Guardians of the Galaxy. this is my favourite film soundtrack as it makes good use of needle drops as all the licensed songs are what the main character, Peter, listens to on his music player and is a big part of his character. It also creates its own triumphant music.

i like the film parent trap because it has some really good soundtracks, they use the same song throughout most of the movie in different parts of the twins.

another movie with a good soundtrack is the musical Chicago because it has some really good songs. the songs are really fit for the scene.

I like the film Dirty Dancing (1987), directed by Emile Ardolino, for it’s soundtrack because I love the songs used. I also feel the soundtrack links to each scene and relates to what’s happening.

I also like the film soundtrack for Chicago (2002), directed by Rob Marshall, because I love all of the songs used.

Sound editor and a sound mixer

Sound mixer

A crew member who records and balances audio for a film

Sound editor

A crew member responsible for selecting and assembling sound recordings.

Diegetic and Non Diegetic sound

A diegetic sound is a sound that comes naturally from the film such as rain and character dialog.

Non diegetic sound is a sound that is not natural to the film such as a soundtrack or narration.

what is a needle drop moment?

A needle drop moment is when music is synchronised with another work such as tv show a film.

sounds made by a foley artist

Some sounds that may be made by foley artists are skulls or bones being crushed, footsteps, bodies falling and windows or doors opening.

leitmotif

Some examples of films that use a leitmotif include Harry Potter with Hedwig’s theme, James Bond with the main theme and Jaws.

narration

Narration is a spoken description of an event or the soundtrack. A sound the characters can’t hear.

Activity 1: A sound editor is someone who produces sounds to make sure all dialogue and sound is matched and appropriate for the picture.

A sound mixer is someone who combines sounds to create a whole sound that is best for what picture is shown, like changing levels of layering sound

Activity 2: Diegetic sound in ‘Shaun of the Dead’ is used such as the TV, we know this as the characters react to what is being told on the TV.

Non Diegetic sound in ‘Shaun of the Dead’ is used such as the music when the two characters are attempting to kill the zombies. They can hear this but only we can as it brings more verisimilitude (since the characters wouldn’t have music playing out of nowhere in the real world) and intensifies the emotions displayed.

Activity 3: A needle drop is when a song (made before the film, usually a well known song) is used in a scene. This usually helps us feel how the character is feeling during this moment.

Activity 4: A Foley artist could create sound for animal noises, leaves crunching or eating.

Activity 5: The main theme in all James Bond films use a leitmotif to create a recognisable identity for James Bond, making us resonate and create a liking to this character

Activity 6: Fight Club uses narration that only the audience can hear however this isn’t always reliable. This is used in fight club to create chaos and to help the audience understand what the protagonist is going through during moments of insomnia and DID.

Activity 7: my favourite film soundtrack is Suicide Squad (2016) by James Gunn and David Ayer as they use quite a few old songs that I resonate with personally, but it also gives an authentic feel to the rising action which makes me feel as if I’m one of the characters. It helps give uniqueness to individual characters such as Harley Quinn when she is locked up in a cell. This is a jukebox soundtrack

Editing means to synchronise film with sound, by deleting, cutting and arranging pictures.

This creates meaning so shots are connected to emphasise emotion.

Montage #1: This fast-paced montage creates meaning in the ‘Odessa steps’ sequence to emphasise the drama and action as these horrific events chaotically unfold one after the other. There are usually close up shots of emotion followed by long shots of brutal action which emphasise the shock that all characters are feeling. By doing this, Eisenstein makes us sympathise with the citizens who are being attacked unmercifully by the army as if this is real footage.

Montage #2: The audience is learning that Rocky’s character is persevering and hard working as he travels long distances continuously without stopping, with his surrounding peers cheering and rooting for him which tells us he is loved by this community. He ends up on top of the stairs looking down on the city as he cheers and celebrates his achievement, still jogging on the spot which enforces how unbeatable he is.

Montage #3: Cross cutting is used to compare Rocky and Draco so the audience is reminded of Rocky’s loving personality, let alone how hard working and limit breaking he is. He is seen to be pushing his limits in the nature of Russia. Similarly to his previous training montage, the neighbourhood smiles when they see him, as he is seen to help them with tasks. Unlike Drago, Rocky’s pure soul shines through his actions, whereas Drago is placed in a clinical lab who’s peers do not root for. They judge Drago intensely and are disappointed when he fails and gives up.

Montage #4: Director Martin Scorsese uses a long take to depict the seamless events of action taking place. The protagonist is seen as outgoing, friendly and loved as this long take shows how many people are happy to see and talk to him. It makes you feel as if you are walking behind them into this setting, which takes away the reality of us being a viewer and brings verisimilitude into this world of the protagonist.