WEEK 6 REFLECTION SOUND DESIGN

WEEK 6 Reflection - Sound Design

This week is the continuation of sound design. We learned about how sound can set the narrative role of a scene. We were taught on how to extract and dissect a using by finding out how sound manipulates us with the help of visuals. One example of this this film called "Departures". I am most interested on how sound gives the character and the scene their identities. Moreover, I'm also really drawn to how "silence" accompanied by certain sound fx that are placed timely in the scenes. It creates this empathy for the viewers.
From this film, the rest of the class agreed about the crow sound when he is cleaning the deceased body. It connects us that yes it is a sad scene indeed though they are inside the house.

For my own reflection, another film came across my mind after this understanding came to me. 

The film is called "SHUTTER ISLAND" and I would like to analyze this certain clip for all of us today.

0:00 - 1:27 only

SHUTTER ISLAND

Director: Martin Scorcece

Basically this clip started when it was a very thunderous night inside the cells of the island and we are then taken to Teddy Daniel's dream of guilt.

Let's start with the first scene, we see Daniels and white flashes over his face as thunders lashed outside. The sound was so soft, a little bongk bongk of a gong like instrument. Why didn't the director just fill the sound with thunder claps? I believe that it is because he was trying to build it up so that we can have that controlled tension.

0:15

This is a very disturbing scene. The director chose the right colour scheme to establish this shot with a bit of a rim light on his figure. The mangled bodies creates that very traumatizing feeling as they pile up out of the trains as if they're being ready to be disposed. For the sound, it was really creepy,cause if you listen to it, there's this soft rumbling like an old radio like speech speaking. I think it is done purposely for us to show that this happened long ago and that these corpses or one of them are sort of speaking to him. CREEPY!!!

0:17

Then a piano with notes in octave erupts as the camera suddenly cuts back to him in bed with a flash of lighting then cuts back to the dream! Why would the director allowed such thing when he can just remain on the dream itself? I guess because he wants to tease us, he wants us to build that slow tension that what you're expecting to happen hasn't yet to come.

0:35-39

The honking sound still seem to continue throughout as he walk pass the corpses and remember this scene carefully cause later I'll show something more of it on the next few screencaps.

0:41

At this scene we're still being teased by the director , Daniels' slow turns and breathing brought us here on this cut where there's this two corpses of a mother and a kid frozen dead on the floor. I like how the director is playing with us now here, the game is all about visual and sound effects. In here the sound was very eerie with the same honking AND THEN

0:43

BAM! that awesomely freaking scary octave hits us again full in the head as the camera cuts to him with a steady breathing as of a last breath! This is really exciting, I start to anticipate what will happen even clearly cause the pattern of the trick is getting evident now!

0:50

0:51

0:52

0:54

Now these are the scenes that I want to exemplify cause after watching and dissecting I finally got how it all gives us that hook, how the director hooks us visually and with sounds. Take a look at these shots by watching the clip, can't you see the smoke of his breath being rhythmically the same as the bongking sound fx? For me it's really clever! so that's why it all works out just fine, how this horrific suspense kept us tight on our seats! The visual ease of watching and that subconscious understanding of what we see gives us the ability to stay still and just wait for the worse! I think this is really a good hidden technique that is usually overlooked by people and filmmakers. It really gives me the truth that every little thing counts. Now let's go back from 0:35, can't you see the similarity now?

0:55

The corpses now changed to the alleged Rachel Solando and his daughter. With that particular silence to give room for us to empathize with the sadness.

0:57

 A slow cut of silence
THEN!

0:59

BAM! A blood curdling supernatural and evolutionary knocks resounded in the stillness as the kid's eye opened!!!!!!!

 OMINOUS gong like sound going in syncopated crescendo as the camera cuts

YOU SHOULD HAVE SAVED ME, YOU SHOULD HAVE SAVED ALL OF US

 The girl slowly rose up with that gentle face to him and just look at his priceless reaction. I think there's a great contrast there cause the face of the kid is so fine, smooth and gentle and Daniels' face was just so distraught. Moreover, the way she said those words were in a whisper. WHY? I think it shows more emotion as she is dead and she's lifeless but she can speak. Another could be she is too weak and with this manner of saying it she wants to uphold guilt to him. The last one I think was probably the creepiest cause she doesn't want her to be heard by the sleeping dead around them.

Then there it ends with that slow suspenseful sound fx.