Task 16- Why is sound so important in film?

Why is sound so important in film?

Sound is very important as it provides a more engaging and realistic usual appearance. Without sound such as a music soundtrack in a film or sound effects the audience can become uninterested and bored. It looses the impact of the film and its meaning without the audio aspects through diegetic and non-diegetic sounds.

Sound allows us to have an increase in understanding about what is happening in the film and get  good grasp of meaning. Also sound sets the atmosphere and tone and lets the audience respond and feel to what we see. For example if you are watching a horror film, and were to mute the sound, you would certainly not get the effect and feel frightened or feel the suspense in which the film makers want their audience to feel. 

Also it helps to quickly establish the genre of the film. To follow dialogue and initially become more interesting and includes the audience, so it lets the audience put themselves in the characters perspective.

The Shining with Sound

The Shining is a classic well known title sequence in which sound is a key aspect of it. The title sequence consists of a continuous shot of a car driving on small narrow roads in the middle of no where. The main instrument in the sound is a trumpet, the sound is quite slow which makes it more dramatic but it eventually speeds up and turns into a high pitched almost screaming noise, recognising the genre of horror. The shot also makes the audience feel quite sick because of the winding roads, and at points where the car is almost on edge of the cliffs, which creates an uneasy atmosphere. 

Without Sound

Watching the opening sequence without sound is very dull. I loose my interest very quickly and it just looks like someone filming a car driving with no meaning. It doesn't create any suspense which takes away the whole point of the audience being able to establish the shot.