Research Blog Task 16 - Why is sound so important

                                                
                                                 Why is sound so important in a film?

It is very rare for modern films to not layer a musical score, or have sound effects of some kind and match the beat of the sound with an edit of the image. The effect of this layering or synchronisation helps to make the sound and image work together and appear seamless, which heightens what we are both hearing and seeing.

• Sound is used in film to help establish the tone, atmosphere. When this is done successfully, it helps the audience understand the film clearly.
• Helps give the audience clues about the plot, characters or to identify the genre of the film.
• Sound creates realism. This is good because it suspendes disbelief and heighten the audiences experience of the film.
• Sound helps to synchronise images with sound
• Good use of sound is engages the audience, making them pay further attention.

I identified the differences of diegetic and non diegetic sound in a film,

• Diegetic sound, is sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film. 
• Non-diegetic sound, is sound whose origin is from outside the story world, like voice-overs which are typically non-diegetic. 

The effect of diegetic sound effects and dialogue:

Diegetic sound, creates realism and makes the audience aware/clear of the situation taking place, whereas non diegetic sound can make a film more dramatic and bring in a sense of tension. Can make clear the intention of particular characters like hero/villain.

George Lukas, director of star wars argued that sound is 50% of a film. Without the sound the film won't be as good.
After watching the film title sequence opening to Taking Pelham 123 with and without sound, these are my opinions on how sound can impact a film.

Without Sound: When watching the film title opening without sound i was disengaged and bored. This made it clear to me that without the effect of sound, an audience may become uninterested and unaware of the scenes that are taking part in a film.

With sound: When watching the film title opening i was very much entertained and focus on all the details. It was interesting how the story became clear and how i picked up on certain details i missed out watching the opening without sound. All of a sudden the opening because much more tense and dramatic, definitely brought the movie to life as it had my full attention.

In conclusion, I think there was a major difference between watching it with and without sound. I feel that a film with sound is very much essential to guarantee an engaged, positive audience.