Leitmotif: A short musical phrase that is associated with a certain character, place or idea. These pre-warn the viewer of what they’re going to see on screen next, giving them time to react.
A famous example of a leitmotif would be the theme for ‘Jaws’. Whenever the shark is going to appear on screen, a short musical phrase appears, telling the viewer to expect a shark attack in the next scene.
Foley Artists work as a part of post production, recording and creating sound effects for the film. They often record small details like the rustling of clothing or footsteps as characters move, and make sure that they sync up perfectly to the image.
A leitmotif is a musical phrase within a film that is associated with a character, animal or moment.
For example in Jaws one of the main Leitmotifs is Jaw itself as when the shark is near a musical phrase begins to play to convey a sense of fear and anxiety to the audience and let them gain tension and know that the shark is near and about to strike.
A leitmotif recurring musical phrase it invites the audience emotionally for the arrival or actions of a particular character
In True Romance Hans Zimmer repeats a musical phrase called (you’re so cool) for whenever the two main characters are together which prepares the audience for a romantic scene
Synchronous sound is when the sound/music matches with actions performed on screen- often when a character plays an instrument the sound will line up with what they are doing.
Synchronous sound can be used for Needle drop moments, with a character listening to music in the story and allowing the audience to listen to it alongside them.
Asynchronous sound is when there is a sound with no visible source on screen. This is often used to create tension as the audience question the source of the sound.
What is the definition of diegetic and non diegetic sound?
Diegetic sound is sound that comes from the setting of the film. Non-diegetic sound is sound that comes from our world, such as the soundtrack or scoring. Diegetic sound could include the voices of characters, utensils clattering in the background, or music coming from a piano being played on-screen.
What is a needle drop in film?
Needle drop (movie scoring), the use of an existing recording rather than an original score in a film.
A foley artist is in charge of the recreation of everyday sounds in real time, rather than pulling pre-recorded sounds from a soundbank. Foley artists work on foley stages with viewing screens, recording equipment, and props for creating sounds. Two foley artists and one mixer usually work together on one foley stage.
The well-recorded sounds that foley artists produce replace most of the sounds captured during filming. Foley artists do not re-record dialogue, even though this is usually replaced.
The work of foley artists replaces sound recorded on set for several reasons:
Asynchronous sounds are sounds that have not been synchronized to the film actions, movements, or visual environments appearing on the film screen. These sounds are often used for aesthetic purposes to express a previous action or to elicit a sound advance.
For example, an asynchronous sound may come through on a film. As the advanced sound occurs when the editor chooses to show a child that is crying in a crib. But over or instead of the crying. The sound of a loud dog barking from the next scene comes into play.
In this example, a mix of synchronous sound (the baby crying) and asynchronous sound (the dog barking but not yet visible on the screen) is used.
Synchronous sounds include the sounds that have been synchronized to align with the image that is being viewed on the film screen. Unlike asynchronous sounds, synchronous sounds in film have been closely matched to a visible source of the on screen sound taking place.
For example, synchronous sounds are typically those that directly relate to what you’re seeing on the screen. As in the example given above, when the baby is crying in a crib.
Any sound of the baby crying is considered synchronous. Whereas the sound of the dog barking that was also happening, was asynchronous.
Synchronous sound represents the matching of sound to the movements that are taking place on the screen. For example, if you see a person moving across the screen, perhaps walking in water, then you might hear footsteps and you could also hear splashes as each step is taken. These sounds would align with the appearance of each step, and so with each splash from the foot, the water sound would equally be aligned. Synchronous sounds correspond with what’s happening visibly on the screen.
Unlike synchronous sound, asynchronous sounds in film do not necessarily correspond with what you see on the film screen. Asynchronous sounds in film can still add value to the action being performed, but it’s likely an action that already took place (such as a previous sound) or the sound of an action that is about to occur on the screen.
For example, asynchronous sounds, although they are not precisely synchronized with the actions currently occurring on the screen, add value to the story and help to create a stronger sense of realism.
Foley Artist: Foley Artists add and create sound effects for the film post-production in their own studio, using a variety of materials. Objects and techniques [such as shoes, sand etc] in order to exaggerate the actions happening on screen, making the scene immersive and ambient. These sounds are usually from one of three groups:
Some Examples of the sounds they make are:
