Dunkirk uses sound very as a way to separate itself to similar movies while bringing verisimilitude to the scene to make Nolan’s take on the subject is as close and accurate as possible. They use it in a way where the audience can feel the certain emotions these people would have feeled in these situations.

Sound is used as device by Christoper Nolan and Hans Zimmer, by giving a range of verisimilitude sounds to the props and vehicles in the movie such as the engines or the firing of the planes guns. By using these realistic diagetic sounds it makes the movie seem more historical accurate but as well please the audience members who know the different sounds of these certain objects. This is used as a device by giving each object a different sound what furthers the point by everything being distinguishable from the use of sound what brings more tension and drama to the scene when the enemy plane is incoming as the audience knows the sound of engine.  So the audience feels both the fear of the men but also by this time they know whats coming without seeing the enemy plane by bringing more of a sense of danger.

The use of the Shepard tone in the scene is well used. This is used to signify to different things to further the plot by showing fear of commander Bolton as the tone is creatively used to match his facial expression to build further tension in the scene and to bring danger by indicating a the plane getting closer even though the audience seems to believe increase making them think danger. The first thing signified with Bolton’s facial expression matching up with the tone is that it brings more fear as the tone helps show the change from relief to shock. This is a narrative device by showing the theme of fear and this humanizes Bolton by showing him to be scared instead of acting strong in-front of his men. The second thing signified is the audience feeling the tension and danger from the use of tone indicating the plane getting closer. This effect is smartly used with the diagetic sound of the engine as the tone shows that Bolton is in shock as he is blocking out the sound of the plane.

Zimmer does well in the score in the film in general but in this scene, he uses the score to add different emotions on screen. Some examples are the peaceful sound of an instrument when Farrier is gliding through the air to indicate relief and for the audience to take in the view of scenery with Hardy’s character. The use of  a orchestra can also be heard when Bolton talks to the lady for a few seconds to show how proud he is of the civilians, this shows the audience the respect from certain characters. The orchestra can be heard again after the boat narrowly escapes the gunfire of the plane as it helps to show the celebration and the survival of the men, this affects the audience by them feeling the relief of going from sheperd tone to quiet peaceful instrument in the orchestra to give a better sense of relief.

Sound in Dunkirk is used to build up tension in the audience. This can be seen in the scene where bombers are flying over the beach while the main character ducks. The use of sound is effective in this scene as the composer uses a ticking effect that creates a sense of rising through audio illusion. This causes the audience to interpret a countdown to something happening.

Another scene where sound is used effectively

Dunkirk sound analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RzFqoLbnh4

At the beginning of Dunkirk (2017, directed by Christopher Nolan ) , there is  complete silence until the guns are fired there is the sound of a ticking clock and this heightens the tension and it indicates to the audience that the army only has a finite amount of time to get the troops off of the beach and it grates on the audience and makes them feel nervous and tense. Furthermore, the film utilizes a lot of diegetic sounds like plane engines and gunfire – when these sound effects are used in conjunction with the soundtrack, it creates a layered effect that immerses the audience in the world of the film and the sounds of the planes and the guns must match closely to the sounds that planes and guns made in the 1940’s in order to create a sense of  historical verisimilitude and  to ensure that the film was as accurate as possible because if the planes and the guns didn’t sound realistic, it would be difficult to take the film seriously  and it is important for Nolan to get the sound of the film right because Dunkirk portrays a pivotal moment in history  and it was important for Nolan to honor that history by making sure that all of the sounds that he used in the film were historically accurate. 

The underscore in the opening scene of this film uses the Shepard tone which is layering three pitches of sound on top of each other – when they are played together at bass pitch, the highest pitched sound seems to get quieter, the alto tone seems to stay at the same sound level and the lowest pitched note seems to get louder. In Dunkirk, the orchestra always seems to be building towards a crescendo, but they never reach that point and this may make the audience feel uncomfortable because they will automatically expect the orchestra to build up to a dramatic climax but when they don’t it will jolt them out of their preconceived expectations about how films should sound and it helps to build up a feeling of dread within the audience because they will be unsure about who will survive and who will die – this is an example of atmospheric music that creates a particular mood within the audience , in this case , the mood that the music is trying to create is tension and fear. In addition, the underscore helps to make the audience feel what the characters are feeling, and it immediately immerses us in the inner worlds of the characters and it helps us to feel what they are feeling without having to use a lot of dialogue and this helps to drive the narrative because the music is a substitute for exposition and this means audience isn’t interested  in the backstory of the characters and how they came to this point because the audience are immediately immersed in one particular point in the story and the music can distract the  audience from the lack of any backstories because they are being immersed in the present moment by the music.

A “long take” is a when a very long shot is used. There are no cuts or interruptions and the camera is continuously filming for a long time. A great example of this is from the movie “A Touch of Evil” (Orson Welles, 1958):

Here, a camera was placed onto a crane in order for it to smoothly travel all the way across the street and dozens of meters more following two characters. It is widely regarded as a masterpiece and one of Welles greatest scenes due to how difficult it would be to get a perfect shot.

Kuleshov Effect

1)Summer Induction Task “What Makes a Good Film? “
2)A trailer link which recommends a film to the whole group
3)Activity 1 – How the IB Learner profile fits with Film Studies
4)Activity 2 – Uncovering patterns using box office data
5)Activity 3 – Categorising the films into lists – remember to include director and date
6)Activity 4- Response to Spike Lee Cultural Viewpoint Task
7- 12)A post with your own examples of “Best Practice” for the following categories of Mise En Scene – Set Design /Costume/Hair and Make –up/ Colour/ Placing of Actors (composition) Objects within the frame
13)Find an example of a Long Take
14) Mise en Scene Bladerunner Task
15) Definitions of Cinematography/Cinematographer
16) Examples of Diegetic/Intra Diegetic/Extra Diegetic Gaze
17) Definitions of Deep and Shallow Focus and Examples
18) 3 shot distances and examples
19) 3 shot types and examples
20) 3 camera movements and examples
21) The Shining Cinematography Task
22) Whiplash Task Editing
23) The Kuleshov Effect
24) Difference between a Sound Editor and Sound Mixer
25) Dunkirk Sound Task
26) Hollywood History Slides
27) Citizen Kane Production Context (Task 1)
28) Citizen Kane Favorite Scene – Micro Elements (Task 2)
29) Citizen Kane Greatest Film Ever Made? (Task 3)
30) German Expressionism “The Cabinet of Dr Caligari”:Explain the ways in which the use of Mise en Scene, Cinematography and Editing may be regarded as innovative.
31) Soviet Montage “Strike” : How does the film use classic Soviet Montage Techniques to tell the worker’s story?
32) French New Wave “Breathless” : In what way did Godard consciously challenge the established conventions of Cinematography and Editing?

https://vimeo.com/212470957

Whiplash (Chazelle,2014) is an intense and thrilling story that shows how far one can push themselves when faced with complete failure.

In this ending scene Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller) delivers the performance of his life after hitting rock bottom by utterly failing a song in front of a large audience, something that could potentially ruin his career.

Tom Cross used many different editing techniques to build the tension in the film so that the audience may understand the pain Neiman has been through and how much this moment means to him, as well as how unstable the relationship between Neiman and Fletcher (JK Simmons) is.

For example the use of  continuity editing helps slowly build the tension without interruption, therefore  the audience is never given a break from the tension.  At 4:05 there is a sequence of shots – piano, brass section,woodwind section, piano, brass section,woodwind section, drums. These quick cuts to each  different part of the orchestra along with the music constantly playing in the background helps build the tension because it puts the audience in the musicians place. It shows the complexity and difficulty of the song and shows how hard Neiman has worked to achieve this skill. The fact that now the band is performing in perfect harmony contrasts with the earlier scenes in the previous song in which Neiman was playing incorrectly and creates even more tension for the audience because they can know see that all his work has paid off and that this is his moment.

Additionally, the use of, what i assume is, colour correction to change the colour of the film to a red colour grade shows anger and passion, it reinforces the tension because it subconsciously emphasises the desperation and importance of that moment. It also reveals the intensity of the work and the difficulty that Fletcher has caused him in his life.

Furthermore, multiple establishing shots are used at 2:20 to show the whole orchestra in an impressive awe-inspiring way. This is done for two reasons;

1. To show how much this performance means to everyone in the orchestra, it shows that it isn’t a rehearsal or a small “gig” at a bar. It reveals to the audience that this final performance is the one that their whole career has been leading up to.
2. To establish the power dynamics in the scene; at this moment in time Fletcher is in control, the viewer can see that he is the conductor of the orchestra and because of this, all the instrumentalists are playing in harmony.However, later on in the scene Neiman is seen to be the main focus of attention. This is revealed through the use of close-ups of the drums and his face. Now it seems like Neiman is the conductor instead of Fletcher which furthermore creates tension between the two.

Finally, Cross uses eye-line matching to furthermore demonstrate the tension between Fletcher and Neiman. From 1:17 – 1:21 there is a sequence of shots of Their faces showing:

1. Neiman’s determination
2. Fletcher’s confusion.

Suddenly there is a hunt for power and a clash of determination between the two, the clash of both of their powerful motives creates unease as the audience doesn’t know who will end up victorious. This sense of unpredictability produces tension and continues to lead the audience towards a conclusion – gripping the audience in the process.