Acousmatic Sound in Films - Essay Example

Discuss in detail how acousmatic sound can be used as a filmic tool Acousmatic sound in films is an effective tool for film makers to help create the desired perception by the filmgoer. It is a psychological process affected by the sound effects that a person hears without the knowledge of the source of sound. As its originating source is not visible, the sound is the only medium to effect the perception of the person. In films, this sound called acousmatic sound is used as the most effective medium to convey meanings that the visual medium tries to convey and more effectively. The audio-visual films are greatly enhanced by the use of acousmatic sound which creates an aura like effect with the additional information or meaning conveyed. There are layers of meaning that can be conveyed through the use of sound effects that do not reveal their originating source. In one of the papers by Bannerman in the Proceedings of Sound Moves: An International Conference on Music and Dance, he talks about "the shape of sound or simply its morphology that can be used to create different landscapes in the studio and hence work with sound at an elaborate morphological level" (2005). It is further observed that the acousmatic sound used in films is interpreted by the audience by relating it to known sources which is called 'source-bonding' by theorist Denis Smalley or infer some kind of abstract source that is left to the audience's imagination. This leaves space in the mind of the filmgoer to interpret a particular sound according to his imagination and have an individual experience of the film. In films, there is a greater influence on the perception when acousmatic sound is employed. First, it helps the psycho-analysis process of understanding the message being conveyed by the visual effects, and also creates the desired effect for a longer time as the perception lingers for some time. It creates a lasting impression or perception of the sound sometimes, and is often associated with a particular event or vision. The audio-visual effect is enhanced by the creation of an acousmatic sound that most closely resembles the message or effect the film maker wants to convey than the visual impact of the scene. Film makers like Robert Bresson and Andrei Tarkovsky have used this theory of abstraction and ambiguity to their advantage and Bridgett rightly observes that "they have used this ambiguity theory in film making using acousmatic sound with an abstract origin and added more dimensions to the film. Hence, the aural image leads to a number of interpretations and add to the impact on the individual viewer's perception" (2004). As ours is a visually dominant culture according to Forrester, the vision is effused with sound, particularly acousmatic sound to more effectively communicate the meaning of the situation in films. Further, Forrester cites Lipscomb and Kendall that any musical and visual relationship can be represented in two dimensional spaces and their observation that film composers have mastered the art of manipulating the perception of the audience by emphasizing particular events in the film without any attention shift to the main visual theme of the film (2007, pp42). It is observed that the visual impact does succeed to a certain extent in making an impact on the film goer but an additional impact with the use of music, prominently sound and particularly acousmatic sound has a greater impact on the perception of the scene in the film. It can associate itself with the sounds of the dynamics of the visual picture thus creating an aura around the visual. An example is that of a whistle of a train which is created by an acousmatic sound in the visual of a film to create an impression of the whistle though it is not the actual source of sound. This abstraction of the sound source leaves more space for the viewer to imagine the scene and create an impact much to his experience of the film. According to Chion, "audio-visual scenes engage our mind in a pan-sensory experience speaking at different levels of consciousness when watching a film" (1994). In the acousmatic sound of the whistle of a train, the perception maybe created by the orchestra brass which is in no way related to the train but the film goer perceives this sound as that from the train which is the visual object. According to Rudy (2007), "the image or visual when combined with a sound in a context, creates a metaphor and makes the audience search for a meaning at a physical, emotional and psychological level". An acousmatic sound is relative to the visual and may sometimes follow the visual or precede the visual in creating the desired effect. Chion (1994) observes that 'a visual scene in a film is always value-added by music' and acousmatic sound is more useful as it does not create any shift in attention from the visual scene. Hence, it is a more convenient way of perceiving things at various levels of human understanding. It is an advantage to film makers when a myriad of feelings and emotions are to be conveyed in a certain limited time and with the most effective impact without diverting the attention of the onlooker continuously on various things, which has the potential of confusing the mind and render the scene ineffective. His theory of synchresis stresses the relation between the audio-visual scenes and the sensory perceptions and experiences of the filmgoer when watching a film. Further, it is observed that apart from giving a meaning to the visual, acousmatic sound sometimes can change the whole context of the perception by using an abstract sound that is completely unrelated to the image, as against the usual impression or perception of a scene. It plays with the different perception levels of the human brain. An example of such a situation can be observed in some of the scenes in Charlie Chaplin comedies where although it is supposed to be a comedy scene, the acousmatic sound conveys a different meaning altogether wherein the actor seems to act in a way most funny to the younger audience but the acousmatic sound conveys a far different meaning that can be perceived by the more older individual audience and according to their perception. It can be that of a sad or ironic moment in contrast to the image being presented. This kind of use of acousmatic sound helps understand the visual of a film to a deeper level. Also, acousmatic sound can be used to substitute for a real or related sound in a scene as the original sound in the scene may be too distorted to convey the right perception. Acousmatic sound also finds use in shaping sound in a scene through mixing it with the sounds of the scene to give an additional impact to the senses. The acousmatic sounds in a scene can also be integrated to the visual and the audio of the scene to give a higher level of perception of the scene by effectively integrating with the scene's rhythm, tone and phrasing. Hence, it is observed that acousmatic sound is used as an effective tool in films to create the desired effect without shifting the attention of the audience from the actual visual image on the screen. It can be used to convey a myriad of feelings and emotions by using it to substitute, integrate or even mix with the original sound of the scene. Also, for the film to be successful, it should be able to use this theory of acousmatic sound to its credit in giving the individual audience a mind space to perceive things and interpret according to his imagination and experiences and thus enable him to experience the film's plot. Film makers have been successfully using this theory of abstraction and ambiguity in dealing with acousmatic sound to make successful films for all age groups, according to their tastes and interests. The phrase, 'each to his own' and also as it is said 'all in the mind' is truly understood by the film makers to various levels in making successful films. References- 1. Bannerman, Alastair, "Connecting Spaces - Proceedings of Sound Moves: An International Conference on Music and Dance", Published by Albright (2005) http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/SoundMoves. 2. Bridgett, Ron, "Aural Imagery - A Brief Survey of Ambiguity Theory In Time-Based Media" (2004) http://www3.telus.net/public/kbridget/bridgett_aural_image.pdf. 3. Forrester, A. Michael, "Psychology of the image", published by Routledge (2000). 4. Chion, Michel, "Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen", Published by Columbia University Press (1994). 5. Rudy, Paul, "Three requiems and a dream: The language of electroacoustic sound in film", Electroacoustic Music Studies Network (2007) . Read More