Sound in Film

In 1877, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph which recorded sound that could be played back at later times. In the 1890's, Thomas Edison created the motion picture camera. However, these two inventions did not work well together as the sound could not sync with the movement, so the movies that could be played would be silent. Because there was no sound, the dialogue would be shown on screen in the form of "titles" and actors would express emotions through facial expressions and body language. A famous actor from that time period was Charlie Chaplin, despite there being no sound, the audience could always tell what was happening because of his body language and facial expressions. Because films were silent, theatres hired musicians to play music during the films. They sat in a pit below the screen and played music that would fit the mood. Then Warner Brothers had opened their first movie theatre and started spreading nationwide. In 1925, they suggested trying sound and used electricity to play music instead of hiring a live band. In 1927 the first film with sound and dialogue was made. By 1930, sound movies were just as action packed as silent films and since that day there has always been sound in film.
After watching some films and doing some research I found that films that are considered to have the beat sound include;

• Saving Private Ryan
• Wall-E
• Jurassic Park
• Eraserhead

Films that have won an Academy Award for best sound mixing include;

• Whiplash
• Gravity
• Mad Max
• Les Miserables

In my thriller opening I will focus on the sound and the atmosphere it will create and how it fill influence the audiences perceptions of the characters in the film. I will do this by using different scores/ soundtracks for different characters to give the audience an insight into the character and gives hints towards their personalities and what will happen later on in the film.

Sound Practice Task

In lesson we were given the task of putting a score over either a piece of film that we filmed ourselves or over some of a movie, despite my practice task creating a comedic effect, it shows the difference that sound can make to a film and how it can change the meaning or the atmosphere of a scene. For my practice task I added the music from Titanic (My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion) over Quicksilver's death scene (from Avengers - Age of Ultron) this is the final result.

Pitch Video

As part of the planning and researching for my psychological/crime thriller film opening I needed to create a one page pitch to present it to "film commissioners" so that they will fund the film I will create. This is the pitch video that I made with me explaining the ideas for my thriller film to the 'film commisioners' (AKA Mr Welch and Mrs Rogers). I had to edit the video as well as set up the cameras and film it and I believe that that I did both of these successfully (except for Mr Welch's head being in the way of the camera whenever he leans forward). This is the final edited video, enjoy.

Film Regulation

The BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films shown at cinemas. Over the years, what has been deemed as suitable for younger viewers has changed drastically over the years. For example, horror film Revenge of the Zombies was given a X rating (equivalent of an 18) when released but when re-released in the 90's was given a U rating. The BBFC has banned films from being released in the UK but most of these have then been released with an 18 rating. An example of this was Quentin Tarantino film Reservoir Dogs which was banned from 1992-1995.
There are 5 main different age ratings that films can be given. These are;

• U - Universal - These films are suitable for all ages.

Features of U rated films include; limited nudity,infrequent swearing (and if there is, only mild), no references to drugs or drugs misuse.

U rated films are suitable for all ages as there are no scenes in them which people would class as bad influence and would not give bad impressions to young children

Famous U rated films include;

• Bee Movie
• 101 Dalmatians
• Aladdin
• Beauty and the Beast

• PG - Parental Guidance - General viewing but some scenes may be unsuitable for young children. Features of PG rated films include; mild bad language, frightening or threatening sequences should not be prolonged, mild violence, nudity with no sexual context, no focus on anti-social behavior 

PG rated films are suitable for most children as the scenes that are played are not giving children bad influences as most scenes are family friendly and the violence is only in a comical context

Famous PG rated films include;

• Alice in Wonderland (2010)
• Cars
• Bolt
• Edward Scissorhands
• Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone

• 12/12A - Suitable for children for children over the age of 12. No child under 12 may see a 12A film unless accompanied by an adult.

Features of 12/12A rated films include; limited drug misuse, moderate swearing, moderate physical and psychological threat and horror sequences, moderate violence
12/12A rated films are suitable for children over 12 because the violent scenes are often towards non-human looking characters (aliens, monsters) and the mild language is only brief

Famous 12 rated films include;

• Spiderman
• Mean Girls
• X-Men 3
• Twilight
• The Hunger Games

• 15 - No one younger than 15 may see a 15 film in the cinema or be able to rent a copy.

Features of 15 rated films include; strong language, strong violence, dangerous behavior (but nt dwelling on detail), must not endorse discrimination but can include racist, homophobic or other discriminatory themes.
15 rated films are suitable for 15 years and up as it includes strong violence/ swearing and/or nudity therefore making it unsuitable for anyone under that age as they are not mature enough

Famous 15 rated films include;

• The Dark Knight
• Saving Private Ryan

• 18 - No one younger than 18 may see a 18 film in the cinema or be able to rent a copy.

Features of 18 rated films include; most features are allowed in an 18 such as; nudity, violence, swearing, etc. The only exceptions include, if it is in breach of criminal law, where it appears to risk harm to individuals or, through their behavior, to society, or if it is too strong it would only be allowed in an R18 film.
18 rated films are only suitable for adults because it has material in that is only suitable for adults, this includes very strong violence, swearing, drug misuse and nudity.

Textual Analysis: Saw

The first shot that we see at the beginning of the Saw movie is a shot of the main character in a bathtub submerged in water. The shot that is used is a close up shot of his face. This creates mystery as it creates questions such as why is he under the water? where is he? Fast editing is used at the beginning of the scene between the character and an object being pulled down the drain. This fast editing is used to speed up the scene and create suspense.

 The next series of shots use extreme low key lighting so the audience can barely see the character and his surroundings. This puts the audience on edge as they cannot see what is happening or where the character is. When the light is turned on, the camera follows each light as it turns on, creating suspense. There is then a close up of Adam wincing, which suggests he hasn't been in the light for a long time, which creates enigmas and makes the audience wonder what happened to them. These two shots show the audience what Adam is experiencing and make the audience feel sympathetic towards him.

The lighting that is used in the opening sequence fits the typical conventions of a horror film as it is dark and a common theme in horror films is darkness and the fear of what lurks in the dark. There is then an eye line match showing the audience what the two characters are looking at, followed by a high angle shot then followed by the camera spinning and tracking upwards. These shots make the audience have a stronger reaction to the dead body. When the dead body is revealed, there is a collection of unsettling sounds including sounds of screeching, screaming and other sounds.

There is then a collection of different camera angles as Adam tries to escape from the chain that is attached to his angle. The quick concession between these shots gives us the impression that Adam is scared and shows us how frantic Adam is as a character and how he wants escape.