Dunkirk(Dir. Christopher Nolan) is a historical WWII Thriller/Drama movie based around three storylines. Nolan wanted to make Dunkirk seem different to other war films, and to do this, he decided to focus on sound and specifically the realism and verisimilitude to try and make the audience hear all of the things that a soldier would hear.

The Filmmakers did not want to use any Generic boat and plane sounds, and therefore, many of the sounds heard have been recorded specifically for Dunkirk so that it would sound unique, while also being as realistic as possible. For instance, Richard King, (Dunkirk’s sound editor) placed around 25 microphones around several spitfires, with some behind the pilot, in the engine bay and in the fuselage of the plane so he would have an extremely wide variety of realistic sounds to use. King wanted to convey the “physical sensation” of being in the plane by using a lot of the rattles and shakes caused by the panels of the plane.

For the sequence where there are two soldiers carrying a stretcher, King estimates that they used around 30-40 different tracks, then when editing the scene when the ship is torpedoed, he said the number of tracks used was into the hundreds. King also stated that he didn’t want Dunkirk to remind the audience of other movies and this was the main reason he wanted to “rethink every sound”. A good example of this is when the bombs are being dropped on the beaches. Where most films would bring the pitch of the bombs lower the closer they got to the ground, king decided to do the opposite, saying “when you think about it, the noise should increase in pitch as it gets closer. We reversed all incoming shell sounds so they rose in pitch”. The Sound Mixer, Gary Rizzo, said that Nolan wanted to create “an altered sense of perception” and as many of the soldiers were so young that this would be the first time that they had heard things like a bomb falling in the sand or bullets whizzing past which would have most likley sounded different to how they would have imagined. Nolan creates this feeling for the audience as well, by using different sounds to the kind that the audience would be used to. Almost all of the sounds in Dunkirk had to be re-recorded due to the harsh conditions of wind and rain, not to mention noisy IMAX cameras. Nolan and King put a lot of thought into every sound used throughout the film, even the smallest subliminal ones. Ironically, all of the work that they have put in is intended to make the effort unnoticed to the audience.

Nolan and the film’s composer Hans Zimmer used a technique called a Shepard Tone. This effect is named after the American scientist Roger Shepard, and gives the impression that there is an endless buildup by stacking different pitches of sound waves on top of each other. one high pitched sound getting quieter, one medium pitched sound staying at the same volume, and one low pitched sound getting louder and vice versa. This creates the sense of rising tension as effect will seem to continuously get louder, similar to that of a barber shop pole which will seem to rise forever, but is really just a trick on your eyes; The Shepard Tone is the same trick, but for your ears. This was combined with the ticking sound of Nolan’s personal watch to create a sense of urgency and panic to keep the audience on edge. This sound effect, on top of the original and unique sounds produced for the film, makes the audience feel immersed in the film, creating verisimilitude as well as tension for the audience.

Whiplash is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It depicts the relationship between an ambitious jazz student (Miles Teller) and an abusive instructor (J. K. Simmons).

The last scene in which Neiman is performing with his drums utilises many different editing techniques to create an effective scene. These techniques include “The Kuleshov effect”. The kuleshov effect is when the camera cuts between two people to show their reactions, and it’s effect causes the audience to see more meaning within the reactions than in a single isolated shot. This effect is used when Neiman is looking at the audience after Fletcher humiliates him, the shot then cuts to the audience, and then back to Neiman’s face. A wide angle is used in the shot of the audience to show just how many people witnessed him failing. This makes the viewers realise how important this performance was for him.

After that, the scene cuts from Fletcher’s reaction to Neiman getting off the stage. There is a contrast within their facial expressions because they contradict each other. Neiman is upset and Fletcher is amused. This emphasises the manipulative-ness of Fletcher’s character, in which it creates sympathy from the audience as the intentions of Fletcher have been exposed and his true colours are revealed. This could also be viewed as a “matched cut” due to both character’s faces being similarly presented other than their expressions. This gives a sense of continuity in the scene, but also amplifies how different their facial expressions are to the audience.

Another editing device used in the next scene is known as a “jump cut”, which is an abrupt transition from one scene to another. This happens during Fletcher’s speech in which the camera speedily cuts three times towards Neiman’s face as he starts playing the drums; interrupting Fletcher. This shows a sense of determination to show the audience what he’s capable of, and it also gives him power over Fletcher as it distracts the audience’s attention. The increase of pace it creates for the scene shows how much impact it has and the risks that are involved in doing this. The scene cuts to show Fletcher’s reaction, which is shocked, which could have the audience fear for Neiman.

During this performance, the camera cuts to show different characters joining in on the song, which are in time with the beat of the music. After this montage of shots, the camera switches to a high angle shot to show the viewers the entire performance. This is used to show the development of the performance and the impact Neiman has created. He went from risking abuse from Fletcher by playing the drums alone, to inspiring other players to join in, and then eventually it turns into a grand performance. Towards the end of the scene, the high angled shot is used once more just to show what Neiman has achieved by doing that.

During the performance, the camera cuts to show Neiman’s dad watching him play. This allows the audience to watch from a different perspective when it cuts back to the stage, while also reminding them that Neiman’s dad is finally seeing what he is capable of. You can see that Neiman cares a lot about his drumming and how passionate he is due to the camera also cutting to different parts of the drum sets, allowing the viewers to realise how talented he is for being able to hit so many parts at the same time, and how much effort he must put in. It also shows blood on one of the symbols, and then cuts to his face to show slight pain as he works. Again, this shows how much he cares about his passion and that he risks pain and effort in order to play. This creates sympathy from the audience and also makes his drumming seem even more magnificent.

The ending to the film shows a resolve I conflict between Neiman and Fletcher. This is a happy ending because it finally rids of the abusive relationship between the two throughout the whole movie. This is presented by another use of the Kuleshov Effect, just like in the beginning. At the end of the scene, a moment where Fletcher and Neiman stare at each other is shown. The camera cuts between their faces a number of times, except their expressions change in the second shots to show them smiling at each other, instead of their expression remaining the same. This smile represents Neiman finally achieving his goal of making Fletcher happy and proud of him for his drumming skills.

Dunkirk is a 2017 war film written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan that depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II.

At the beginning of the film, it is silent for a few seconds until finally it is obstructed by the sound of guns being fired. This creates a sense of tension from the audience as they are forced to wait for something to happen during the silence up until it happens – the sound of a ticking clock can also be heard which shows to the audience that there is only a short amount of time the army soldiers have to get everyone off the beach. It is important for Nolan to get the sounds correct as the film is representing an important time in history, therefore using sound to create a specific atmosphere has to be done delicately in order to portray historical accuracy and also, to create a sense of nervousness from the audience so they can experience the right emotions from it. Also, the film tends to use variation diegetic sounds, which are used in addition to the soundtrack, which allows the audience to feel involved into the film’s world.

A device used in the films known as “Shepard Tone” creates an essence of rising tension within the movie. This is used by scales being an octave a part increase from low to high pitch in a continuous loop. The lower pitch increasing in volume and the higher pitch decreasing in volume creates an illusion where when it repeats, the audience only pays attention to the increasing in pitch rather than it constantly lowering as well. This is used throughout the whole film to create tension and to have it appear to be constantly rising in order to allow the audience to know when danger is coming. This device is normally used during the scenes where the British soldiers are about to be attacked. Another use of sound effects in this movie was a constant heartbeat. This allows a personal relation to the audience. This sound is used because in real life, hearing your own heart beat means that you are usually scared or intimidated by something, which means that danger is near. Being able to hear the heartbeat throughout the film makes the audience know how the characters are feeling, while simultaneously being reminded that they’re still alive.

Dunkirk (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2017) is a historical drama/thriller about the British evacuation from Dunkirk during World War Two. The film follows three story lines of three different perspectives of the evacuation – one lasting a week, one a day and one an hour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ml0r-5U3lw

This is the final dog fight scene from the film, where the three different story lines come together during the actual evacuation from the beach. This scene begins by focusing on Farrier in his plane, flying over the beach. The dominant sound at this point is the diegetic sound of the Spitfire’s engines and the propellers spinning. Nolan wanted the sounds of the Spitfires to be authentic, to add to the verisimilitude of the film. During post production, real Spitfire engine noises were added to make the film as historically accurate as possible.

As the sound of the engine dies out, the noises of the propeller and the wind become louder. This signals the moment when Farrier finally runs out of fuel. These diegetic sounds are emphasised as it helps the audience to imagine the situation inside the cockpit, and how the pilot is feeling as he begins to lose control of the plane. Again, this adds to the believability of the film, as these sounds are realistic and it is easy for the audience to imagine that it they really happened.

Beneath all of these sounds, there is a Shepard’s Tone playing. This non-diegetic sound is created by having three octaves that increase in pitch at different speeds. It creates a sense that the music’s pitch is always increasing. During this scene, it adds tension to the action, as it makes it seem like time is running out for Farrier. The Shepard’s Tone is accompanied by a quiet ticking noise, which is a repeating motif throughout the film. This again adds a sense of desperation for the audience, as it makes them even more aware at how little time is left for him in the plane before he crashes.

This Shepard’s Tone is continued for a while through the scene. At the moment where the civilian ships arrive and Commander Bolton is happily talking to the soldiers and nurses, it can still be heard. This makes the audience uneasy, as it suggests that there is still something important to happen. However, as this is a non-diegetic sound, meaning that it doesn’t exist in the world of the film, the characters seem completely unaware of the danger that they still could be facing. However, this scene also features the Nimrod music piece, which reflects the mood of the characters as it sets a joyful, victorious tone.

Towards the end of the scene, a happier score is introduced, just after the German plane is shot down. This music creates a sense of victory and British pride, as it comes at a moment where it seems like everything is going to be alright for the British soldiers. The music starts at the same time as the diegetic sound of the soldiers on the beach below cheering, again making the audience feel a sense of relief as the German plane was defeated. This non-diegetic music also contrasts the darker scores that were heard before in the scene and in the rest of the film, making it feel as if this scene is the climax of the film with a happy ending.