Lights, Camera, Music
Abstract
Film sound has the ability to construct the space and time in which the story takes place. It characterizes the mode of perception of the narrative and can generate a particular tone, or create connections between the different scenes, so that the plot is granted a sense of development. In this study, through selected case studies and analyses of film of diverse genres, film sound is examined for its narrative properties and its influence on generating meaning in concurrence with images. But based on the implications of applications of sound in film, the focus is on the actual absence of designed sound, such as dialogue, music or non-diegetic sound. The use of rests, similar to music composition, can play an essential role in the narrative delivery and its interpretation. The absence of sound can influence the perception of the story world, communicating a message in an implied manner, without a cognitive relation to the story. In this perspective, the sensorial dimension of the movie is directly informed by empty sound work. This technique can produce a sense of realism, disrupt the expected flow of the film, or generate a distinctive tone that can enhance the narrative.