All semiotic modes strive to convey a message between the sender and the receiver, however, editing processes manipulate how that message is articulated and likely perceived. The relationship that the viewer should feel towards the subject is dictated by various processes of editing and manipulation. Thus we are positioned to view an image (or shot) a certain way for a certain reason, which is usually contingent upon its context.
Sound and image are distinct from one another, however, similar in their creating of relations between the subject and the audience they are addressing. Sound is often put into a hierarchy, the distinct elements being broken down into three levels: the immediate effect; the support effect; and the background effect. The terms used differ from one another but generally all refer to the same concept. When you seperate sources of media like this, it enables the editor to control, emphasise and de-emphasize them independently from one another to the desired effect that they wish the audio clips to have.
Distance also dictates that the audience refers to and connects with the subject in different ways (much in the same way that pictures do). For instance, when a subject uses a soft, hushed voice it denotes a closer relationship between the audience and the subject (and almost as though we are being invited into their world to understand and connect with them on a personal level). The same analogy can be made for visual images, in that the greater portion of the shot the subject occupies, generally the more the audience is being invited to identify with them on a personal level. This concept of distance in visual imaging and audio relates to single streams of sound. Whereas, in contrast, the concept of perspective relates to how simultaneous sounds interact with one another to create a broader, conclusive picture.
