This week we have been asked to analyze the elements of sound within the film, and how sound plays a vital role in one’s interpretation of motion pictures. The ability to hear sound is one the most important senses any living organism can possess for survival and comprehension of the physical world. The use of sound in film established the emotions and event that the director wants the audience to feel from the scenes being presented. Even in silent films, the music was still created by someone playing the piano to demonstrate the emotion of a scene. Goodykoontz and Jacobs state that “Audiences didn’t just expect sound; they demanded it. And yet, for such an essential part of a film, audiences today often take sound and even music for granted”.
The sound is the brush that paints the medium of film, for without out it the audience would feel little to no connection of the events transpiring. Multiple elements are used to convey sound in the film such as; The Score (the music in a film), Dialogue (the communication between characters in a film), and Sound effects (sounds from indictment objects). The use of music in the film is considered a non-diegetic (a synthesized element that does not exist in the current scene but is used to sway an audience’s feelings and reactions) (Goodkoontz & Jacobs, 2014). David Lynch admitted that the main origins of inspiration for the film Blue Velvet came from the song “Blue Velvet” (1955) sung by The Clovers. He states that the song inspired him to want to write about a movie that involved love and mystery. David Lynch says ” It started with Bobby Vinton’s song Blue Velvet which came out in 1964, but I started getting these ideas from the song of a mystery that would take place in a small city in quiet neighborhoods” (The Making of Blue Velvet Documentary, 2002). The use of music in Blue Velvet is created to texturize the scene and amplify the mood. The song of Blue Velvet tells us what the storyline is about and provides the ominous tone that will ensue throughout the film.
The use of music to create mysterious and ominous tones and feelings is also is shown in this scene where The Clown is singing Roy Orbason’s – In Dreams:
Have you ever had the opportunity to watch a silent film, and maybe you were unable to finish the movie because the ability to understand the events did not seem appealing to you. Surprisingly enough, at one point people were so accustomed to silent films. Films with dialogue were not popular at all due in large to society believed that silent films gave one the ability to make their own interpretation of a film rather than a coerced interpretation (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014)
The are three pertinent reasons why the use dialogue according to Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2014 :
” 1. further the development of the plot
2. to enhance characterizations
3. to establish very quickly important information the audience needs to know to understand the action (e.g., names, locations, dates, motivations, backstory)” (section. 8.4, para. 8)
Sound Effects are important in the film because it provides the is meant to cause adrenaline in the viewer, and excite them (Goodykoontz and Jacobs, 2014). The sound is symbolic throughout the film Blue Velvet (1986). The sounds used are the creator’s; David Lynch’s signature on the movie, and the rest of his film’s. The sound of electricity is often used to demonstrate and foreshadow an event of murder within Lynch’s work. “Like the face painting and the use of dog which are common links in Lynch films to get across a similar meaning, the use of electricity can be linked with murder. When the dead body is found we hear an electric drum in the background as a noticeable presence. This can be seen again when Frank is killed and the light bulb frazzles and bursts” (Foley, 2014).
References
Foley, D. (2014, November 08). Blue Velvet – Film Analysis. Retrieved March 04, 2018, from https://mustseefilmspodcast.com/article/214
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing(2nd ed.) [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu
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