Sherlock Holmes - Sound Analysis

    Sherlock Holmes 
Opening Scene Sound Analysis

This video above is the opening scene of the Sherlock Holmes movie.

In the opening scene you can already hear many sounds and the sounds which are heard are dietetic sounds such as the horses as they are approaching, guns shots as the characters are getting ready to fire, screams of the people who are in danger and crows to show that danger is on its way.

The tempo of the music which the opening starts off with is brilliant as it starts off as very slow because in the first 10 seconds nothing was really happening but this still created so much detail, then as the horses and carriage come along the music tempo gets fast and loud and the sound of drums and violins come in to compliment the piano this definitely created extra excitement, as well as these sounds you have sounds such as the chains of the horses and the metal chains clanging as the horses are getting told to ride faster. 

You can also here the gun sounds which the characters are getting ready to shoot and the clicks are all very in link with their movement.

Diegetic sound:

Diegetic sound is any sound that is shown as originated from the source within the films world. The dialogue that belongs to the picture. for example the voices of characters, sounds which are made by objects in the story and music which is represented as coming from instruments in the story space ( = source music).

Diegetic sound can also be used to create a lot of different meanings for an audience.

The dietetic sound which is used in the opening scene is the sound of the horses, guns, screams, crows and the clanging of the chains this is dietetic as it all belongs to the scene which is shown.

Non diegetic sound:

is shown as coming from a subject that is outside the story space.  for example the narrator's commentary or the sound effects which are added for the dramatic effect and mood music. For example if a character is walking upstairs in the dark creepy piano music ma be played as the character is approaching the top of the stairs.

The non diegetic sound which is used is the piano and the drums, violin and the glass shatter at the end of the scene. This is been used to create effect.

Ambient:

Ambient sound is used to create a particular atmosphere or a sense of place.

for example rustling leaf noises in the woods while someone is walking.

The ambient sound in the opening scene which is used to me is really great and I think a good example of this is the glass shatter, that has been used in the end of the scene to imply that as the story goes on their will be a lot of danger.

Selective sound:

Selective sound is sound which is used to emphasise certain sounds within an element. 

for example bangs and crashes when a gun has been shot.

Synchronous sound:

When a sound effect is matched with another technical event or action and that then reinforces the effect.

Contrapuntal sound:

Is when the sound effect that is used in the sequence does not match the visuals, this is used to create alternative meanings. for example if there is a couple who are running in fields but instead of happy music playing you get screams and gun shots in the background. 

SFX: 

means sound effects and its the sound effects that have been used within the movie.

For example in the Sherlock opening the SFX sound which is used is the shatter of the glass because that has been added in at the end to create the atmosphere.

Tone:

Tone is any sound which is considered with reference to its quality, pitch, strength and source. an example of the tone that has ben used in the Sherlock Holmes video is the background music, the music is quite high pitched showing you that the events which are going to take place are going to be quite fast paced and quick so the pitch compliments what is going to happen really well. 

Genre:

The genre is mainly known as the theme of the story for example like what it comes under as a category. 

The genre of the Sherlock Holmes movie is known to be a thriller as well as a crime fiction, mystery, adventure - action film. 

Theme music:  is the sounds or songs that are usually recognisable in melody which are used in the films. For example the soundtrack to the movie Titanic is the song "my heart goes on" and that is known very well by many people as it was featured in the film.

Voiceover (VO)

a voice over is a piece of narration in a film that is not accompanied by an image of the speaker, all you can hear is the voice.

a movie which used A VOICE OVER is the film called CLOCKWORK ORANGE as it starts of with someone speaking and you can not see their face.

i think that using a voice over in a film is a good thing because it can be very beneficial as it gets you into the movie opening even more. If someone starts talking you the instantly get hooked in because you generally want to hear what they are saying as it could be vital information for you to hear about the movie.

Asynchronous sound: 

is when the sound originates from outside of the diegetic reality of the film, musical soundtrack.

Silence: 

Silence is great to use in films because it creates such an impact that music can not, silence can mean so much, it can give out so many atmospheres such as a scary atmosphere as well as a sad atmosphere. Silence is mainly used in horror movies to create the effect for example if someone is going to pop out the door it'll be all quiet to get the audience to jump to create affect.