Impact Of Sound Upon A Films Thematic Premise

When exploring the significance of sound upon a film's thematic concept, one must identify the fundamental components of the individual film score and its relationship to the development of the plot. Sound has been a dominant feature of the audience's cinematic experience from early in the art form's history. Initially existing as a simple piano score that was used to assist in the realisation of certain on-screen emotions, the use of sound has been greatly developed and is now considered as "one of the richest sources of meaning in film art." (Giannetti, 2002) This is evident through the incorporation and combination of sound elements such as music, dialogue, sound effects and silence that relate directly to the emotions presented visually. This paper will attempt to analyse the above elements, focusing on two key films, Fincher's Se7en and Hitchcock's Psycho. Both a general sound description and an in-depth of analysis of selected sequences will be included whilst considering their significance and impact upon the films thematic development. However, in order to appreciate how sound can influence the development of a film's theme, a clear understanding of what film sound Ð''is' needs to be established.

When one begins to analyse film sound, two terms must be understood; digetic sound and non-digetic sound. These terms relate to the source of the sound. For example, digetic sound refers to the sound that exists within the world of the film (if a character knocks over a glass of water, the sound the glass makes as it smashes on the floor exists in the world of the film and is therefore, digetic). Alternatively, sounds such as the musical score, which are played over the top of the action to highlight a particular sequence are non-digetic (the descending musical motif that accompanies the glass falling through the air does not exist in the world of the film and is therefore, non-digetic.) (Choin, 1994)Furthermore, all sound present on the sound track, whether it is digetic or non-digetic can be broken in to four basic elements. As previously mentioned these elements consist of dialogue, music, sound effects and silence (Phillips, 2002).

"Dialog is invaluable for revealing a characters ideas, goals and dreams, though often it does so more concisely, obliquely and revealingly than conversation in life." (Phillips, 2002, pg.166) Through the use and manipulation of dialog and its combination with expression, an actor has the ability to convey a vast array of emotion with minimal use of words. Furthermore, by adjusting the vocal pitch, tone, timbre and volume, emotions such as irony, amusement, indifference and sadness can all be conveyed while addressing a single phrase. Similarly, the voice can be deliberately distorted to accentuate behaviours of a character, providing the audience with an indication as to where a character may be located (eg. voice distorted to sound like it is coming through a radio helps viewer to believe a car chase may be in progress) (Phillips, 2002). In addition to variation in vocal delivery and technique, the use of various musical themes can assist in intensifying the emotional impact upon an audience.

Often music throughout film is used to support the imagery in a Ð''Mickey-mouse' fashion with the sound directly following, or even mimicking the action. For example, if a character were falling down the stairs, the music would reflect this action with a descending chromatic run (Giannetti, 2002). However, with the development and experimentation of sound in a cinematic context, directors began to use music in sometimes contrasting and unexpected manners. Today music is occasionally permitted to dominate the image, which previously would have been deemed almost sacrilegious. Commonly directors use a particular musical theme to prepare an audience for an event that is yet to occur, using sound to pre-establish an emotive concept, which in turn allows the visual imagery to be further developed in a shorter space of time (Giannetti, 2002). Furthermore, by using music in an emotive manner, directors are able to implement melodic modulations to shift from one emotional state to another within a single scene. (Phillips, 2002) Other uses of music consist of assisting the audience in establishing a place or time, to enhance a particular performance and through the use of musical motif; music can assist the audience in identifying a particular character or theme. (Giannetti, 2002) "Music is infinitely flexible. It can be played in different keys, at different volumes, at different tempos, by different instruments and by different combinations of instruments." (Phillips, 2002, pg.152) Therefore, it could be suggested that the uses of music within film can be deemed equally infinite.

Most commonly, sound effect tracks are used to create an environment or ambient atmosphere that an audience can find believable. This is often accomplished by using precise sources of meaning in a film in an audible fashion. (Giannetti, 2002) Sound effects influence our response to any given noise by varying the pitch, volume and tempo of the original sound sample. For example, by pitch shifting a sound to a higher frequency, the audience is likely to identify these sounds as unnerving, where as low frequency sounds are less tense and instead can suggest mystery or anxiety. In terms of volume and tempo, the greater the intensity of the sound effect, the greater the tension. This concept can also be applied to volume. "Sound expands the image beyond the confines of the frame." (Giannetti, 2002, pg. 215) This statement suggests the importance of sound effects, whether they are environmental or ambient, upon the emotion and reaction of the audience. In the development of a films theme, sound can become highly significant by intensifying a mood and in creating a sense of location, allowing the viewer to become increasingly involved in the world of the film (Phillips, 2002).

Starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as detectives, David Fincher's psychological thriller Se7en depicts themes with theological, philosophical, moral and cultural facets (Vandelist, 2000), specifically the seven deadly sins, serial killing, violence, death, the chase, city life and good verses evil. Playing the protagonist, Kevin Spacey depicts these themes through the murder of seven people, each representing one of the seven deadly sins. Through exploiting the soundtrack, Fincher avoids commenting overtly on some of these themes (particularly city life), as they are ever present through the sound in virtually every scene. (Giannetti, 2002)

The soundscape of this film is typical of the thriller genre, developing the concept that the audience fears what they cannot see, by using off-screen sound