Today in class we discussed elements and methods of analysing sound design. In particular the observation methods of renowned film theorist Michel Chion.
“Audiovisual analysis is important when it comes to understanding the ways in which a scene or entire movie utilises sound and images in combination. By analysing such details we can “deepen our aesthetic pleasure and understand the rhetorical power of films. (Chion, 1994)”
What Michel is implying here is that by participating in such activities I am supposedly able to uncover a film’s messages and the techniques it uses to convey them with the use of images or sound design while also heightening my sense of appreciation for a film’s artistic qualities.
In his book “Audio-vision: Sound on Screen” he details a method of audiovisual analysis that he coined called the “masking” method. The focus of this analysis method is to watch a certain scene multiple times, watching with sound and video together, again but muting the sound and then again doing the same thing but cutting the video instead.
As he says in his book: “This gives you the opportunity to hear the sound as it is and not as the image transforms and disguises it; it also lets you see the image as it is and not as sound recreates it. (Chion, 1994)” Michel is under the assumption that sound can “mask” or obscure certain aspects of a film and direct your attention to focus on specific elements within a scene, basically manipulating the audience’s perception of what they see on the screen.
He uses the 1963 film “The Silence” as an example in his book: “We only need cut the sound to demonstrate that here we have a typical effect of added value. Without sound, the tank appears to move regularly and without difficulty on its treads, aside from one brief pause. It’s the sound that makes us view, or rather, audio- view, a tank that’s seen better days and moves with difficulty. (Chion, 1994)”. This is a key part of his theory with the relationship between sound and image in film, where sound can add significant “added value” to the visual experience by influencing how the viewer interprets the scene.
This experiment was put to the test in class by watching some scenes from a few films and then discussing our thoughts and opinions on our observations. One example we had a look at is the opening scene from “Mad Max: Fury Road”. During the initial half of the scene there was a heavy focus on the diegetic music being performed. Without the audio I had trouble grasping the severity of the fast-paced angsty nature of the film, however it allowed me to imagine or interpret how the scene would sound just based off the images shown to me, which after watching with audio and comparing, the idea I had built up in my head only had a passing resemblance to what the final product produced (potentially hearing sounds that weren’t actually there).
Something else that the author mentions in his book is the relationship of music and its direct relation to how differing tones can completely change how a scene is conveyed to the audience. He calls this the arranged marriage of sound and image. Changing music over the same image forcefully illustrates the phenomena of added value, synchresis, sound- image association, and so forth. By observing the kinds of music the image “resists” and the kinds of music cues it yields to, we begin to see the image in all its potential signification and expression. (Chion, 1994)”
We looked at this experiment with a clip from the film “No Country For Old Men”. Listening to the clip with different soundtracks conveyed a differing tone from the original, sometimes completely altering the perspective of what I was watching. However whats more important in this scene is that the lack of music (and dialogue) in the original scene showcases that sometimes the deliberate exemption of music itself can evoke emotions more effectively than with music. In this case amplify the uneasy suspense and emphasise the overall gritty nature of the movie.
These are vital experiments that are likely to guide my research and give me countless ideas for sculpting the sound of my post production artefacts
Chion, M. (1994). Audio-vision: Sound on Screen. New York: Columbia University Press.