Task 1 (moving image soundtrack quiz)

A) To every film there is a soundtrack to accompany it, as without the sound the film may become very boring for the audience making it very uneasy to watch. The soundtrack is probably the most important part of creating a film as the moving images accompanied by the soundtracks can create a story on its own, whereas a film with dialogue and no music would cause the audience to loose interest very quickly. In addition to this, using the 3 elements of sound together in a soundtrack alongside the moving image creates a bigger and more satisfying film for the audience.

There are 3 main elements to every soundtrack. This consists of sound effects, dialogue and music. The sound effects are used to stimulate reality and create mood. This are generally diegetic as they appear to look as if they were recorded on location due to the visuals and sounds shown through the film. For example, the false hero in an action zombie movie is suddenly shot in the head after being infected with the diesease. In this instance, the gun noises heard is fake, therefore no actual sound is coming from the gun being shown. This means that the sounds being used are asynchronous, as they are not matched with a visable source of sound on the screen. In actual fact the sound used is an example of foley sound which means they were pre-recorded natural sounds and ambient sounds which are natural sounds. In typical action films the gunshot noises are created using a heavy staple gun, and pre-recorded noises of the gun being used, although the sounds are combined to create a more realistic and entertaining sound.
The dialogue used in the soundtrack authenticates the speaker as an individual. The dialogue serves to tell the story and expresses the emotion/feelings of the character through the power of speech. Depending on where the dialogue is being recorded different types of microphones would be used. For example, a radio interview in a studio between 2 people would be recorded using a condensor microphone. This is because the mic generally has a better frequency response than a dynamic mic, also there are only two people speaking into the microphones, so the low fragility characteristics of the mic would not be as effected. Also, they are generally omni-directional, which means if there was an audience they would be able to pick up sounds from the audience, however most condensor mics have the option of being omni-directional or cardioid. Although, if a rock band were doing a concert, they would probably use a dynamic mic. Reasons being are that they have a cardioid pick up pattern which means, that noises in the background will not be captured through the microphone and it will pick up noises from the singer and the audience in front. Also, it is more hard-wearing than a condensor mic.
The music used within the soundtrack often use musical elements such as instrumentation, tempo, dynamics, melody and rhythm to obtain a certain mood or emotion. For example, using fast up-tempo music for an action film would be more suitable and appealing to the audience as it uses a cacophony of instruments such as the drums, cymbals and ethnic instruments to create an atmospheric and suspense-filled scene for the film. The two main types of sound are non-diegetic and diegetic. In terms of music, it would generally be non-diegetic as it is music that is being added through editing rather than being recorded on loaction.

B) There are two different types of music when recording for films. This includes diegetic and non-diegetic sounds. Diegetic sounds are the ones that are recorded on location and non-diegetic is the sounds that are added though editing. Generally, diegetic sounds are the sound effects, dialogue or any sounds that can be seen on screen, such as explosions, lasers, gunshots and shattered glass. The first couple seconds of the star wars trash compactor scene show conflict between the protagonists and the antagonists, whereby they are using lasers to try defeat each other. The noises produced by the lasers create a futuristic and discordant sound. The laser sounds where asynchronous sounds. However, they produce conflicting musical sounds that audience can tell that it is set in the future. The non-diegetic sounds would be the music. The music helps to create specific emotions between characters and also it sets the mood for the scene. Different types of music create different mood/emotions which helps the audience relate to the scene. This is called sympathetic sound. For example, brass and string instruments would be used for more sad and dull scenes, whereas percussion instruments would be used more for action, adventure and gang films. 

C) Synchronous sounds are the sounds that are matched/synchronised with the visuals being shown on the screen. For example, if a film portrays a character playing the guitar, the sounds of the instrument are projected alongside the visuals of the character playing the instrument. These sounds are used to contribute to the realism of the film and to create a particular atmosphere. For example, the sound of a car boot being shut may serve to convince the audience that the sound is real. However, if the noise was part of a more ominous action, such as a break in, the volume of the sound tends to increase, to engage the audience in a moment of suspense. 
Asynchronous sounds are the ones that are not matched with a visible source of sound on screen. These sounds are used to provides an emotional nuance and also to create a particular mood/atmosphere in the scene. For example, if a group of people had robbed a bank, and had then escaped and started running away from the disturbance, you are likely to hear the noise of police sirens in the background, although the police car is not shown as of yet, this is to inform the audience about the struggles they are about to overcome and allows the audience to paint a picture of what is most likely to happen next in the scene. 


D) Three types of spoken word. 

Dialect - This is where, characters from the film are in conversation with each other, although this could also be referred to a monologue whereby only one character is speaking, which makes tge audience feel more interacted with the film as they feel as if the character is talking directly to them. Dialect is used to give the audience an understanding of current situations and to tell the story. An example of this, would be a couple in a restuarant, conversating over a certain topic and a single character in a play on stage, speaking directly to the audience. 

Voice-over- The voice over, is when someone e.g a narrator is speaking over the visuals shown on screen. This is so the audience pays attention to what is being shown on the screen and at the same time they are able to hear a detailed explanation as to what is happening. However, the visuals and voice-over would not have been done at the same time as they would need to match the visuals to the speed of the narrators voice. The purpose of a narrator is to inform and explain certain point to the audience. For example, the importance of a narrator in a childrens theatre, would be to give them understanding of certain things happening on stage they wouldnt necessarily understand just by watching. 

Over-lapping or multi-voice over - This would be having more than one voice recording at a certain point. For example, if a couple (protagonists) were having a conversation in a cafe and a different couple were arguing in the background, the protagonists conversation would be alot louder, however the conflict in the background would be loud enough the get an understanding of what is happening. Voice-over could also be used in terms of over-daub, which is when a film is made in a different language e.g spanish and they have added an english voice-over in order to broadcast the film in english speaking countries. An example of this would be violetta on disney channel.