Research onto the effects of sound

Sound Analysis

In this blog post I will be analysing the sound of the title sequence from my favourite film Pain & Gain, which i have already analysed in a past blog, however in this post i will be analysing the scene deeper, more specifically the sound devices used.



 Diegetic sound devices
- In this opening scene, there is no dialogue presented, this may be due to the fact that the director may of wanted the main focus to be towards the action scenes which consisted of Mark Wahlberg trying to escape from the police, therefore by having dialogue there may be too much context in the title sequence giving too much information to the audience which is not ideal.

One of the sound devices which is includes is ambient sound effects (which are background sounds which are present in a scene or location), this includes police sirens, this creates context as it shows the audience that the main character is involved in criminal activity that will later be exposed as the plot unravels, also due to the fact that there is no dialogue, it allows the audience to create their own ideas of what may be happening as well as the fact that the ambient sound effects exposes the genre of the film, in this case it would be crime.

Foley sound is one other device that is included in the title sequence. Foley sound is the reproduction of everyday sound effects added to a film to enhance audio quality. When police officers are leaving their cars you are able to hear them shout at one another, possibly ordering eachothwr of wear to go as mark is on the run, however the audience is unable to unravel what they are saying. This is effective as it suspends belief as the audience will feel as they are included in the movie due to the use of ordinary sounds such as the sound of policemen creating a realistic and authentic scene. Also, the sound of Mark Wahlberg running into the sheets on a drying line is enhanced and added into the scene, again, making the scene seem more authentic as well as exaggerating the speed in which Mark is running, hence the loud sounds of him running through the sheets. Another everyday sound that is added is the sound of Mark running, more specifically, the sound of him running on the concrete, by this I mean that usually the sound of someone running will not be as audible as compared to this specific title sequence, hence creating a more authentic scene as well as exaggerating the speed of Mark Wahlberg. Also, at 1:09, there seems to be the sound of Mark falling into the skip being enhanced, this may be to exaggerate the intensity of the fall, which is effective as the genre of this film is action therefore most scenes will be exaggerated.

Wild sound is another sound device used in the title sequence. Wild sound is the audio that is intended to be matched up with visual images but made separately. In this case, the wild sound included is the sound of weights as the title of the film appears. This is effective as it creates context as later on in the film the audience will discover that the main characters are fitness instructors hence tying the movie together. Also as the title appears, it creates a dramatic effect as it makes the title appear as if the title is a weight itself. This sound is also accompanied by the sound of someone grunting, as if they are exercising themselves, again, creating context, at this point the audience can make judgements that the movie may consist of a storyline which includes fitness.

Non-Diegetic sound devices

What genre signifiers are used in the sound?
- There is a slow paced song played by a variety of instruments such as either a  cello/string instrument, this creates a dramatic effect as the instruments have a heavy bass. Also the use of ambient sound effects (police sirens) are an immedient signifier of the genre as they are commonly accosted with the crime genre/drama genre.


How is atmosphere and tone creates? Does it match the images?
- Atmosphere and tone is created through the use of background music, but what especially establishes the tone and atmosphere is that the slow paces song is integrated with the images seen as a large portion of the scene is in slow motion tying the scene together, resulting in the images and sound matching with each other.


How is the location established through the sound?
- Due to the sounds of sirens the audience may create their own ideas of the setting of the movie, however the most popular idea may be the fact that the setting would be in a fairly busy area, or a suburb rather than the countryside as the idea of criminal activity is not generalised with the quiet location of the country side. Also there are more subtle hints of how the location is established, this includes the sound of the main character running. This is because you are able to hear the sounds of him running on concrete, a hard surface, a material that is not commonly used in the countryside or farmland, as if it was set in the country side you would more likely expect to hear the sound of him running on grass or on a softer surface such as mud or soil.

Are there any sound motifs used for characters to locations?
- There is not many included in the scene apart from the sound of glass shattering once he hits the wind screen. However this is still effective as it shows the audience the characters urgency to leave the scene, this may generalise ideas that the character may be involved in criminal activity as he is so desperate to run away, so much so that he does not realise a car is coming towards him resulting in him being hit by a car. Also the most noticeable sound motif - the police sirens.