It occurred to me after my post on the different types of match cuts that audio actually plays a really important role. However, although audio match cuts can be used in the same way as visual cuts to connect two shots together (like the examples below), it’s actually the lack of matching, and the emphasis on the juxtaposition between sounds that make some scenes effective.
Especially in the works of Edgar Wright, the dynamicity of sound plays a huge part in enhancing the visuals and adding to the comedic effect of his signature quick-cut scenes. Although previously I had thought the the montage was the driving force of the comedy, I’ve realised that it’s actually the jarring audio cuts that make or break the sequences.
Just like with reading, a book that has the same sentence length throughout a paragraph is boring to get through. However, when the sentences vary in length and tone, it creates a flow like a melody which makes it interesting. Similarly, it’s the layering of sound effects and levels combined with the shot lengths that make Wright’s scenes so effective.
In this scene from Hot Fuzz below, the comedic value is created through the exaggerated nature of the sounds (e.g. brushing teeth and spreading jam), perfectly timed sounds (cabinet closing), and the way it is mixed together – quick cuts filled with noise next to silent long shots.
A show with similar use of perfectly timed and constructed sound effect sequences, but presented in a completely different way, is Sherlock (which also has great sound editing in general). The sequences in Sherlock’s mind palace rely heavily on the dynamic soundscape to demonstrate the franticness of Sherlock’s thought process. These are another example of how it’s actually the sound that drives the effectiveness of the visual and not the other way around.
The only example I could find online was this shoddy one, but hopefully the effectiveness of the sound effects still kind of come through. The actual scene is from near the end of Season 2 Episode 2.
