It is a necessity for us to study how sound works in order to be able to use it appropriately in the future, as well as learn to manipulate it and capture it more effectively. Our focus on the recording and uses of sound this week was an important lesson to take note of, and it was interesting to discover the various elements of both sound and the technology that is used to record it.
Sound is created through a change in air pressure, which comes in the form of sounds waves that then resonate within our brains. Looking at it from this purely scientific form is not beneficial for me as a media student.
The 3 Types of Sound
- Music
- Speech
- Sounds
Sound Perspective
- Figure (Focus of interest)
- Ground (Setting or context)
- Field (Background/Ambient Space)
Social Distance
- Creates relations of different degrees of formality
- Can be intimate/public, personal/impersonal, formal/informal
- In terms of volume, pitch, tone, softness/hardness
Sound is an intention, it a specific choice made at all times in a media product. It can be used to create a soundscape which presents the environment, creating a spatial orientation for the audience at all times. It is pervasive, multi-directional, complexly layered and intimate. It is not noise, and it is not something you can block out. Hearing sound is also not the same as listening to sound, as listening is an intentional attitude.
This is closer to what I have to keep in mind in sound recordings in the future. Sound is something which be given careful consideration at all times, it is not something which you can merely record and then hope it turns out alright when you go to edit it all together. Even in the post-production stage, you still have to carefully look at sound levels, normalise shots and choose when to manipulate sound outside of the simple imagery on-screen. Sound is an important part of a film maker’s tool box which must always be kept in mind. Even the absence of sound is a still an extremely important sound choice.
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