LO1: Analysis (P1)

JURRASIC PARK 

In this particular extract from Jurassic park, sound is heavily relied upon to supplement the narrative throughout- having watched the version without sound/music there is a significant amount of the story missing. From (00.00 - 1.57) non diegetic sound plays in the form of orchestral song which is intended to connote adventure and wonder as the helicopter flies through the valley towards Jurassic park. This is only interjected by the sound of the helicopter rotors which can be heard at numerous points throughout but most significantly at (0.05) as to infer what speed the helicopter is going at over the water - this to me is an indicator that the audience are meant to feel as if the whole decent into the forest is a exhilarating experience for all in the helicopter.

When the group actually arrives at the park the tone of music changes to a more up beat whistle tune with the occasional deep drum and brass instrument to remind the viewer that even though they are surrounded by beauty there is something dangerous lurking (2.13). At (2.52) the tone of music changed again beneath the dialogue as the representative of the investor begins to talk about shutting down the park - this is a similar brass instrument played in a repetitive loop, likely to make the audience feel a sense of anxiety and tension between the two . At (2.59) where John shows some positivity and confidence back toward the representative the music picks back up again which is to infer his excitement toward what they are about to see upon entering the park.

At (3.03) the music begins to get repetitive again, this time however with a music light hearted flute type sound - this is an indicator of the excitement and anticipation felt by all when looking for the dinosaurs in the wooded area. When the vehicle stops at 3.21 the music seemingly stops, however is simply lowers to a deep thrum which connotes danger nearby , from there onward there is a gentle climax in the music where all the characters are becoming aware of the dinosaur next to them. At 3.52 the music changes once more to a low violin/cello and starts to progress to connote the realisation of the dinosaur and it's effect on those in the car. At 4.45 for the first time we hear the song which is associated with the film as a whole which is important as this is the first sighting of a dinosaur in a film which is about just that.

HANNIBAL

The title sequence for the Horror series Hannibal is at the forefront of setting the scene for the entire episode, from the beginning of the titles to the end there is a elongated string sound presumably from a cello which gradually reaches a crescendo and then falls away - this creates a sense of foreboding and can often make the viewer uncomfortable due to its high pitched and simultaneously deep base tone. Those who watch the show should already have prior knowledge of the story around the successful film 'silence of the lambs' in which we are first introduced to the character of 'Hannibal the Cannibal' therefore upon hearing this for the first time you get a form of visceral response in terms of it making you feel queasy and uncomfortable. At (0.09) there is introduction of percussion instruments which have become signature to the genre as a sound commonly used in horror films - this is something that fans of this genre will recognise and associate with those gruesome scenes of a woodland murder. This is then paired with the visuals of a face being formed from dripping blood which gives a strong indication of the violence which is about to come . The base line of noise which runs throughout the clip for me is similar to that of a wasp, a low unsettling drone which instills a sense of fear into you - When you hear the noise you are almost instantly on guard for fear that it may sting you, in this case the title song is there for you to recognise the beginning of the episode and may also have a similar effect in terms of feeling instantly frightened for the characters - as there is a long running theme of Hannibal getting away with these Heinous crimes, the theme song almost gives the viewer the anxiety  of 'is he going to get caught' as each episode, we are made aware of the goings on however nobody else is.

In the clip from the psych clinic where Hannibal is attempting to brainwash Will, there is a constant low drone behind the dialogue which connotes danger and animosity - this drone provides a base layer to the music and an uncomfortable stillness which has a form of buzzing behind which to me symbolises a morgue - this is a potential insight into Will's future should he remain around the dangerous Hannibal Lecter. At (0.40) there is a metallic drum sound which repeats again 6 seconds later at (0.46) this creates a sense of fear as it is again a sound associated with the horror genre often used around the time someone gets attacked or harmed in some way mentally or physically. At 0.57 there is a repetitive dripping sound which resembles a percussion instrument again signifying the passing of time which relates to the visuals of Will drawing the clock. Throughout this particular clip there are frequent deep metallic clangs which resemble the shutting of cell doors in a prison or institution - the loudest of these being at (0.47) . This could be a potential foreboding of the route Will is about to descend into due to Hannibal's interference.

In the third clip I have provided where Will is slowly becoming less compos mentis we are introduced to another piece of sound (0.15) which signifies how his memory is becoming scratchy and disjointed - the static sound comes as Will says ' I think I'm loosing my mind, I don't know what is real' which could connote the erratic thought process' he is having due to Dr Lecter's absurd method of 'treatment'. At (0.39) Will pulls a gun on a man sat at the table and the music reaches a crescendo and a cacophony of sounds are used to raise awareness to the ever growing tension throughout the scene. Shortly after this, when Lecter is questioning Will about who he sees at the table, there is a non - diegetic sound of what appears to be wordless whispers, this connotes to the audience that Will is in a state of confusion and makes them doubt what they are seeing and what is actually there as we are in a way given a biased view of what Hannibal is making Will see through his hypnotic therapy.

BBC EARTH - CHEETAH

The narrative of this clip is conveyed in a documentary format with a narrator giving commentary throughout, that being said, the filming is in no way lacking excitement due to the non diegetic sound that is used to support the visuals throughout the entirety of the Clip. In the establishing shots of the video, traditional pan pipe style music is played as a drone shot sweeps through the dramatic landscape where the story begins - through simply playing this style of music which in western society we are aware is associated with tribes people and African culture - the scene is set and we are geographically placed before the narrator has time to tell us the location (Kenya). This is important particularly for this style of documentary as we rely upon the visuals primarily to tell us, the viewer, where we are in the world and where these animals come from because more often than not - we have not experienced these animals in their natural habitat. At (0.11) another layer of sound is introduced as we see the Cheetah appear for the first time, a muffled steel drum comes into ear shot over the base line sound which has been playing from (00.00) to reinforce the location, however the steady gentle pattern of the steel drum beats reflects the elegance of how the Cheetah moves and in someway is quiet majestic which is ultimately what the producer will want the audience to pick up on.

At (0.43) when another Cheetah appears and the narrative changes to how these animals can hunt better in numbers, the non diegetic sound changes - there is some form of soft drum role which connotes that these animals although majestic are made to kill and are anticipating their next hunt on an unsuspecting victim. Whilst this happens the tone of the music gets seemingly more intense which could either be reflective of the anxiety the animal feels before the kill or used to foreshadow a possible change in pace to the serenity of the past few scenes. At (0.57) the sounds intensify and a deep string instrument begins to build tension for the viewer as the animals are nearing their unsuspecting prey - this is done to dramatise the events which have become mundane within the animal world and to show the viewer that although this is something we only see occasionally on screen - this is day to day life for a wild animal.

At (1.09) we are introduced to a third Cheetah and are told that these animals are brothers, when this Is said the intensity of the music dies down and returns back to the serenity which is the majesty of these animals presumably to make the audience feel a connection and a sense of warmth toward these animals who are working together to remain living. At (1.40) a loud string instrument, possibly a violin is used to connote danger as we see the ostrich grazing un aware of its surroundings - these types of SFX are used generally in horror films to signify the volatility of a character hence why it has been used here as this is something audiences will readily relate to.  At (2.45) there is a sudden climax in the music as both the Ostrich and the Cheetah begin to run and heavier sounding instruments such as drums are used to reinforce the speed at which the process is happening at - this is a technique commonly used in action films to mark the start of a long line of events , here it is to leave the viewer in anticipation of whether the cats will catch up with the Ostrich and make their kill. At (3.27) a final cymbal noise is heard to imply the death of the Ostrich and the victory of the cheetahs in their hunting efforts , this provides the end to the action and from there onward their is a period of wind down where the music gradually comes to a regular pace once more to show how quickly the whole ordeal has been carried out.

AMNESIA : THE DARK DESCENT 

Amnesia is a Horror computer game surrounding the loss of sanity of a young man called Daniel . Daniel is plagued by 'shadows' in his search for the Baron of the castle he has found himself woken up in with little memory of his previous life asides from he used to live in Mayfair - he leaves a series of letters and diaries from his previous life helping him piece together the understanding of events that have lead him to this moment. Amnesia has an obvious soundscape throughout to aid players through the gameplay (1st person) and make the location/environment he is in more immersive. 

This is done through a series of sounds layered that we as humans associate with the location, the game is set in a large castle therefore to make this believable we can hear the shuffling of his feet across the stone floor as you progress using mouse clicks through the castles walkways, every object which the character Daniel comes across and has the opportunity to interact with has an appropriate sound which we can liken to the real thing - for example in the early part of the clip, he picks up two small glass bottles and when doing so the gameplay provides the sound of glass against glass , clinking together as a form of intellectual puzzle for the player. As we are made aware by the title of the game and the narrative in the early stages - Daniel is not completely aware of his surroundings nor how he has come to that point therefore throughout we can hear his elevated breathing pattern when he begins to panic or sense the presence of the shadows - this is done to reinforce to the player the conditions in which the character is interacting with his surrounding in.

We associate old castle ruins with echoes and unexplained noises therefore the makers of this game to make it as immersive as possible have included all of these realistic sound effects - the most interesting of these being the closing of doors . The sound we hear confirms that a door is being opened by the creaking and scraping of the door bottom against the stone , but also what material it is by the sound it makes when it comes to a close (wood) due to the hollow clash when it meets its frame. The echoes which follow this supplement the 1st person gameplay as you can hear the character moving down the corridors, brushing against the walls and opening doors - this makes the game all the more immersive.