GENERAL CONVENTIONS 3: sound; genre signification

My influences

• I like the idea of incorporating music into our film opening for more than just creating an ambiance (diegetic or not I'm not sure) - 'choreographing' a film to sound isn't the most common of conventions but it can work
• Not using much dialogue for exposition
• A voiceover
• The use of Foley sound, both for verisimilitude and creativity - a good example of this this BTS video form the 2018 horror film The Quiet Place

Summary

• audio bridge between titles (eg Bride of Chucky, Baby Driver)
• ambient and Foley sound for verisimilitude (The Mexican, The Quiet Place, Baby Drive, Chucky)
• music can be diegetic or non-diegetic - often used to signify genre/target audience (eg Baby Driver and Chucky)
• music is not usually continuous - fades in and out (eg Baby Driver)
• sound can signify setting (eg Submarine)
• Can be used to build tension/narrative enigma (eg The Mexican, Drive and Chucky)
• Institution aspect - OSTs

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Vodcast

RESEARCH (MINE):
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Baby Driver - driven by music

I have decided to split this opening sequence into 2 parts: the opening sequence & titles.

 

Opening Sequence 

Baby Driver OST on vinyl

Sound is one of the most important aspects of Baby Driver, with large sections of the visuals being “choreographed” to fit the soundtrack, sometimes more reminiscent of a music video than a film. In this example it has been stated by the director that the scene is built around the song, rather than vice versa.

• The attention to detail is a part of the auteur director, Edgar Wright’s, style, but also has huge marketing potential 
• a line used in a lot of the promotional material was "all you need is one killer track" (OST available on apple music, spotify & vinyl).

• The opening sequence begins on a fade from black, and before the first shot we can hear a high pitched sound which turns into a musical note (an audio bridge) 
• the sound is unsettling and has a foreboding nature, signifying a somewhat serious genre. 
• This is also a part of the narrative, as the audience will come to know that the protagonist suffers from tinnitus (a ringing in the ears). 

• As the screen fades from black and we see a city street, the ambient sound of cars driving past can be heard - high level of verisimilitude. 
• As the car which the protagonist is in pulls up a louder sound can be heard - also for verisimilitude.

• In the second shot we see the protagonist pull out an iPod classic and begin a song, which then plays over the remainder of the opening sequence.

•  The follow 4 cuts happen to the beat of the song, and even the chewing of gum is on tempo, although it does not make any sound.

via GIPHY

• The song is a garage/blues/alt rock song by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, which signifies the action genre, but also more serious themes.

• Every part of the opening sequence is choreographed to the song
•  the opening and closing of car doors, walking to the beat, the movement of the car, ads the protagonist sings and dances along - diegetic.

via GIPHY

• Just before the protagonist watches the rest of his ‘crew’ fire guns in the bank they are robbing, the music becomes quieter and police sirens can be heard as a police car drives past 
•  this anchors the genre as action, as this takes precedent over the music.
• This is also somewhat expositional to the narrative as we learn the protagonist’s central conflict is that of his commitment to a life of crime, and music is one of the ways in which he can hide form the immorality of criminality.

• The sound of gunfire is also heard through the bank window, although the sound is muffled - this is most likely Foley sound

via GIPHY

• Sounds of the tyres screeching can be heard, and there are some close ups of the tyres making sharp turns/quick stops

• The only dialogue in the opening sequence is over the walkie-talkie of a police car (also diegetic). This is a part of the director’s style - focusing on film as a visual medium, using sound and visuals for exposition rather than dialogue as often as possible.

Titles

• Also created very much like a music video, the title sequence is lead by audio, with diegetic aspects adding to the song (car horns, bike bells, scuffling of feet, ATM beeps), and the visuals being made in conjuncture to the lyrics
• the protagonist miming playing the trumpet in a shop window as is it heard in the song, and lyrics being written in graffiti on the street which change as the protagonist walks back from getting coffee.

via GIPHY

Baby Driver  on the way there vs. on the way back screenshot

• Unlike in the opening sequence the title sequence is a 2:45 long steady-cam tracking shot, with elements of the street timing in with the music rather than cutting to the beat.
• The song used in the titles is Harlem Shuffle - Bob & Early
• R&B rather than a rock song 
• Appeals to an older audience
• When the protagonist removes one earphone to order coffee the music becomes quieter
• sound editing done in post
• assures the protagonist is properly anchored as the audience is experiences the diegesis through his eyes and ears
• Then only exposition done throughout dialogue here is the main characters name ('Baby')

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Submarine

• The first sound that can be heard in Submarine is unclear: it could be wind or waves
•  it is made clear that it is the diegetic sound of waves when seagulls can be heard. This is expository as it signifies that the film takes place by the sea.

• After 30 seconds a voiceover begins
• this is non-diegetic and purely for exposition, but also builds narrative enigma as the voiceover begins before we see the protagonist’s face, but is very quickly resolved as the protagonist comes into the shot.

• The accent tells us that the protagonist is from Wales, and from the sound of waves we can infer that the film is also set there.

• The sound of waves is quiet and not overpowering as if it were a storm, creating a calm atmosphere.
•  As a mellow song begins to play the camera cuts closer to the protagonist’s face twice - both times to the beat - and on the third beat the protagonist looks into the camera.
• Similar to Baby Driver there is conjuncture between the music and the visuals, however the music is non-diegetic within the opening scene of Submarine. 

• As the music starts a brief montage consisting of wide shots of the Welsh coast is shown (9 shots in total, only the last 2 of which have Oliver in them). 
• With the music this creates a calm atmosphere/ambiance, but is also iconography, as it shows the character's awareness of himself as just a small part of the surrounding world, that he accepts he is not ‘an individual’ and does not need to think of himself as unique in order to motivate himself to ‘get out of bed, eat food and walk around like nothing’s wrong’, as he states other people do in the voiceover.
• This is similar to in The Wicker Man - which was filmed on location at Hebridean, and during the opening credits has many wide shots of the countryside as the protagonist arrives by helicopter 

via GIPHY

Submarine OST on vinyl

• The acoustic music adds to the calming atmosphere, and similar to Baby Driver has marketing potential for an OST, as it is by the lead singer from the alt band Arctic Monkeys (star billing). 
• when you look up a poster for the film, the second image which comes up is for the soundtrack

A google search for Submarine's poster

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RESEARCH (Sam's):

CONVENTION3: DETAILED ANALYSIS SOUND, GENRE SIGNIFICATION

Bride of Chucky (1998):

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• Non-diegetic music
• Audio Bridge between titles
• Sound:
• slow high pitch string instruments
• slow long drum beats which are several seconds apart. Therefore makes it creepy:
• it gives the slow heartbeat feel (messes around with your psychology)
• the slow drum beats make you holding your breath which gives a tense feeling.
• the single beat kicks slow down your heartbeat which again messes with your heart which impacts the heart (if fast pace music, it speeds up your mood/adrenaline)
• later on the non-diegetic sound changes to a faster pace (drum kicks) 
• (It's very effective to mess with somebody's heart if combining fast/slow notes)

Baby Driver (2017):

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• At the beginning, we find an audio bridge which is common in movies (still in the black screen and then the first shot comes)
• ambient sound of cars driving past and people talking on the phone to add verisimilitude
• the sounds are all non-diegetic which were added later on during the post-production process
• 00:12 we hear a clear sound of a car pulling up which gets louder and louder 
• sound of engine, brakes, and handbrake
• all this non-diegetic sound (details) of the car is signifying that the red Subaru is going to play a bigger role in that scene (before transitioning into the main film)
• it's always cutting to the beat
• the long drawn out drum beats are several seconds apart
• in the background, you hear a fast pace high pitch note which rises in volume
• this is going to raise the tension (make the mood tense)
• 01:00 they have included diegetic sound (protagonist singing along)
• the music they chose is kind of rock genre
• the pace of the music changes often it goes from slow then fast then it slows down again and stops (brake) eventually then it picks on the pace again
• therefore it messes with the heartbeat 
• it gives the tense feeling/mood then stops or slows the mood down 
• when the music goes fast again with the sound of the car (engine, tire/drifting) it makes the viewer more excited again
• especially for rock the fast notes, drums, and guitar, it fits well because the fast beat of instruments gives the viewers adrenaline and excitement
• also, the fast pace is likely to signify action (whereas, for horror, it is long drawn out slow drum kicks to make it creepy/scary)

Drive (2011):

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• audio bridge/ambient sound which overlaps between the title sequence and first shot of the movie
• there again we find a slow drawn out bass kick which is several seconds apart
• it slows down our heartbeat which gives a tense vibe
• the fact that the bass kicks don't change in notes (monotone/change in speed) it makes it mysterious and dramatic
• first shot (panning/tilting shot) there are a lot of non-diegetic sounds (flipping the phone, taking the bag, walking noise) 
• ambient sound is also present (cars driving past)
• at  02:11 the music rises in volume which signifies tension, it's about to get serious (action)
• at 03:11 you only hear the non-diegetic sound of the watch 
• it signifies that the time is going to be a major element
• at 03:20 the central protagonist turns up the volume of the radio 
• it signifies that there are important pieces of information to pick up

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