I know there’s a Terminator picture on the week 3 handout, but I was going to do that film anyway as soon as I discovered what the assignment was. I was going to focus on a film with non-diagetic sound in it and Terminator 2’s narrative intro by Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) was the first film to spring to mind.
The general soundscape is composed of mechanical noises with no sounds of human civilization which in turn depicts a cold, sterile environment. There are no natural sounds captured from the location. It’s most likely been filmed in combination with a soundstage, on location outside and with miniatures. All the sounds have been added in post. There is a lot of reverb in these opening scenes. The panning isn’t overly hard left or right for the sound effects although the music is panned further out. Except for a couple of people screaming as they die, there is no dialogue. I chose this because it was a scene full of action and therefore has a lot of sound and effects, but halfway through I was regretting it. Analysing works in this manner reveals what can be faked and left out, what is absolutely necessary to be in the soundtrack and the skill of working sound (or silence) to enhance what is happening on screen.
Haines, Christian. 2007. “AA1-Sound Scene” Seminar presented at the University of Adelaide, 7th August.
“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” Universal Studios. 1991.
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Ok, in case I don't get to turn all this into a picture, I'll just post it as text. I know it's rediculously huge. Sorry.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Chapter 1.
16 seconds in. Scene involving children on a swing in an LA park before Judgment Day.
Non-diagetic: Music starts. Deep rumbling grows louder followed by a reverse sound effect, assumed to simulate an explosion.
Diagetic: Sounds of children playing on a swing.
47 seconds in. The same park in LA after Judgment Day.
Non-diagetic: 1:13. Narration by Sarah Connor begins.
1:40. Music starts. It’s dramatic without any real melody and filled with droning, mechanical sounds but even though it’s mechanical it still seems like a living pulse. The intent was obviously meant to imply the machines were actually alive and unstoppable. It grows in intensity with a sense of impending doom through out this whole scene.
1:56. Spot SFX (single synth note) as a soldier is shot.
Diagetic: Roof of a car squeaks as it wobbles in the breeze. Wind and dust is heard blowing. There are different sounds for the wind. Sometimes it’s a low sound, other times it’s a higher pitch whistle. The main wind sound is a boxy, hollow sounding drone. Rustling sounds can be heard behind Sarah’s narration.
1:19. Sound of skull being crushed as a terminator steps on it. Explosions and laser cannons start.
1:40. Sounds of multiple skulls being crushed as an HK rolls over them. The high pitch whirring sound of HK’s can be heard.
1:56. Sounds of man being shot.
1:58. Close up of cannon on ‘tank HK.’ As it moves a lower pitch whirring sound is heard.
2:00. High pitch whirring sound of ‘flying HK’ is made more prominent in the mix as it flys toward the camera. More sounds of people getting shot.
2:07. Rocket launcher is fired by a soldier from the back of a car.
2:13 to 2:19. The car that the rocket was fired from is now heard. Interestingly it wasn’t heard in the earlier shot. There was no doubt more important action to worry about. Another interesting point would be the shots changing back and forth from the car to the flying HK. The car is only heard when the car is on screen and the HK can only be heard when the HK is on screen. In reality, we’d be hearing both those things continuously at the same time.
2:20. Car is shot, explodes and goes into a roll. Suitable effects are used for this.
2:28. Sounds of the terminator guns are heard as they walk past the camera. The closer terminator turns and fires at the camera. The gun sound is louder for this terminator.
2:33. The flying HK is shown again and it can be heard as it flys in front of the camera and fires on another car. Another rocket is fired from this car at the HK. This is heard. The HK is hit and it’s left engine explodes. This is a pretty good sound as instead of a simple explosion, it sounds more like twisting, bending metal and there’s a medium pitch drone that gets pitch shifted down as the HK goes down and explodes in the ground.
2:40 Switch to interior of the human soldiers base of operations.
Non-diagetic:
Music style changes to a more heroic theme as John Connor walks down a hallway. The style is similar but this has an distinct melody and is filled with strings. The strings soften the music so it can be identified as the ‘heroes theme.’
2:44. Sarah continues with more narration.
3:27. The main Terminator theme song starts.
Diagetic:
2:40 The footsteps are heard as John Connor and his men walk down a hallway. The battle can still be heard muffled in the background.
2:44. As John emerges from the hallway into the open, the sounds of the distant battle are raised slightly louder in the mix.
3:21. The screen is filled with fire. As Sarah continues her narration, a deep rumble starts as the flames roll out.
3:35. A metal ‘clang’ is heard as the “Terminator 2 Judgment Day” logo is slammed together in two halves. Fire is heard burning.
3:55. More rumbles and sounds of flames burning as the camera pans in front of a burning playground.
5:19. The same metal slamming sound is heard as the front grill of a truck slams down in two halves just as the Terminator 2 logo did at 3:35. Film starts.-
The music really pushes this whole chapter. The way it grows, moves, rises and dips makes this chapter come alive. Without the music, it’s just another war scene. After all this analysing though, I think analysing the music and why it works will be too much.
