Since Jaws is such an old movie it was incredibly difficult to find scenes from it, and this one particular scene which I wanted only came in a trailer-like form. Anyway, when you guys watch the clip please ignore the man that is talking over it and you can stop watching once the woman is attacked. Sorry it's such a bad clip!!:
This is a very simple scene, just a pan shot of coral and a woman swimming in the ocean, and yet the incorporation of sound effects manages to transform what would originally be perceived as a serene shot (at least until the woman is seen thrashing about) into a highly suspenseful one. In this scene all one can hear is nonliteral sound, the beats are low pitched and slow but gradually get faster and louder and more high pitched to signify a sense of foreboding and that danger is getting imminently closer. “A movie is made up of many, many details, and nothing is more important than the music,” (Analysis of Production Elements, pg. 239). Sound can really help to create a mood; imagine if the song that was playing in the background was something cheerful and upbeat-no one would have any sense of fear and that would take away from the entire scene. “Musical cues tell viewers how to feel about what they are watching,” (Analysis of Production Elements, pg. 239). In this scene, not once is the shark shown and yet viewers know that they are meant to feel a sense of fear and suspense. I think Jaws proves that sound is just as important as what is being shown visually-Jaws is associated with its soundtrack, viewers remember it now because of its suspenseful music. I’m pretty sure this music is familiar to almost everyone even if they haven’t seen Jaws proving that sound can have a deeper impact than the visual aspects of a movie itself!
Now imagine if Jaws had sounded like this:
By the way could someone please tell me how I can post videos on the blog?? I'm not very tech savvy.
This was a great example esp for sound because ever since I first saw this movie when I was a child that song still plays in my head every time I get in the ocean. I can like hear the da dumm da dumm and then my mind pictures sharks and I usually get out pretty quickly haha. But anyway, great example- love this movie too!
ReplyDeleteoooooh... this was brilliant!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely shows that the music/sound play a key role in what is happening in a particular scene.
Plus.... this is a great idea for the commercial of the radio station... bravo to these people for such a brilliant idea.