Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Apocalypse Now (helicopter attack) - Sound Analysis

From 1:09 contrapuntal sound kicks in as the slow music doesn't relate to the action within the scene. Strong beats would be expected instead to be paralleled with the helicopter scene to show that the men are going to war. Also, the music from 1:09 is a portayal of the use of non-diegetic sound as the audience can still hear the disorientated helicopter sound in the background - it cannot be heard fully.

A sound bridge from 2:06 is used as the slow music from the previous scene is continued into the next scene and fades out. At the this point, the conversation between the two men and the helicopter sound are both heard - the helicopter sound is heard in the background again. This is an example of the use of on and off-screen diegetic sounds.

From 3:23 parallel sound is used as the music, which starts to get fast in pace, matches the mood of tension and what's going on in the scene. Again, the on-screen sounds can still be heard, such as the reloading of a gun. However, between this scene and at the beginning of the new scene at 4:37, a sound bridge isn't used as the music from the previous scene isn't continued into the new scene so it seems a little disjointed. The new scene starts off quite quiet at first (disorientated) but slowly the on-screen diegetic sound of people can be heard and soon the bell can be heard ringing in the background, which is an example of off-screen (non-diegetic) sound. 

An opera singer can be heard from 5:14 which is in parallel with the action in the scene of the men running to get ready for the attack, giving a dramatic effect, and soon disorientates so that the on-screen diegetic sound of running footsteps and voices is heard.

At 5:54 the use of powerful music is in parallel with the attacks in the scene, showing that the soldiers have been successful where they attacked. The blasts of the explosions, gunfires, and conversation can be heard still (on-screen diegetic sound) with the non-diegetic sound (the powerful music) in the background. 

Only on-screen diegetic sound is used at 9:28 where the injured soldier is shown screaming which suggests that the producers of the film wanted to focus on that moment to portray how much pain the soldier is in, so that the audience sympathise with the character.

The background noise of gunfires and explosions is disorientated at 11:41 so the soldiers' conversation is heard more clearly.

At 13:48 the air pilots' voice is the main thing that can be heard clearly, whereas the sound of the airplane is quite disorientated, which implies that the producers wanted to give the audience a sense of reality and make them feel like that they are in the plane - to absorb them into the scene.

Non-diegetic sound (music) comes in at 16:01 but is quite disorientated at this point as the on-screen diegetic sound (conversation) is focused on more. However, the music starts to get louder at 16:43 to portray the soliders getting ready for battle. The drum beats at 17:26 show how the soldiers are becoming under pressure. But at 17:45 contrapuntal sound is portrayed as the music isn't in parallel with what's going on in the scene, where the soldier looks relieved and happy. Then the music disorientates at 18:00 to perhaps show the soldiers' departure and the end of the scene.     

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHjWDCX1Bdw