The Sound of Music is not the topic of
today’s discussion, but rather the sound of music within a movie. Or even the sound of dialogue or sound
effects within a movie can influence the direction that a movie takes or what
the audience feels or senses. As
mentioned there are three components of sound within a movie: the music, the
dialogue, and the sound effects. Each
component plays a vital role in the overall audio experience that supports and
enhances the action of the movie.
Imagine Jaws without the
iconic dudum-dudum-dum-dum-da-da- sound of the approaching antagonist
(shark). 
Let’s examine the sound of the
sounds of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Dialogue is the spoken word
brought to life. According to
Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2011), the dialogue and the visual action work together
to create the entire film experience.
There are three basic reasons to use dialogue: to further the
development of the plot, to enhance characterizations, and to quickly establish
important information such as names, locations, dates, motivations, and
back story. Another form of dialogue
used in movies that does not involve the actors is voice over. Voice over is a character narration rather
than a character to character conversation.
In TRHPS, the criminologist
provides voice over as well as direct commentary to assist the audience in
background knowledge as well as leading into another scene. This bridges the gap when the movement of the
setting is abrupt or when a new scene or information is introduced. http://youtu.be/ZACs4m_nqFs
Sound effects in a movie include the
use of Foley artists (unconventional sound effects), popular sound effects, and
scoring or background music. Movies are
generally shot in large warehouse settings transformed into scene
settings. This type of area is not conducive
to realistic sound quality. Additionally,
if a scene is shot outdoors sound will not carry in an appropriate manner. For these reasons, sound editors must use a
variety of techniques in order to create the appropriate sound quality. (Goodykoontz, 2011) A sampling of the various
sound editing enhancements can be seen in the Time Warp sequence from TRHPS. Background music as added during the opening
dialogue before the song is begun. A
hollow tapping as added to enhance the tapping dancing sound made by Columbia’s
shoes during the dance sequence. And
When Janet faints, her sigh is increased to be heard along with the music. Music and other sounds are lowered to allow
the audience to hear any necessary dialogue of the actors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umj0gu5nEGs
References:
Goodykoontz,
B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA:
Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Lex.
(2013) The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Time Warp sequence. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umj0gu5nEGs
The Rocky Horror
Picture Show Official Fan Site (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.rockyhorror.com/participation/timewarp.php
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