Music, Sound and Image in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Title Sequence

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Title Sequence

In this post I'm going to look at three points in the title sequence for, Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate factory, and look at what the image is doing, what the music is doing and then explaining how they work together to create a certain effect.

1/ Time Code ref: 01.00.30  09.21

At this point the images are moving from exterior to interior, the camera is on a spiraling close up of one of the chimneys of the factory. It then changes to an areal view, tilts and falls down the chimney turning into spiraling chocolate with the title of the film superimposed on to the film. 

What we can hear is a low melody played in the strings section, accompanied by higher strings, playing the same phrase on top, with 'music box' sounds playing fragmented notes, subtly hidden in the layers and high, female, vocals ascending and descending in the background, giving the piece a thick texture. The texture then becomes thinner and all of the instruments remain silent except for the violin section which, play a slightly higher ranged melody, gradually the texture is thickened by adding in the lower range instruments to play smooth legato notes of the rapid and jagged, staccato notes played by the violins. The volume of the string section increases as they play a short melody that ascends and then descends, followed by a short pause, signaling the change in dynamics of the piece. It then changes to have a very distinct 2/2 drum beat with one note slightly more punctuated than the other. There are now male voices to accompany the female voices that sing contrasting ostinauto melodies, modulated by Sci-Fi SFx, which is a signature of the composer.

The music supports the pictures here because, as you hear the repeated melody on the strings, the camera is climbing the chimney and the strings use staccato notes to give the effect of a fast paced climb. When the vocals are introduced, they sing a melody which is ascending then descending, which emphasises the climb, but also, suggests that there is a fall. At this point the texture of the is very thick which supports the images by creating a thick and heavy atmosphere, for the audience, tying in with the heavy snowfall and thick smog seen in the images. At the point where the music becomes thinner, it is preparing to change from exterior to interior, the lightness of the music at this point is simply a build to make the dramatic drop to the very low melody more dramatic.

2/ Timecode ref:  01.02.29  11.64

At this point the conveyor belt has stopped and the camera is on the hand of Willy Wonks. The camera begins to rotate around the chocolate bar as he places the first golden ticket on to the chocolate bars, during which the camera continues to move around them, zooming in at the same time until it pauses on the fifth ticket, showing it clearly.

What we can hear is the music has a slightly thinner texture as the instruments are whittled down to; mid-section strings, which play a simple bass line melody in 4/4, a music box, playing a higher melody over the strings, accompanied by high female voices, which are harmonising  with the music box. if you go from the beginning of this section the third and fifth bars have a guitar whammy over the music. All of this happens at a slower pace and is played using quaver beats, and is done with no use of percussion.

The music supports the pictures here by firstly; the music slows and becoming lighter when you first see the hand and all percussion is taken away from this scene. This supports the pictures by making the hand the main focus as the music is in the background, but, still creates a lighter and happy atmosphere for the audience, portraying the delight the ticket may bring as well as, signifying that the chaotic work pace of the machines has stopped. The repeated melody of the music box works in time with the scene changes between each ticket, giving a build up to each one and creating suspense for both, what it may say and where it may go. Finally as you get to the last ticket, of which you get a full view of, the high female vocals hold a long note as the camera hovers of the ticket. This works with the image because it highlights the previous build up and tells the audience that, this is the final ticket, giving it a glorified feel to the moment an the ticket it self.

3/ Timecode ref: 01.03.37  20.12

At this point the film has gone back to exterior surroundings outside the factory. You see the delivery vans lined up and loaded, the driven off one by one in a very uniformed manner. The camera then changes to a wide shot from behind, then very quickly, to a front view where you continue to watch the vans leave. After this the camera changes to an offside aerial view, where you can see a part of the factory and the final vans leave.

What we can hear at first is a low wind instrument ( possibly Tuba) play a short four note phrase, over the top of the music. As the low instrument fades the rest picks up the volume slightly at which point you can hear, violins playing a staccato melody accompanied by either, wind or brass instruments, playing a slightly lower tone and military style drumming. This is followed by a loud single hit of a drum, a soft droning vocal melody, ascending and a light twinkling of chimes in the background.

As the low trombone comes in, you see the first van start up and go. The trombone creates an effect of slowly trudging on, which supports the image well here, as it portrays a heavy start and a long route ahead to the audience. The violins and either woodwind or brass, instruments play a theme similar to the start of the title sequence, this triggers in the audience's mind and reminds them that they are still in the area of the factory. The military style drumming supports the image by creating a very uniformed and militarised feel to the way the vans are leaving making the importance of their deliveries a higher value than of what it usually is. It also creates a more serious side to the film by the way that it shows the organisation and timing to the vans moving out of the courtyard. As the camera changes to the aerial view you hear the single beat of a drum, the timing of it makes the audiences stop and pay attention to what is changing. After the drum you hear the soft, vocal, melody and twinkling chimes, which creates a very contrasting atmosphere to a few seconds ago bey taking it out of the serious mood and lightening it. At the point where the camera is pulling away you hear the twinkling chimes. They support the image here by adding to the lighter tone but also creates a new effect of something of a much happier tone and more magical is about to happen.     

Use of Hyper-real Sound in Films

Hyper-real Sound in Films

Hyper-real sound is where sound is exaggerated for a dramatic/narrative effect. One element of a sound score for a film could be increased in volume, brought to the front of a piece with no texture behind it or it could be sharpened and changed to intensify it's presence.

An example of this is in the trailer for The Da Vinci Code. There are many examples of hyper-real sound in this trailer alone but the point i want to talk about is, the monk whipping himself, it's only one hit but it conveys a lot of emotions and resonates in the clip.

Between 0.24 and 0.26 you hear and see the whip hit the back of the monk. The texture of the sound score has been thinned out dramatically compared to the opening scene, and the sound of the whip has been pushed to the front of the structure. You can hear that the 'whoooosh' sound that the whip makes in the build up has been dulled down very slightly and the volume then increases for the point of attack when the whip hits down on the monks back. This change in dynamics along with the thinner texture intensifies the attack, conveying the anger and emotion that the monk has but at the same time distilling fear into the audience as they make the connection between the discipline of the monk and some of the shocking circumstances that occur in the film. As well as the intensified attack, the echo of the whip resonates across the scene change by another technique called sound bridge. The accompaniment of the hyper-real sound and sound bridge create an almost blood curdling feel to this point as the audience almost feel the pain and anger in this clip as they put themselves into the situation of the monk.    

Similarly, if you look to my previous post on Foley, at the Nightmare on Elm Street clip. That scene also uses hyper-real sound in the same way, as The Da Vinci Code, to create fear in the audience.

 At the point where you hear the sound of the blades scraping against each other, the texture of the sound score is very thin, there is almost no background noise. As well as that the volume has been increased slightly, so that the sound of the blades is pushed to the front of the sound score. The almost silent background exaggerates the sound of the blades. Both films in fact, have their hyper-real sound as diegetic which helps to put the audience into the film world, making it feel more realistic and intensifying the fear that is being portrayed to the audience.

  Hyper-real sound is not always used to convey fear, anger and negative emotions, it can also be used to convey more positive emotions and be used as a great climax to a scene in a film. An example of this is in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings; The Fellowship of the Ring, the scene in which Gandalf battles the Balrog on the bridge of Khazad-Dum. 

At about 0.37 the music in the sound score decreases in volume and the voice of Gandalf ( Ian Mckellen ) is brought forward and increased in volume, when you hear, possibly the most famous line in the whole Lord of the Rings franchise "You shall not pass". As just a volume increase you may not see it as an example of hyper-real sound, however his voice is put at the front and realistically he would never be able to shout that loud in his surroundings, but to add to it the sound artists have added a slight echo to his voice to exaggerate the power behind his character, being a wizard. The immense power given to Gandalf's voice in this scene conveys a sense of courage and for a brief moment turns the film to have a more positive outlook, creating a sense of hope for the audience. 

Another example of the voice being the main element of hyper-real sounds, takes us back to The Da Vinci Code. Later in the trailer at about 1.15 you hear the sound of running footsteps and heavy breathing, before the camera moves down to then follow a man running and frantically looking behind him. The sound is synchronous with what the audience sees so it becomes obvious very quickly what it links to in the story line. The texture in this scene is very think, you have two elements, the sound of the feet and the sound of the breathing. In contrast to all of the other examples of hyper real sound the breathing is put behind the foot steps, but falls in between them so it is not hidden behind and is highlighted by the short but silent gaps between each foot step. The thin texture allows for this, as if it was to bee too thick it would disguise the breathing and take away the element of fear in this scene. Keeping with the theme of fear in The Da Vinci Code rather than using the voice to create a more positive mood keeps the sound empathetic with the rest of the clip, however, in this scene of the clip the pace is much faster than the rest of the trailer but is also brought to a sudden halt. This takes the feeling of fear up a level for the audience as it increases the pace as well as puts them into a feeling of being watched, as the sound is diegetic, it is surrounding them and really exaggerating the intensity of the film.         

The Use of Foley in Films

The use of Foley in Films

Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects which are added in post production to enhance the quality of audio for films, television, video, video games and radio. These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. The best Foley art is so well integrated into a film that it goes unnoticed by the audience. It helps to create a sense of reality within a scene. Without these crucial background noises, movies feel unnaturally quiet and uncomfortable. 

Foley is often recorded by the artists watching the film and recording sounds that create a normal effect for what the audience is seeing. For example, if the audience were to see a woman running in high heels the Foley artist would watch the clip and record themselves tapping a pair of high heels on a surface that matches the sound of the surface shown on the screen in time to the woman running. 

Foley allows filmmakers to put more realistic sounds into the production of the film. Sounds, also don't have to be   recorded in a studio, Foley allows for film makers to record sound effects on location so that the right atmosphere is recorded at the time rather that adding it in as an after effect. 

An example of this is in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit : an Unexpected Journey. In the scene in caves with the Goblins and Dwarves all of the sounds you hear for example, the sword fighting and the sounds of things breaking like wooden boxes, were recorded in some caves in New Zeland to create the echo that caves naturally have. 

  
In the video clip you can hear the sound of the swords, clashing against one another and the wooden structure of the mines collapsing. All of the sounds you hear have a slight echo, the sounds is not repeated like a normal echo but smoothly held and faded which really gives you an insight to the surroundings and puts the audience in the same spacial awareness that the characters are in. 

According to Chris Ward (co-supervising sound editor) a technique that they used to create this echo is impulse responses. Impulse Response is a technique that allows you to measure the sound response to changes in the environment, by picking up the frequencies from different airwaves. For example the frequency picked up from a clap recorded in a, studio would come back much sharper than a clap recorded in some caves, because caves have a natural echo due to their acoustics and studios have flat surfaces that reflect sound much more clearly.
If you would like to know any more on this the video I got my evidence from is linked here: http://soundworkscollection.com/videos/hobbit

In my opinion one of the most interesting and fun parts of Foley comes in after the recording. For a lot of films, especially in the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genre, common sounds may not suit the need so in comes sound modulation.

Sound Modulation is simply taking the recorded sound and changing the pitch, level and the frequency that it works on to create a new sound. You can also layer different recordings to create something very unnatural. An Example of this is in George Lucas' Star Wars movies, the sound of the TIE fighter is a drastically altered Elephant bellow.

At 3.02 you see the fighthers come in and the sound you hear with them moving is the sound of the Elephant's bellow. This scene also contains a lot of SFX for the laser blats coming from the various ships guns, the sound for which was created by, according to Filmsound.org, Ben Burt (Foley artist for Star Wars) tapping a hammer on the guy wire of a radio tower, illustrated here by this image.

  This, personally is my favourite part of Foley because they take something that's and organic sound that you would find anywhere, in the real world, and turned it inorganic to create the unnatural world that the films are set in. This scene in particular has a very good example of this with the TIE fighters but as well with the sound of the laser blasts, you can hear the attack as the hammer hits the wire and the reverberation as it fades out. All of the sound is synchronous and diegetic so it puts the audience into the films, making the story seem more realistic than it is.
All of my information on the creation of these sounds and a few more was taken from filmsound.org/starwars

Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street displays a much simpler take on Foley. According to Michael Payne, Supervising Sound Effects Editor,created most of the “finger-knives” sound effects using a variety of long blades:
machetes, bayonets, Titanium martial arts swords. To Help the sound of he blade ring out more.

At 1.36 you hear the sound of Freddie Kruger flexing his hand and scraping his blades whilst he is doing this. The sound diegetic, so it is coming from within the film world, you can see that also the other characters can hear this sound, due to their reactions of fear. This technique of Foley is similar to that of the one used in The Hobbit, as it uses layering and a variation of organic sounds, to create the desired sound. The layering technique is also used in Star Wars, however, Nightmare on Elm Street have stayed away from sound modulation, which, although the film is based on a fictional character, it is set in the 'real world', so the Foley Artists need to maintain a sense of realism. The combination of the sound coming from within the film ( being diegetic ) and the use of organic sounds,  blurs the line between the film world and the reality that the audience are in, with the addition of the setting being the present day for when the film was created, this, in turn adds a more chilling effect to the scene and brings the audience out of their comfort zone. 
All of my evidence for how the Foley was created in this scene was taken from an interview at this web address: http://designingsound.org/2010/05/a-nightmare-on-elm-street-exclusive-interview-with-andrew-decristofaro-michael-payne-and-david-farmer/

Use of Musical Themes in Film.

Musical Themes are short melodies or fragments constructed to represent a character, place or object. And will be played whenever said character, place or object is displayed on the screen or referenced in the story. The music is written to show the characteristics and convey a certain emotion with the image that you see. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

An example of a theme is in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The Dwarves with Bilbo and Gandalf enter Rivendell for the first time.  The camera stays watching the characters enter through the caves, at this time you hear the music building to a climax of screeching violins and light timpani that create a feeling of suspense. The camera then pans and zooms over a wide shot of Rivendell and as that happens you hear the theme for Rivendell.    

Between 8 and 40 seconds is when you hear the theme. The dynamics of the piece vary, beginning with a piano(soft) introduction of female vocals, in a choir, singing legato notes. The notes are mainly mid-range but they use both the lower and higher ends of that range, creating a calm an peaceful environment that would not be achieved with male vocals as, in my opinion, female vocals relate more to childhood and have a clam and protective feel that comes across with a sense of motherhood, which i feel is reflected in the clam legato notes of the female choir  The vocals decrease in volume and fade out to allow the actors to speak along with the rest of the music. At the same time as you hear the female choir you hear violins playing a repeating melody of piano (soft) legato notes but changing the position and the range that they are played in. This adds to the calm and peaceful atmosphere created by the music, because the repeated melody created by the violins imitates a wave style. The build up at the beginning represents the waves rising and the steady decent, is the waves slowly drifting back from the shore. Just as the camera pans, to show Rivendell, you hear staccato Harp layered in between the Vocals and the Violins, the melody is short and you only hear it once, the notes are piano(soft) to compliment the rest of the piece and although it is quiet, it is still noticeable as it is played at a slightly higher range than the other elements of the fragment. The Harp adds a more magical sense to the melody, as its short and light. Also, it's placement in the fragment and timing with the images helps to portray it's slightly magical and unreal properties as it is played just as the elegant structure of Rivendell is revealed. These elements put together create a light and 'airy' texture to the theme strengthening it's portrayal as a peaceful and magical place. As well as creating a sense of elegance and importance which is conveyed more by the choice of instruments. Voilins, Harps and Female Vocals have a connection to a period in the classical era when Chamber music was popular among the upper class, not so much for female vocals, but Violins and Harps were regularly used in that period, and so, to me, the choice of instruments really reflects upon Rivendell as being a very elegant place that is very unknown to those who have not been privileged enough to ever visit.

Another example of a musical theme is the Imperial March, which I'm sure everyone knows from George Lucas' Star Wars : Return of The Jedi. The fragment is played whenever Darth Vader is referenced  or the dominant character in a scene throughout all of the movies. 
In this video clip you see Darth Vader arriving at the Death Star whilst it's under construction.

At about 17 seconds you hear the Imperial March as you see Darth Vader exit his ship. Unlike The Hobbit, it is played in the background behind SFX for the space ship. The placement of the music at this time would suggest that he is still the dominant character of the scene but he is being shown in a milder manner, as  he hasn't done much to create a devastating impact in this scene. The theme is created with a full orchestra giving it a very thick and heavy texture, however at this point it has been stripped to Timpani and a slightly heavy Brass section, as well as being played at a much slower tempo. This creates a much less intimidating effect than when the theme is played at it's full texture and tempo because it has been stripped down to very little almost as if his importance as a character has deteriorated slightly, as well as keeping to the pace of the scene.  At 1.15 the Imperial March comes in at full swing the emphasise Darth Vader's final line "... the Emperor is not as forgiving as I am." The use of the full orchestra creates a thick texture in the music adding a darker effect to the scene. The Brass section plays in the lower range of notes playing full staccato notes that create the main melody. The low range of the notes played by the Brass section adds a more menacing feel to the scene. Behind the Brass section Strings play but at a much lower level, they play staccato notes, which are much more noticeable towards the end of the theme, to exaggerate some of the notes played by the Brass section. This is done by playing at a slightly higher range than the Brass section which naturally occurs between the two instruments. The combination of these two instruments create a layer effects and the different levels empahsise the different levels that Darth Vader works on, the heavyness of the texture helps to create this effect and add a sense of evil to it. The Timpani creates the backbone of the piece and yet again gives it it's pace for the rest of the music, as it is faster than before it hurries the scene on more but also adds more importance to the scene and Darth Vader as the music follows his movement as his exits. There is a slight twinkle of chimes over the top which seem slightly modified this adds an element of Sci-fi to the piece relating to the space atmosphere the scene is set in. The combination of these elements played at a higher volume, making it the dominant sound heard by the audience, adds a sense of power and in forces it with it's thick texture whilst creating layers to emphasise the power and force Darth Vader has.   

Previously I mentioned that the themes were also used to reference a character's work. An example of this is in George Lucas' Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. The music is not used to refence Darth Vader himself but in fact the work of other members of the 'dark side' that will  benefit  him in the future films. In the scene you see the preparation of the clones that are designed for the republic but have the Sith Lord (spoilers if you haven't seen it sorry). 

  

During this clip you hear the original Imperial March however, it's mixed with new melodies overlaying it. All the sound in the clip is non-diegetic as are the two previous clips this put the audience in a spectators' perspective but inside the film rather than as a reminder that you are sat outside of the world that the film is set in.  As it keeps it main structure from before it's thick texture still remains to keep it's evil feel as well as it's dynamics of the loud heavy Brass section, underlying Strings playing staccato melodies to highlight the Brass and the overlaying Sci-Fi style Timpani. As all of these elements still remain it still has the same effect of different layers however the dynamics of the layers have changed. The Brass has become slightly lighter in pitch, it still has the same texture but it's placement is less dominant in the scene to allow for more mechanical sound effects to be put over the top, this placement puts the melody as a signpost for part of the plot, the melody relates to the 'dark side' in the film, however what the audience sees is the clones that were built with the intention of being for the republic (the good side) in the film, the creates a contrast between sound and film the keeps the audience interested. In my opinion the lighter tone of the Brass section gives a false sense of hope, as quite often lighter tones relate to the heroic side in these senarios, for example Luke Skywalker's theme is much lighter and has a more heroic feel to it.        

If you look at 1.38 to 2.41 you here the variation of the theme created for Luke Skywalker. The theme is created in Bb(B flat). The choice of instruments are a full Strings section, a Flute and a Harp. All of these instruments are much higher in pitch than the ones used for the imperial march. The legato notes are peaceful, however the texture of the string section is thick giving him a sense of strength. Which contrasts with the Imperial March as it is the heavy Brass section, which plays is a much lower pitch, that gives 'the dark side' their strength. 

Looking at the two you can see how lightening the pitch of the Imperial March in Star Wars: Attack of the clones creates a false underlying sense of good but at the same time creates suspicion as to the true intentions for the creation of the clone army.

At the beginning of the clip you hear Violins play a legato melody the repeatedly ascends then starts at the lowest note again, this effect gives the impression of a climax point in the film and gives the audience the feeling that the republic play a good role that is more than likely to win. The Violins they increase in speed and shorten the notes changing them from legato to staccato, but maintaining the structured of the melody, this quickly turns the hopeful melody in to something chaotic, building to an unpredictable end. This set up allows for the mixing of the Imperial March to be a contrast that puts the ending to the chaotic climax as something that the audience may not want. The music in this piece almost acts as a glance into the future of the story line and it's darker ending of the imperial march detracts faith from the audience in the heroic characters in the film but at the same time installs a slight glimmer of hope by lightening the Brass section.