An analysis of Sound

                An analysis of sound

                   ‘Season of witch’

   This is the analysis of sound in trailer of American fantasy adventure horror film ‘Season of witch’ by Dominic Sena. The actions took place in the 13^th century in Villach devastated by Black Plague. The knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.

   Non-diegetic sound is any sound that the audience can hear but the characters on screen cannot. There are such non-diegetic sounds as the classical melodious music and woman pleasing noiseless singing at the beginning of the trailer. Also the audience can hear background speech, which provides some information about the plot. This non-diegetic sounds clearly offers the connotation of mysterious Middle Ages. The old castle, knights in armors with swords on the horses and desolate fields generated through high-pitched non-diegetic sounds. During the trailer we can hear the bangs and twang, intense and noisy music, which produce the atmosphere of suspense and panic. The forceful disposition of the main character is conveyed through non-diegetic music in the middle part of the trailer. Namely, through loud, strong and motivate music. Thunderous and harsh non-diegetic sounds during the battles indicate danger for film characters. It presents the feeling of peril. Audience can feel stress because this kind of music makes feel real jeopardy. Whereas synchronous sound is sound that happens on screen but can be amplified, mixed, or changed by a sound editor at a later point. In this triler synchronous sound is used when during the diegetic sounds of battle was added loud and rhythmical music to make the actions more interesting for audience and to add the fighting more strung-up and high-wrought atmosphere.

  

  Diegetic sound is any sound that the character or characters on screen can hear. The background diegetic sound led us know of the genre of film we are going to watch. Moreover, it used to increase the audience’s sense of realism. Such diegetic sound as movements of swords is used to create the atmosphere of real war and to show danger of the current war among people. To create more realistic feelings of danger there was used the growl of a huge wolf. The diegetic speech of dying old man who suffered from the Black Plague is established the real situation of consternation and panic which was reigned at that time.

  The sound bridge in this trailer occurs at the beginning of one scene when the sound from the scene of battle carries over briefly before the sound from the new scene of route begins. In this case it start of non-diegetic sound such the active and become diegetic sound of men’s voices and hoof beats. This type of editing provides a common transition in the continuity editing style because of the way in which it connects the mood, as suggested by the music, throughout multiple scenes. Sound bridge are used to transfer the audience from one scene to another without people’s loss of focus and attention during the trailer. What is more, it is used to avoid misunderstandings between two different scenes, which illustrates different actions.

    To sum it up, sound is used to communicate meaning among scenes.  Sound has a great impact on a film trailer and manipulation of sound is using to create different meanings. As far as the trailer of ‘Season of witch’ is concerned, sound creates the atmosphere and establishes the meaning of whole film and what we should expect from the movie.