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.