A motion picture is a compilation of images and sound.  It is an illusion.

By definition, an illusion is a distortion of the senses.  It’s a misinterpretation of a true sensation.

Filmmakers create and assemble the images and sound of the motion picture in such a manner as to create an illusion that they want you to experience.  Sometimes they unintentionally create the improper illusion.

There is a fundamental difference between a motion picture’s Images and it’s Sounds.  Images require continual redirection by the human eye.  Meaning, we can only see one image at a time, even if the images are split across one frame.

On the other hand, the ear is sensitive to sounds reaching it from any direction, all at the same time.  When a new sound comes within our audible range, it does not displace the others, but instead becomes part of the total sound experience.

Motion picture sound should match the images on the screen:  traffic on the street corner, birds chirping in a garden, or waves breaking on the shore.  These natural elements bring us closer to the drama because they make us believe that what we are seeing is real.

We need only to hear sounds to believe they are happening.  We do not believe something unless we hear it.   Sound brings reality to the illusion of an image!  Sound effects how we respond to a scene emotionally.

If we see an actor knocking on a door with no sound, it is not really a knock.  Yes, “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, it does indeed make a sound”  Sound can connect objects in space that have no inherent relationship to one another.  Different shots of city streets can be unified with the addition of a bell tower chiming.  If we hear the chimes while seeing the different city shots, we will believe that these streets are all part of the same town.

Imagine a scene with a couple in the woods at night, with sound of crickets and an owl in the background.  If, after a while, you add the sound of a howling wolf, it will give the scene a very different feeling.  The wolf signals fear, the owl, comfort.

Sound can anticipate visuals.  We hear the harmonica of a street performer before he comes into frame.

Sound Expands the Frame:  Sounds can indicate a world outside the frame; a world the audience need not see to believe.  People believe a sound when they see it, they don’t necessarily believe an image (especially in today’s Photoshop eccentric world).

Imagine:  A couple is trying to have a quiet dinner at home when a rock band begins to practice next door or a couple is having a fight or kids are playing kickball.  Police cars, a couple making love next door, or a parade can change the sentiment of a scene.  Likewise, really poor acoustics can change the character of a dramatic moment between two actors.

Sound effects, music, and dialogue enhance the dramatic value of each moment in a film.  There should not be any struggle for dominance between the creators of the image and sound.  Each element should be integrated harmoniously to support the storytelling process.

The sound in a motion picture propels the emotion!  It brings out the human life in a scene, in the characters, and in the story.  Use it to your advantage.