Roberts-Breslin, Jan. 2003, ‘Sound’ in Making media : foundations of sound and image production, Focal Press, Amsterdam ; London, pp. 115-144.

“Television has been called radio with pictures” 

A lot of the tv shows I watch are quite old, my favourite is Frasier which is a nostalgic slice of life show about a pompous radio psychiatrist and his family. The jokes are very dialogue heavy as the audio is dominant in creating meaning. Ironically I often treat this TV show (about a radio show) as if it REALLY IS a radio show, playing it in the background as I do work. I think that our dependence on soundtrack is a lot more obvious when it is absent. For example the laughing track in a sitcom. When it is missing the audience can become completely lost as to when the punchline has occurred,

The absence of comedic timing detracts from the viewing experience of the whole show. A classic example of this is The Big Bang Theory. It is only obvious how much the humour depends on audio indicators until they are missing.

“sound by itself can encourage us to imagine visuals in our mind” 

I usually think in visuals so when I need to calm down I put on a rain soundtrack, which instantly clears my thoughts fogs my mind with the serene scene of dappling rain on a grey day.

The power of association is particularly potent when it comes to sound. Our memories are most closely linked to the temporal lobe, the cortex responsible for managing sound and its emotional impact. My favourite examples are the sinister motifs of The Dark Knight (2008) and Zodiac (2007). In both films a simple motif plays which the audience learns to associate with the antagonist. In The Dark Knight, a high pitched whining violin is utilised during the Joker’s scenes and when he is about to do something sadistic. The same technique in Zodiac is used differently where the foreboding piano plays during scenes where Zodiac the murderer isn’t present to creating the feeling of dread and anticipation that he may appear.