Soundtracks

Although movies began without sound, the important of sound was recognised from the very beginning and every movie was accompanied by a pianist who played to fit the action. In a romantic scene the pianist would play gently melodies, in an exciting chase he or she would pound the keyboard with thumping rhythms and action crescendos.

Nowadays we are so familiar with the notion of the soundtrack that we don't particularly register what it's doing. In fact, the soundtrack is a crucial part of the communication process. Here's a simple example from a 1950s television trailer - The Lone Ranger. Click on the picture to hear it.

This example was made for schools to accompany a video editing program called Revelation Sight and Sound by Logotron.

When you're watching a film or TV try this. Listen for different types of sound. Advertisements are particularly good for this because each one is a mini film complete with storyline, dialogue and soundtrack. You should be able to hear these types of sound:

Music: What type of music is it? Is it happy or sad? What is its purpose?
Voice: Who is speaking? Is it a man or a woman, a boy or a girl? Are they happy or sad?
Sound Effects: What other sounds can you hear? Why are they included?

There’s one other important sound that is often used in movies:

silence

We don’t think of silence as a sound but it is an important element in movie sound tracks. Listen out for it and think about why the director chose to include silence at that point. You can be sure it isn't there by accident. Every choice of music, every sound effect and every silence is carefully scripted and placed for maximum effect. Just as an author carefully chooses each and every word so a director chooses the elements in a film with immense care.

Go on to Music - or choose from the menu on the left