Monday, February 5, 2024

Research Part 6: Sound Codes

 Introduction

The objective our production team wanted to note was the strategic use of sound (particularly music) and other audible codes to support our films genre while immersing our audience in a realistic world of film. Noting how in previous research, we found the teams behind creating White Noise highlighted the struggles and anxieties of keeping up with daily life, even after a disastrous event like a gas leakage that affects the whole town, which is a theme that many relate to, and more so young teens and adults. This is useful, as it denotes the drama genre, and establishes the tone and sets expectations for what is to come in the film. Furthermore, in the beginning of the film opening, viewers are immediately met with bright color and lighting, neon, vibrant hues in the characters' costumes, and a a curious tone as the Gladney family intensely zoned out into the store before entering it. Later in the opening, "New Body Rhumba," begins playing and reveals the true meaning of what the film symbolized, and the audience is meant to realize the juxtaposition between what is shown versus the reality of the film. The mix of eccentric, synchronized dancing along with the characters serious expressions, the audience is meant to find humor in those events, as White Noise is considered a a comedy, as well. Therefore, viewers are meant to expect a combination of both horror and comedy blended together to engage the audience, while also sharing a serious, and relatable story about how the monotony and short-length of daily life possibly having negative effects on one's mental health. Below, sound is one of many elements the creators of White Noise used to clearly, and effectively demonstrate the tone and message of the film in the form of a catchy song, to maintain the audiences' interest.

Sound Techniques and definitions 

Document sound 

Meaning established by sounds to support the genre. 

Dialogue - a written or spoken exchange of words between one or more characters  

 

 

 

 

List 2 lines that connect audiences to the genre of the film and connotations of the film’s opening. 

How does the dialogue define the main character? Their personality and their world. 

  •  There is no dialogue present in the film opening 

  • The no dialogue presented in this opening relies on visual humor and situational scares, enhancing atmospheric tension and allowing exaggerated expressions. 

Sound effects- A sound effect is a synthetic or digitally altered sound that is used to highlight certain parts of information in movies, TV shows, video games, cartoon series, and music, among other media. 

List 2 sound effects that connect audiences to the genre of the film. 

  • Shopping carts rolling (underscored) 

  • Ruffling of plastic bags (underscore) 

  • Everyday supermarket items that might not be there soon, due to an unfortunate event 

Music- the soundtrack that plays throughout a movie to set the tone and atmosphere, complement the speech and images. 

List the music used in the film opening that supports the tone. 

  • "New Body Rhumba" by LCD Soundsystem 

  • An upbeat music intro is ironic for a horror film to play.


Reflection

In this task, completed by Marley B and Lexi M, and with the additional help for examples by Peyton P and I, our team managed to briefly annotate the instances of sound that we picked up from the film opening of White Noise. Each research blog analyzing this film has taught our group valuable types that we intend to keep in mind such as using juxtaposing songs over gruesome or unsettling scenes, using unconventional color patterns of styles for characters and the set design, using conventional props to indicate the horror genre, using absurd, spontaneous, or dramatic events to signify the dramedy subgenre for our film, and using brief or little dialogue that can still communicate a thousand words through nonverbal cues. Our group utilized our school laptops and I used my personal laptop to research and analyze each research section and to make notations in charts and paragraphs to ensure that the information we gathered would stay organized. With the knowledge that we gained from this experience, we are eager and confident to begin the next journey of our filmmaking process. 


Sources:

-Netflix (2022). White Noise | Official Clip | NetflixYouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJblPY5hVHI [Accessed 18 Feb. 2023].

No comments:

Post a Comment

Goodbye Aice MediaStudies Dream Team!

  Introduction Final Reflection: The Unforgettable Journey of AICE Media Studies Welcome to my final post, Cambridge dream team! As this cha...