Apocalypse

Incredible...absolutely and profoundly so.  The first time I viewed this film was when I was in Elementary School and could still remember scenes clearly from it.  One that I think is incredible from a sound perspective is the scene of the bridge, when they receive a mail package. As the boat pulls up, lilted notes of carnival music float across the water, lights blink and flash. It is almost like a dream and I think it is all the sound that does this. The constant eb and flow of the background carnival sounds, a tape player playing music as the characters pass, the screams of the enemy that somehow doesn't break the musicality of the scene but rather adds to it. The complete silence as a grenade leaves the barrel and plunges the whole scene into a silent peace.  I think this scene could stand for itself, a short film all on its own.

When I look at sound in a film , I try to imagine what it would be like both without that sound or with sound that...isn't so unique (this may not be the exact word I'm looking for here).  When looking at the scene I was just discussing, without the carnival music and other sounds...it wouldn't be nearly as compelling.  If they had normal bullet sounds and other mundane sounds, it wouldn't have the same sort of impact.

In Murch's interview, they talk a lot about the helicopters and helicopter scenes. When thinking about Apocalypse, the one sound that everyone knows, or at least associates with the film is the helicopter blades. I thought it was interesting that they created most of these sounds with a synthesizer and used it quite often.. It kind of says that, even though sound isn't authentic, doesn't mean it won't have an impact.  The use of sounds for other things is prevalent in films and helps to immerse the viewer.  The helicopters in this film do this in a physical and overbearing way, you can't get away from the sound and it is omnipresent. It's similar with the willow sticks and arrows.   A sound from something else used for something else is effective and I think speaks for film sound as a whole. Sounds are often appropriated however the viewer would never know unless told or from reading.  It is interesting that they can play with perception in such a way that everyday sounds aren't the same in film however seem like they are...

Goodfellas and Rock Music in Movies

One of the major themes of this film that I personally saw and connected with was the passage of time and the feeling of nostalgia.  Starting in the 1950's and going to the 1980's I found myself missing the glorified early days of the 1950's, the comradery, laughter, and general feeling of fun portrayed by the characters.

This passage of time is portrayed by the change in music.  It follows the course of the story perfectly, mirroring not only the characters but also the times and the culture at the time.  As Henry becomes more and more absorbed into the drug trade and drugs himself, the music reflects this.  This adds a depth to the film that a regular score couldn't do.  I don't think it was mentioned in class or in readings, but I think that the use of rock as the score in these sections connects the film to the real world, it breaks the film wall.  We, the audience, are no longer just viewing the film as voyeurs but we are now a part of it.  The songs talk about what is going on the film from different points of views, it isn't just a story, it is real life, it's things that happened.  It's incredible really, it is a film but it is also history and it is because it uses rock as its music. It is hard to describe it exactly...if there was a musical (orchestral) score, the motifs, themes and meaning wouldn't be as deep, they wouldn't connect so well to the real world and wouldn't have as profound an impact.

I wrote this past paragraph before doing reading about this film.  Upon opening the case study on Goodfellas, the first paragraph makes a point that I may have missed somewhat, "diegetic music also has an effect on the characters."  I have trouble recalling exactly in which points of the film we hear diegetic music, however, we can assume, that these characters have heard the music as they are in the time period.  The music used in this film affects not only the audience but the characters, this adds to the breaking of the film wall that I discussed earlier.  In the readings, it also talks about how "Scorsese...wants to take advantage of the emotional impact of the music" (50).  More than anything, the music in this film serves to create an emotional impact, which it truly does. It works as an indication of time period, but that is almost a byproduct, a side effect rather than the sole purpose.

Once Upon a Time in the West

The leitmotifs used in Once Upon a Time aren't something that easily leave your memory.  Having already seen this film several years ago, and not since, I still knew exactly which theme was for which character and particularly the blending of them as in the duel scene at the end of the film.  Morricone seems to do this with several films he creates sound for, even without knowing who he is, people would, it seems, know his music.  (Good Bad and the Ugly).  Two scenes within the film catch my attention and they are almost opposite in their sound.  The opening scene creates a tension with the use of no music rather, as the Morricone reading states "exaggerated sounds - a buzzing fly, knuckles cracking, and so on - of the pre-title sequence form an intriguing musique concrete. Although it doesn't do it in a continuous rhythm. Instead we get snippets here and there, they only connect through the use of silence.  Empty space acts as the ties for stitching the sounds together.  In a sense, the three characters in the beginning now have their own leitmotifs like the characters post-title sequence.  One has the water drops, one the fly and the other cracking knuckles.  Not only can a viewer distinguish the characters by their physical attributes, but also the sounds surrounding them, which is continued throughout the film.
This stitching together of silence and sound occurs as well when the McBain family is shot, the story only progressing forward after moments of complete silence and then crescendos as the theme of Frank is introduced but as soon as it dies down, that is when an action occurs "the music decrescendos, ending on a funeral chime immediately followed by a gunshot" (230).
Another scene that sends chills down my spine due to the music is the duel between Harmonica and Frank. Throughout the film, we see the themes played for each character separately . However in this scene there is a blending of the two themes for the two characters that is incredible. As they circle each other you hear each theme blend together and one will overpower and then recede.  It is a direct representation of their battle for power, their battle to win the duel.  What is even more powerful is that the music reflects the outcome of the duel, Harmonicas theme takes prominence and as Frank lays dying, the harmonica is transferred to his mouth which signifies a complete transition.  It's easy to imagine it as a white wash sort of, as Frank dies, Harmonica's theme washes away Franks and encompasses him fully.

Magnolia

Magnolia mostly interests me in the way the film score interacts with the story.  There is a film score in the sense of their being a sort of symphonic composed pieces and these create tension in perfect moments.  There is one score that has a sort of repetition and quick beat that builds tension in the earlier third of the film. A bit after a lumbering score that to me created a sort of suspense or dread…somehow I knew that bad things were going to happen. And indeed they did.  It is astounding how simple notes and instruments can create such a feeling.  It makes me wonder if this is something ingrained in us emotionally or if it is a societal influence.  I would like to believe it is the former, even foreign film can evoke the same feelings with the same type of notes and sounds.  Music it seems can be a universal language…interesting to think about.

What is even more interesting to me however is the use of a pop artist to create songs for the film and that also drive the film.  As Reay states, pop music in film is not a new concept and is used quite often. However, it isn’t often that the pop music drives the film.  This is seen mainly in the part where all the characters end up singing the same song.  It is a pivotal moment in the film. A moment of introspection and decision making on all the characters parts.  They start to realize what their lives are like and what they can, and should, do about it. Reay talks about how Anderson was listening to Mann as he was writing the film and lines from songs of hers both inspired him and the characters created. Music often inspires people to write certain things but in this case not only was Anderson inspired but the music became part of the film and himself. Since the music by Mann was so important, it is felt in the film. Whenever one of her songs comes on something incredible happens or you feel a certain emotion and depth to these scenes.  It does something some modern scores or scores in general cannot.

Documentary Film and Sherman’s March

Although we cut Sherman’s March short, it was one of my favorite films we have watched so far this semesters (fluff).  It was so incredibly down to earth and this is what made it enjoyable.  Too often we are fed the extraordinary and great feats of “heros” and what have you however this film follows one guy on his very ordinary day to day interactions.  We hear him talk on the camera just like any other person, even the people he films talk as if they aren’t being filmed.  The camera is a simple bystander to the everyday conversations that Ross has with people around him.  Because we are given such an ordinary look into interactions, we are drawn in further.  Listening to their snippets of conversation is voyeuristic and brings out this tendency in us. We want to listen to what they are saying and what to know all the intimate details. 

We also hear Ross in voice over’s which lends another dimension to the sound and the movie.  We know what is happening inside of Rosses head, we hear his thoughts. Now we not only get to hear his interactions but also his thoughts.  The sound begins to cover all bases, it pervades and nudges us into a sort of trance, wondering what will happen in Rosses somewhat ordinary journey.  We also hear Ross speak to the camera after a certain event.  So in a way, past, present and future are all covered by the sound of Rosses voice.  Voice over, conversations and monologues create a narrative with sound and give us everything we would want to know. Whatever the picture doesn’t show, sound will tell us.

Although most of the sound trends discussed in Altman’s chapter, “Conventions of sound in documentary films” seems like common sense or something we would all know.  One stylistic tendency caught my eye more than others and seemed to apply to Sherman’s March well.  ”Location sound in Documentary” (221).  ”Ambient sounds compete with dialogue” (221). This is something I noticed in Sherman’s March, often times the sounds of nature or the room noise around Ross would make words hard to understand.  Rather than this being a negative thing however I think it allows the user to concentrate harder on what is being said and therefore able to draw more meaning from it.  What also comes to mind with this room vs. dialogue aspect, is in many of Godard films he will have street sounds drown out dialogue completely.  The reading discusses how this isn’t acceptable in Hollywood films but I think that it can add a certain dimensionality or make a certain scene more interesting…if realism is your sort of thing.

Short Cuts and Diegetic Sound

This post is to take a look at diegetic sound and the idea of multiple sources coming in at one time.  Throughout watching Short Cuts I realized multiple instances when two different couples would be talking or two separate groups.  I found myself trying to focus on both, even though one usually over powered the other.  I think this is an interesting way to expand the sound space.  No longer are we stuck in a sort of one dimensional sound where one conversation is it and the rest is background noise.  The use of multiple tracks and multiple conversations or sounds allows for a new multidimensionality.  The scene sort of fleshes itself out.  It is also interesting with this technique that we know who is speaking even though they are off stage.

This idea of offstage sound is also seen in Warhol’s My Hustler in which often times we are looking at one scene but listening to another. This again creates a sort of multidemensionality.  It also challenges the preconceived notion that only the subject on screen is important.  In this instance, the sound off screen is more important than the subject on screen. This is significant because it means that we can now move past the camera, instead of it being the camera and sound being a sort of support.  They both can hit as heavily, this film shows they can both stand on their own which is important in furthering current cinema.  One can work without the other but combined they create something much more compelling. 

A Man Escaped

A Man Escaped was impressive.  This is why: I forgot the face that it was made in 1956 while watching it.  I would hazard to say I was as in engrossed and on the edge of my seat while watching it as any modern film.  There are a couple things I would like to talk about in this blog, the use of Mozart, and the voice over. 

The use of Mozart was significant, to me, in that it introduces the idea of a musical motif in a film.  I payed special attention to it throughout the film and I think I noticed it play mostly when the men walked down the stairs in the prison or through a hallway.  This reminded me of a certain Asian Cinema film I watched (the title escapes me currently) in which the main theme would play every time the man walked down a certain set of stairs.  It sets a sort of tone for those moments in the film, a sort of reprieve from what is happening or helps to signify a ritual.  In A Man Escaped this ritual is walking out to empty their buckets and wash, this seems to be the time that most of the planning occurs and also communication, it becomes an important ritual in the main characters day. 

I would also like to look at the voice over, as  Bordwell and Thompson write: “Fontaine often tells what his thoughts had been” (Bordwell and Thompson 1).  We begin to not be able to see everything from the image, we must now also rely on the narration to understand some things that are happening, and especially Fontaine’s thoughts.  In earlier silent film all details were given from the image (even in title cards).  Now that sound has progressed, the image doesn’t need to tell us everything, instead the sound and image can interact and give us a compiled “image” of what we are seeing.  We can see a good example of this when Fontaine has been told he will be put to death, it looks like he is crying on his bed but the voice over tells us he is laughing.  We wouldn’t have known this detail without the interaction of both the image and the sound.