Sherlock Holmes

Sound in Film

Diagetic

Horses whinnying, hooves clattering

The cocking of the shotgun

The cowing of the bird

The door being kicked

Revolver

The clinking of the reins

The wheel rims turning

The footsteps, jumps and running

Non-Diagetic

Music –

Slow start (piano)

Picks up speed and rhythm (cello)

Emphasis – drum rolls

Sound effect- ghostly whoosh

Sound bridge- from out to in.

I am going to analyse the opening scene from the Sherlock Holmes film.

In this scene there are lots of diagetic and non-diagetic sounds that we can hear. These sounds I have all listed above. But I would like to concentrate more on the theme music and analyse what the music tells about a scene or what kind of feelings the music evokes from the audience. The background music which becomes the main theme music starts with a piano, while we hear the piano when the classical instruments starts to come in it becomes a fast paced and has a mysterious feeling to it. We can see/hear how the music matches to everything within the scene ( Mise-en-scene) for example this music matches to the historical setting of the film which is played in the Victorian London. Even though we have the background music throughout the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds still remains as it also adds to the scene. The theme music is very important because it can give a first impression of the movie itself. From the chains that are attached onto the horses we know that they are travelling at a fast speed therefore the theme music is also fast paced as mentioned before. As the camera moves faster the music becomes faster and we can hear an increase in the volume of the music, this is to build expectations for the audience about the action and also to build excitement for the audience. The music as well as the custumes adds realism to the movie, which is great because in some way the audience can relate to what is happening.  

Link to video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=098QxdbedQI