The Soundscape By R. Murray Schafer

Writer and composer, Aaron Copland, in his book, “How We Listen,” divides listening into three planes: the sensuous, the expressive and the sheerly musical. Copland argues throughout the work that “[listeners] can deepen [their] understanding of music only by being a more conscious and aware listener.” (Copland, 15) Copland’s strategy of breaking the text up with the three planes of listening helps the reader understand his message in a more complete way.

Sound is something quite special, impactful, and adds layers of elements and complexity to a film. As with the progression of the movie making medium, sound has grown and changed drastically over the decades. However, sound cues in the form of effects, dialogue, and everything in between, shapes our perceptions of a scene and movie.

The Smallest Choice can have the Biggest Consequences: A New Critical Analysis of A Sound

Wonderland is depicted as being a land of magic, mystery and nonsensical occurrences. The director Tim Burton has been able to do this by the use of numerous filmic techniques. One of the techniques was the soundscape, in the film the sound scape created the desired aura, and ambiance to signify the wackiness of ‘Wonderland’. The sound which accompanied anything related to ‘wonderland’ can be described as airy, harmonious and awestruck, however occasionally it may be interrupted by a natural noise, like a pig running (as seen in the 1st scene of wonderland). It has slow, yet easy transitions between the various notes, making it somewhat fluid. A great example of this type of soundscape is around 11.42; here the music is elevated and accompanied with a vocal choir as the rabbit is from Wonderland. This orchestral arrangement, especially the choir adds an element of mystery and suspense. It also creates a euphoric atmosphere. Another evidence to show the close correlation between the soundscape and ‘Wonderland’ is that, every time wonderland is the subject of discussion, the

To understand why music is a product of human intention and perception, we start by defining or understanding the nature of music. Music is defined as the sounds or combination of vocals and instruments in a way that it produces a form of beauty, expression, or harmony of emotions. Arguably, people compose or make music through many ways (Resnicow, Joel E., 20-29). While some people might compose music without incorporating instruments, others use instruments to produce beats that match with their sounds. However, to argue that the

As well as lighting, sound was used very effectively to stage the story. For example “echoes” were created in the alleyways, to make us think that Eddie’s house was a long way away. These echoes were also used to symbolise Eddie’s loneliness. This could show that there is emptiness in Eddie’s heart that can only be filled by a close friend or a brother. There was a bold use of sound especially in scary, dramatic or important scenes. This added to the drama of the overall performance, it made the audience feel a variety of emotions. In the scene when Mrs. Lyons tries to murder Mrs. Johnston, the sound affects really emphasised how Mrs. Lyons was feeling and her sheer madness. The use of surround sound made me feel like I was in the scene and it made the whole performance much more realistic.

It is usually pre-recorded and placed over the top of a film or video and commonly used in documentaries or news reports to explain information. Focusing on selected sounds can create tension, atmosphere, and emotion. It can also impart personality to film characters. Walter Murch (the doyen of sound designers) once described the character sounds (in a film he directed) as "coronas" which can magnify each character' s screen space. A figure who is associated with a particular sound (often suggested by his or her clothing), has "a real presence that is pervasive even when the scene is about something else or the character is off-screen."

Another example of sound is Hitchcock's use of voice over. For instance, as Marion drives away with the money she ha stolen, she imagines conversations between the people she has left behind and their reactions to her faults. Hitchcock also uses sound, which doesn’t complement the image that we see. Whilst the on screen

Along with background music, sound effects play more of a role on the way we feel than many moviegoers think, and "although the function of sound effects is primarily atmospheric, they can also be precise sources of meaning in film" (Giannetti, 225). When the

“The most exciting moment is the moment when I add the sound… At this moment, I tremble.” (Akira Kurosawa) Sound is arguably the most important concept in cinema studies, being there ever since the beginnings. It can radically change the way a motion picture is looked at and it can render what the director may sometimes find hard to depict using only his camera. Looking upon silent cinema one discovers an era which wasn’t at all silent, but rich in sound of different forms, from the simple narration of the images shown on screen, accompanied by a piano, to the complex score later composed specifically for that film. An example of that complex score is shown in Sunrise, a film by F.W. Murnau, which lies at the border between silent cinema and sound cinema. Considered to be one of the first films with an actual score, Sunrise is a great example of the multitude of dimensions and effects sound can have.

For the soundscape of Proof by David Auburn having two different city soundscapes for past interactions with her father and the present would help clarify each time from one another. For Catherine’s present having the city sound lose luster and become worn with time would help convey her emotion of being tired and give the sister, Clair a better argument. Her interactions with her father would be more vibrant and full of life.

Another aspect of sound in this film was how it affected the story. By using sound dramatically in certain parts and not using it at all in other parts, sound gave this story an entity of its own. For example, during long stretches of film with mostly dialogue, there was no music played in the background, only a phone ringing in the distance, or the men's voices during their deliberation. These long silences also took place during editing shots of the town and images that surrounded this German city. This dramatic difference in sound was a revelation of how mood can be made by images and sound put together to make an incredible component.

While well-crafted sound design and sound effects are so very necessary in the creation of a film, music touches the emotion, the psyche, and the things you cannot see. Sound design and effects don’t do this nearly as efficiently and naturally. Without music it would be much more difficult to follow the emotional ups and downs of a film. (Freer)

As Balsam refers , a sound can create emphasis in any scene that is, can function as a punctuation mark , when it accentuates and strengthens the visual image.

There is an increasing mutual exchange as the synthetic and the human-made equally invades what we once thought of as natural. In electronic music, the human element that people input in their work is crucial to say the least. People provide the unpredictable pieces in their work to make it stand out from the rest. Most robotic or technologic generated music often is in the form of a pattern. Without human interface, electronic music, for the most part, is predictable. When electronic music is played without the human element, a sense of something that is missing usually occurs. Today, technological advances allow electronics to replace most of the human interactions. Now technology can mimic the sounds of non-electronic instruments. Instruments such as the flute, violin, and guitar are just some of these mimicked sounds that could be replaced. In this “genre” the human body is often held as a relatable tool. The audience notices the human element and realizes that they can create such works as well. Electronic music to some may feel that it is missing the human component in the normalized concept of seeing the artist. However, when developing the art itself, electronic music, whether it be in live performances, editing the material, or commercializing the music for use, the human element is still very prominent. The human component is implicated in music directly or indirectly.