Importance of Sound

"Sound effects play an important role in conveying action. Music helps express emotion."

Micheal Geisler

Whatever you see in the cinema, watch at home on your TV or listen to on your radio, has the use of sound effects and music. Flueckiger (2009) identifies that sound effects and music are everywhere now and they are essential to the making of any film or interactive media product. The use of sound, helps the creator to communicate to his/hers audience the type of mood and atmosphere that they are needed to experience from watching the phootage. Without the use of Sound it is difficult to create the same affect. 

Holmes (1999) believes that sound effects and music in the background can have different roles within a film.

1) A Narative Role which is a way of storytelling, this can be direct or subliminal. Direct is usually dialoge or narrative sound effects that can lead the audience to an off screen event. Subliminal is usualy sound effcts that the audience is unaware of, it plays on the moods of the audience.

2) A Grammatic Role where the sound is constlantly on before or ofter the picture to create  a form of continuity or connective tissue for films.

 

To test out the powere of sound watch this short animation clip bellow, first with no sound on. When you have finished play it for the second time, but now with the sound on. Hopefully you can realise the different in the way it caputes the mood of the audience and the atmosphere within the short clip.

 

To Conclude

I strongly agree with this quote by Micheal Geisler because I do believe that sound can be a powerful tool which is able to create specific meaning and emotions to moving images. Sound is a natual stimulus for as humans and to integrate it within films, TV and other interactive media is a useful tool.

Reference

Holmes, T. (1999) http://filmsound.org/articles/roles_of_sound.htm

Flueckiger, B. (2009) Sound Effects: Strategies for Sound Effects in Film. http://www.zauberklang.ch/Flueckiger_Continuum_SoundEffects.pdf