Sound editors are responsible for handling the dialogue, sound effects, ADR, foley effects, and music. Simply put, the sound editor decides what you hear in the movies. They aren’t concerned with how they should sound but only what they would like on their own
The sound mixer is responsible for taking all the individual tracks and mixing them to be balanced. The mixing process can be a little tedious depending on the size of the library, but all the little tweaks made benefit the overall sound picture.
Sound editors pick the sounds that the sound mixers perfect.
Joker – Diegetic vs Non-Diegetic Sound
Diegetic: This sound is diegetic as it is the theme playing over Joker’s entrance to the show
Non-Diegetic: While Joker is dancing through this scene, there’s no way for him to hear the music, so it’s non-diegetic
Synchronous/Asynchronous Sound
Synchronous sound is sound that is matched with the action and movements being viewed, and asynchronous sound is not matched with a visible source of the sound on screen.
Needle Drop
A needle drop is when a pre-existing song is used in a film to underscore a particular scene. This can be a powerful tool for filmmakers, as the emotions and associations that we have with a particular song can enhance the emotions and associations that we have with a particular scene.
Sound Effects
Sound effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds that are used in artistic works to emphasize or express an action, mood, or feeling. Sound effects were initially used in radio dramas, but can be observed more often today in podcasts, theatre, films, and television shows
Foley Artists
Foley Artists are tasked with producing realistic sound effects to match what’s happening on screen in post-production. Examples of Foley are the sound of breaking bones, creaking floors, squeaking doors, footsteps, falling bodies, fire, and basically any sound that is not dialogue or music.
Leitmotif
Leitmotifs are musical tracks synonymous with a character, setting, emotion, or character arc. They are used to guide an audience towards understanding the meaning and tone of the thing it represents.
Character: Dewey’s Theme – Scream franchise
Setting: The Shire Theme – Lord Of The Rings franchise
Emotion: Married Life – Up
Character Arc: The Imperial March – Star Wars franchise
Sound Bridges
L-cuts and J-cuts are both examples of sound bridges. Sound bridges are used to seamlessly link 2 unrelated scenes together through sound.
Voice-Over
A voice that narrates over the events of a movie. Usually from the perspective of a character central to the story, or from a “god-like” perspective.
Score/Under-Score
The score for a film is the (theme) music composed especially for it to enhance the mood/themes of the visuals which appear on screen. The underscore is music which is played “under” sequences to enhance mood and this is often mixed with dialogue and/or sound effects.
Sound Perspective
The apparent distance of a sound source, evidenced by its volume, timbre, and pitch.
Film Score
My favourite film score is Scott Pilgrim Vs The World because of how music is incorporated into the film and its story. Almost all of the music in the movie comes from the characters or the settings that each scene is set in, and it really helps to give the film verisimilitude. The score also helps to convey character emotion throughout the film. For example, at the end of the film, Scott goes through the same fight twice, and approaches both differently. In the first fight, Scott approaches with a selfish and entitled approach, and when his band is asked to play before the fight begins, the song they play is less enthusiastic and buried, whereas in the second fight, his selfless and appreciative approach changes the bands feelings towards the fight, causing them to play much more energetically and excitedly.
