‘In this clip screened in the lecture from the Coen brothers’ ‘Blood Simple‘ describe what is happening in terms of the edits specifically in terms of the audio and video. Also name the different kinds of audio you can hear.

The comprehensive combination of audio and video editing is the source of all suspense within this particular scene. The scene hinges on the use of both diagetic and non-diagetic sound to propel narrative event and heirachises the volume of sound effects and pieces of dialogue  as they relate to the action unfolding in the visual aspects of the scene. In many ways, the scene is structured so that sound is significantly more descriptive than vision, as it relates to event or development within the scene. Indeed, it could be said that vision serves largely to depict character reaction to event which is established through sound. This is most evident when considering the gunshot sequence, while many movies would linger on, almost fetishising the action of shooting  a character, or the gory wound which ensues, the shooting itself is communicated entirely through sound, the visual elements of the scene concerning itself with quick cuts of the sweaty faces and shellshocked expressions of the characters. This is such that audiences are initially unsure which character has been shot. A similar effect is achieved as non-diagetic vomiting is heard when a character exits a scene having seen a photo of the person he has put a hit on, a dramatic contrast to the onscreen visual of his bemused partner. Visual metaphor features heavily within the scene as it frequently cuts to a bundle of dead fish on the table, oftentimes replacing or bookending sections which would traditionally feature images of graphic violence. A complex soundscape similarly contributes to a sense of tension in the scene, with sound effects: the rustling of papers, scraping of furniture and urgent footsteps being woven between character dialogue, each gaining dominance through volume control as they become pertinent to narrative event.