So why is sound so important? Sound is a very important element when it comes to any type of production as it informs and engages audiences in ways that visuals can't. Sound within film and television can include dialogue, music and sound effects, which are all very important when it comes to portraying a particular mood. Sound is especially overlooked as viewers may believe that they are more engaged by visuals, however sound is a crucial part in regards to bringing a film to life or making audiences feel more inside a film. Although visuals are more easily remembered, they would simply become very dull without being accompanied with sound. Here's a number of ways you can enhance a scene through the utilisation of audio. A great example we could use is the opening scene for Star Wars (1977). With sound, the way in which the spaceship emerges from the top of screen deepens the emotion and fear that we feel as sound almost simulates the spaceship actually being there. Without sound, the spaceship almost makes the spaceship feel smaller due to the lack of sound. 

In the following document, I will be explaining various elements and techniques of how we can use sound to deepen the emotion of a film which visuals cannot do on their own. 

Music

One of the main aims in the majority of films is to capture audiences emotions and to help them to relate towards particular characters. This can be done through the use of sound, especially music. During the early stages of film production, audio was not used due to the lack of equipment, which is why music was used over these 'silent films' instead. Since the birth of filmmaking, music has always been used to enhance a particular mood and has mostly matched the frame of mind showcased through the visuals. Music is also used to refer to the emotions of a particular character or to put you inside their mind, feeling their emotions. This music can be 'pleonastic' and 'contrapuntal'. Pleonastic music is specifically chosen to exaggerate the action on-screen and to match the atmosphere of the scene that is currently playing. An example could be during a horror scene, where eerie and suspenseful music is used. Using this technique enhances the mood of the particular scene and fits the visuals, engaging the viewer and making them feel more involved in the film, through using music to affect the audience's emotional connection and feelings towards the film. An example of using this technique is when 'My heart Will Go On' is played over a sad scene in 'Titanic'.

Contrapuntal music is chosen to completely contrast the visuals that are shown on-screen and to not match the emotion expected from the narrative. An example could be vibrant, up-beat music playing during a murder scene. This technique could be used to add a comedic effect to a scene or put us into the minds of a character. A famous and commonly used example we could use is when happy, vibrant music is played during a violent scene. During these scenes, the music is usually played on a nearby musical device within the film and not just a soundtrack played over the scene that the characters can't hear. This puts us into the mind of the character that is playing the music, where he finds enjoyment and happiness through performing violent actions onto others. Using this technique will also engage the viewer as they feel more involved in the film as they understand and may feel the same emotions as the characters on-screen. An example of this is where 'Making Love Out of Nothing At All' is played during a violent scene in 'The Strangers: Prey At Night'. This is a diegetic example, whereas a non-diegetic example we could use is 

But overall, when it comes to choosing music in your film you must think about the mood in which you'd like to portray. Key elements within pieces of music can determine what mood it is showcasing, which include its tempo, dynamics, rhythm, melody, texture and structure, but what are these exactly?

Tempo - The tempo of a piece of music determines if the music is going to be fast-paced or slow-paced and is overall the speed of the underlying beat. Tempo is measured in beats per minute (bpm) and is very important in relation to indicating the speed of each element within a piece of music. Different speeds of tempo are used typically used in specific music genres, for example, a song that is 'slow tempo' and has 70 - 80 bpm, would typically be within the genre of hip hop or light classical, as this type of music is usually quite slow. Mid tempo music (90-100bpm), is typically music within the genre of electronic or techno, where high tempo music (130+) is usually dance or drum music.

Dynamics - The dynamics relate to the difference between low levels and high levels of particular track, which is also known as the dynamic range. An example of where  dynamics are commonly used within a film is during a quiet horror scene that involves jump scares. Using quiet music during a scary scene creates a sense of tension towards audiences, enhancing sudden loud sounds (jump scares). 

Rhythm - The Rhythm is the overall heartbeat of a song and relates to the repetition of similar sounds a specific number of times within bars, which is usually the drums. The speed in which the rhythm is played depends on the tempo of the song. There are 2 main types of rhythm that you can use in your song, which is regular or irregular. A great example when it comes to showcasing how rhythm can effect an audience is the theme song for 'Jaws'. During the track, we can clearly hear the slow tempo of the song (72 bpm), which emphasises rising fear. The rhythm plays a key part within the song as it is used as a constant beat under the melody. 

Melody - This is the main tune of a particular track, the memorable and part that is most-likely to get stuck in your head (the hook). 

Texture - layers. Shepard tone

Structure - intro, verse, bridge, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, middle 8, outro.

Sound Effects

Sound effects are one of the main factors that help create a better auditory experience for the viewer, whether it's footsteps, a door opening or a window smashing. Sound effects are either used to replace or add on a sound. Similarly to ADR, sound effects can be used when a filmmaker is not satisfied with how a piece of audio has turned out, which could be due to technical issues or simply because the originally recording doesn't meet professional standards. They can also be used to improve the quality of a sound. Sound effects are mainly used as add on sounds, which can be due to the inability of the sound being captured during recording. An example of this would be a gunshot sound effect. Actors often do not use real firearms on set, therefore making it impossible to capture the genuine sound of a gunshot, which is where sound effects come in handy. During post-production, gunshot sound effects can be adding onto scenes where gunfire takes place and can be modified and edited to enhance and emphasise the particular sound. When it comes to firearms, gunshots are usually enhanced and edited to sound more dramatic, contrasting how they would sound in reality. Another example of where sound effects are essential is in films that involve mythical creatures or animals in general. Unfortunately, we don't have access to dragons or other mythical creatures to use within our films, however they can be created through the use of CGI and great sound effects. A famous example we could use for this is 'Jurassic World', which involves a lot of dinosaur action. Dinosaur sound effects are created using a mixture of already existing animal noises which usually include a tiger and alligator. These sounds are computer generated and edited to be more dramatic, due to the particular sound being iconic towards the Jurassic Park franchise. These sounds are then adding on during post production, increasing the realism of the dinosaurs and bringing them to life.

Sound effects are also used to emphasise a sound. Sounds that are emphasised are usually sounds that we would see as unimportant, for example a door opening or clothes rustling, however sounds are emphasised for various different reasons. During a quiet horror scene, sounds such as doors opening can be emphasised to increase the tension and enhance the silence of the overall scene, allowing jump-scares to have more of an effect on the viewers. Kicks and punches are also emphasised to portray pain. This helps provide a better auditory experience as well as visual experience. 

Sound effects are mainly created using foley and distributed through sound libraries. Filmmakers can choose to either create their own sounds or purchase a license that gives them access to a library of sound effects. Each of these options have their advantages and disadvantages such as one option being more time-consuming than the other or factors such as accuracy. Overall, sound effects can cary depending on what type of media you are using them for. Sound effects can be used in an artistic manner to emphasise a story, action or feeling and are commonly used in interactive media. Sound effects can be designed to specifically capture the attention of a viewer by using a high-volume level or pitch. These sounds are called Indicators, which are sounds that make you aware of certain things. These sounds can usually be found in video games. An example we could use is 'Grand Theft Auto', which is an action-adventure video game that is known for its well-designed and realistic sound effects. Within the game, many indicators can be found e.g. police sirens are played whenever you break the law within the game, to warn you of police. Indicators are not only used to warn people but can be used to inform the user of rewards by using simple pinging sounds.