Sound technique · used in 4 films
Shaping volume and clarity to match what a character is feeling or focused on. You hear the scene as they do, including sounds that trigger memory or fear.
Examples
David Lean · 1984
In the Marabar Caves, the noise of the large group echoes disturbingly, and Mrs. Moore becomes distressed and withdraws. The echo puts you inside her fear. You hear the cave the way she does.
Where to see it: The Marabar Caves. The crowd's noise echoes, and Mrs. Moore pulls away.
Alejandro González Iñárritu · 2006
Chieko is deaf, and the film puts you in her world. In a nightclub with strobe lights and flashing colors, the film shows how she senses things differently. It makes you feel her isolation instead of only hearing about it.
Where to see it: Nightclub: Chieko, a deaf teenage girl, goes to a nightclub filled with strobe lights and flashing colors. The scene was so intense that Japanese distributors added a health warning.
Damien Chazelle · 2014
During Andrew's most intense drumming, the sound mix pulls the snare to the front, makes it sharper than real life and separates it from the room noise. That puts you inside Andrew's tunnel vision.
Where to see it: Andrew's practice sessions at night. He runs these on his own.
Ang Lee · 2016
The halftime show's loud music and pyrotechnics traumatize Sykes. Later, when security guards attack the squad, a warning gunshot stops the fight and war images flood Billy's mind.
Where to see it: Halftime show: The loud music and fireworks traumatize Sykes, who reacts violently toward the stage manager and a security guard.
Questions