perspective.
Jump cuts can be disorientating, and if done improperly, can break the films immersion. As such, the films sound has to be changed to account for the jump cuts, making the film transition more smoothly. One good example is to have a character about to hit something in the first clip (such as a hand on a table) and the second scene to have a close-up of the object (or another object) being hit, so the sound is about to happen in the first clip, and finishes in the second.
Sound can play a big part in setting the mood of the scene, and creating atmosphere. For instance, upbeat music can enhance an upbeat scene such as a chase, making the scene more exciting, but it would be unsuitable music for someone slowly walking through a house, and would create dissonance between the scenario and the sound, as the music would try to add excitement to a scene lacking any reason to be exciting. The same applies to sound affects. Loud creaks when opening a door slowly can create large amounts of tension, but they wouldn't make sense if the film is just someone entering a room with no danger, and no chance of danger.
However, some sound, or to be specific, different languages cannot be understood by everyone. That is where dubbing comes in. Dubbing is when the characters in the film are given new voices for different languages so people from different countries can watch films in their language, no matter what language they speak. While dubs don't enhance scenes, dubbing makes the film more accessible for everyone without having to resort to subtitles. Usually dubbing comes into play after the scenes have been filmed and edited together, so the film can be released in other countries.
When looking at the sound in the film, we have to distinguish between diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. Dietetic sounds are sounds originating from the film's setting and characters themselves, such as talking, footsteps, rain, and so on. Non-diegetic sounds are sounds that come from outside the in-film universe, have no chance of being heard by the characters, (unless the film involves breaking the forth wall) Non-diegetic sounds include narration, music (unless the music is coming from an in-universe source such as a radio) or sound effects added in for emphasis (a crowd's laughter is commonly used in some TV shows.)
Sometimes, diegetic sounds such as a crowd talking can be too loud, and they may get in the way of the dialogue of an important character, or another important sound, as such, reducing the volume of the "background noise" can make it easier to listen to important or funny dialogue. While this isn't how sound works in real life, people tend to tune out noise that they don't pay attention to so they can focus on what someone is saying, so it makes sense for the background noise to be quieter to the characters, and by extension, the audience. Muting dietetic sound could also be used for dramatic effect. For instance, if a character comes to a shocking realisation, or sees something important, tuning out the background noise can make the scene more dramatic.
Sound mixing is when you take the soundtrack, sound effects, and any other sound you want to add to the film, and merge the sound together for the finished film. Mixing sound makes sure that the film has music, sound effects, ambience, dialog and so on. During the mixing process, you have to factor in the volume, pitch and timbre of the sound, and you may have to edit those factors (aside from timbre) for better-quality sound, leading to better film atmosphere, and a better synchronisation between dialog, sound effects and music.
A common way to manipulate and control sound is by using a mixer. A mixer can hold multiple sound samples at once, and the user can change the sound in accordance to how it sounds next to the other samples.
While dubbing, a mixer can be very useful, as you can edit the sound to make it match the original sound and lip-sync more effectively. If you don't keep the voice in time with the lip-movement, then the new voice appears to be sloppy, and the dub will be considered inferior to the original
Fading is a big aspect of working with sound. There are four kinds of fading. Fading up and Fading down is when the volume is turned up or down. Something important to note is that fading up or down is not the same as fading in or fading out, which are turning the music up from nothing or down to nothing respectively, whereas fading up or down isn't creating or removing sound, its merely editing it's volume. Fading up or down can signify something approaching or moving away, such as a car or a train, while fading out or fading in could indicate a character falling into or out of consciousness. Changing the volume of certain sounds can give whatever is making the noise a change in significance at the current time, as quieter things are less likely to be noticed.
Pitch means how light or deep the sound is. This is a useful asset for setting the mood. Higher-pitched music can be used to put the viewers on edge if the setting is already creepy. For instance, high-pitched ambience and door creak would definitely put a reader on edge if the setting is a dark room, while a higher or lower voice may indicate the age or gender of an unseen character (young and female voices are usually higher pitched while older and male voices are usually lower pitched.)
Timbre is the quality and characteristics of the sound, excluding pitch or volume. Different timbre is produced by different instruments. Different instruments can provide different effects on the viewers. For instance, a well-used piano can make a scene more emotional then a kazoo doing the same tune at the same pitch and volume.
Acoustics refer to the sounds reflecting around the room as waves, and their journey to the listener's ears. Different acoustics can make the sound worse in quality. Ideal acoustics aim to be neutral, and do not effect the sound. That is why voice actors record in small booths, so the sound remains unaffected by the environment.
Sound perspective is the distance and location of where the sound is coming from, compared to the focus of the setting. For instance: a person with a radio across a long hall. Depending on the length of the hall, the music from the radio will seem fainter, and will probably have a bit of an echo. Even if you cannot see the screen, you can get a decent idea of the setting based on the in-universe sound perspective.
Jump cuts can be disorientating, and if done improperly, can break the films immersion. As such, the films sound has to be changed to account for the jump cuts, making the film transition more smoothly. One good example is to have a character about to hit something in the first clip (such as a hand on a table) and the second scene to have a close-up of the object (or another object) being hit, so the sound is about to happen in the first clip, and finishes in the second.
Sound can play a big part in setting the mood of the scene, and creating atmosphere. For instance, upbeat music can enhance an upbeat scene such as a chase, making the scene more exciting, but it would be unsuitable music for someone slowly walking through a house, and would create dissonance between the scenario and the sound, as the music would try to add excitement to a scene lacking any reason to be exciting. The same applies to sound affects. Loud creaks when opening a door slowly can create large amounts of tension, but they wouldn't make sense if the film is just someone entering a room with no danger, and no chance of danger.
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