23.8

In the first class, we mainly focused on introducing ourselves and learning about the topic for this semester in film. Last year we learned about the cinematography of films. This year we'll be learning about the sound design of films. I'm excited to learn more about that because I think that the sound is also another really important part of a film; to bring out the right atmosphere in a certain scene or to give a sort of "heads-up" to what might happen next like building up anticipation. It could also mean something particular, like give the audience a hint about the movie. Such as in the opening scene of the movie Wall-E, the song played was happy and cheerful although we could obviously see the setting of the film wasn't exactly a nice place to be in. That created contrast, but also told us that maybe the movie would have a happy ending. I learnt last year the importance of cinematography, especially good cinematography, because film is first and foremost a visual media. But I just don't think a scary movie would be scary without those sound effects, both diagetic and non-diagetic. Just like when you watch a film without the sound; it doesn't feel the same even if you can tell if it's an intense scene or something scary might pop out at any second.

Towards the end of the class we had to choose a clip from a film to analyze/talk about. I chose the film The Matrix, directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski . I really liked the film, mostly because I really liked the topics that they talked about. I also thought it was similar to Inception, another great movie. The scene I picked was near the ending, where Neo was starting to really believe and trust himself.

The beginning starts off with Morpheus saying, "He's beginning to believe." Neo doesn't run, he decides to face the agent. There's a medium close up of the agents fist curling, ready for the challenge. There's some non-diagetic sounds in the background as a few pieces of papers float to the ground. You can hear the sound of the paper crinkling in the wind, emphasizing the tension of the moment. Neo's fist closes, and suddenly the action begins. Immediately you hear that typical "action sequence music" and it throws you right into that fast pace, like your heart is races with each beat of the music. Neo and the agent grab each other, suspended in mid-air. You can see the almost invisible paths of the bullets in the air, giving you a sense of how fast they're moving and also to again show how you can manipulate time and space within the Matrix. We see the bullets fly past, whiz past, but again we can see them clearly. The music played when they were running towards each other really fits with the action because it's fast, seems like it keeps going "up" in a sense that notes keep climbing up, building up the tension and the atmosphere. Once they crash into the ground and point the guns at each other the music comes to a stop, as if finalizing something. When they're both on the ground, it's like they're equals. He's not inferior anymore because he understands and he believes. He's making his own stand now.

Then when the agent takes off his dark glasses, that motion sort of says, "Oh it's really on now. You haven't seen anything yet." He's really set his mind to kill Neo now, but on the other hand taking off the glasses was a sign of weakness because now he has nothing to hide. Now he can't hide anything. Also it's like he's admitting they're on the same level now. The music gets louder and more 'intense' as they continue fighting. The lighting of the scene isn't that bright, there's the dim yellow glow of the subway lights and the lighting on the wall of the tracks. Only in close ups of their faces can you see their expressions and the determination, but from the music the atmosphere is retained.

I particularly like the ending, where Neo gets thrown onto the subway tracks. Shot from a low-angle, half of the shot is in darkness except for the part of the platform. The darkness sort of signifies a 'doom impending' scene. The agent appears in that bit of light, and we see him towering over, as if he's in complete control again. He's the superior now. He jumps down and tries to strangle Neo, like giving his opponent one last taunt. Close-up on his face. He has that look of hatred with his eyebrows curved downwards, but his voice seems so slow and calm. Perhaps even a bit cheerful. You can barely detect that hint of menace. The contrast further gives an indication of the fact that he's only a machine or a robot. The final bit where the train comes, he knows it's inevitability, but he's going to change that. He knows he has the power to change it. He's not going to let them get to him again.

I really like the sound sequence in this clip.

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." - A Streetcar Named Desire