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In this post, I will explain how different sound elements are used.

Purpose

There are 4 purposes to a media product. These different purposes are educate, inform, entertain and sell products.

Educate

If the media product was used to educate, the video is often professional. However, sometimes educational videos take a different approach to give information to the audience. For example, the video Dumb Ways To Die is an advertisement which raises awareness of safety around trains/railways. The video is targeted at 18-29-year-olds however, I think it is more targeted towards children/teenagers. This is due to the music in the background of the video. The music is comedic, however still has a strong message.

Inform

If the media product was used to inform, sound is sometimes used professionally but cleverly to inform the audience about a topic without them losing focus or getting distracted/ bored. The Antibiotics advertisement released by the NHS to inform the audience of the importance of taking antibiotics correctly. In this clip, music is used as an ear worm to remind the audience of the message. 

Entertain

If the media product was used to entertain, the sound if often used for juxtaposition. Below is Cadbury's Gorilla advertisement from 2007. In this advertisement a gorilla is playing the drums, this immediately makes the audience question what is happening on screen as this is unusual for advertisement. The gorilla plays the drums to the song In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins. This is once again unexpected which therefore draws in the audience. This is also the case due to there being little/no link to a brand which allows the audience to watch on until the brand is revealed at the end of the advertisement. This advertisement was engaging and fun for the audience to watch which led to their entertainment. This advertisement went viral around the world due to its unique style as it was unlike other advertisements at the time.

Sell a product

If the media product was used to sell a product, the sounds are often an influence. Companies will use songs and sounds to capture the attention of the audience, these songs/sounds are often catchy to be memorable. An example of this would be the sound of the Ring door bell. This sound is used on all Ring advertisements, whether  his be on TV or radio, and in the product itself. This allows for the sound to be noticeable and therefore associated with the company. Another example of sound being use to sell a product is the Just Eat slogan. In all Just Eat advertisements, the slogan is sung and this then gets suck in the head of the audience. This then acts as a reminder for the company which increases the chance of the service being used. This is known as an ear worm.

 

In many media products there are sounds which help to promote a product. This is often music or sounds which are easily recognisable and that easily get stuck in the head of the audience. This is known as an ear worm. This is because the sound is often repeated in the media product to become memorable.

Types of sounds

There are 5 different types of sounds which can be used in a media product. These types of sound are wild tracks, atmospheric, sound effect, dialogue and music.

One type of sound is wild tracks. A wild track is a recording of sound when the camera is not running. This could be the recording of sound, dialogue or sound effects.  

One type of sound is atmospheric sound. This type of sound is a sound which makes you feel you are in the scene. An example of this is having a scene of traffic on screen with sounds of traffic and people in the background. 

Another type of sound is sound effects. A sound effect is a sound which is added in post-production. These sound effects are created by foley artists and they often use different objects to what you would expect them to use, for example using sand to create the sound of walking through snow.

Dialogue/speech is another type of sound which can be used in a media product. Dialogue is used to compliment what is happening on screen, and show the character's emotions/feelings.

Music is a type of sound which can be used in a media product. The music can be used to create different moods within the scene. Music can be used to create tension for example. 

How it enhances visuals

Sound can be used to enhance the visuals on screen. Sound can be used to create different effects in a media product. For example, in a horror film there is tense music to create suspense up to an event. Horror films often have contrapuntal sound to create suspense and draw in the audience. By including these factors, the film is meeting the genre conventions of a horror film. 

Sound analysis

I have chosen a clip from a scene in a horror comedy film called Happy Death Day. This film was released in 2017. This scene features a woman walking towards/ into a tunnel. The purpose of this scene is to entertain the audience. This is due to the audience being drawn in to the scene. The sound in this clip enhances the scene. This is because without the sound, the scene would be very different. By watching this clip with no sound, the same effect isn't achieved. Although the scene itself is dark to create suspense, without audio the scene isn't as scary.

In this scene, there is a sound effect when the knife is pulled out. This will be recorded by foley artists by using different items to create a dramatic effect. This is then layered over the footage in order to create more of an effect for the audience.

In this scene, there is use of contrapuntal sound as the character walks towards a tunnel and sees a music box. This object is unexpected to see as an audience, but the sound used is therefore unexpected also. The music box plays a happy birthday tune which is slowed down. This creates a creepy and eerie atmosphere within the scene. A music box is associated with children. It is a genre convention of horror films to include contrapuntal sounds, usually nursery rhymes, to create a sense of unease and suspense. 

There is dialogue of one character to show the frustration of the event at first, and then her fear. This is highlighted through the change in her voice. One character has a mask and doesn't have any dialogue, this creates suspense in the scene as the audience don't know who the character is. 

There a foley sounds included in this scene as there sounds of the character's footsteps as she walks towards/into the tunnel. These sounds would've been recorded in post-production and then added over the footage. 

Non-diegetic sound is when the sound is not originally in the scene. The sounds are likely to be non-diegetic in this clip as the sounds are over exaggerated and therefore not in the scene when it was recorded. 

Ambient sound is when sound is natural in the background. It is unlikely that any sound in this clip was natural as the sounds are likely to be over exaggerated/foley effects. 

Although there is no silence in the scene, there are parts of the scene where there is no dialogue. This creates suspense for the audience. This draws in the audience to the details in screen. 

Hyper-real sound is when the sound is over-exaggerated. In this scene, the music may be seen as hyper-real due to the fact of the suspense it creates. 

Diegetic sound is when the character actually hears sound in the scene. In the scene, there is a happy birthday tune coming from the music box. This sound is heard by the character which creates unease. This allows the audience to be drawn into the scene.