Research: why is sound so important in films?

sound is used in a film to establish tone, atmosphere and to hand clues to the audience about the plot. It is also used to establish what genre the film will be as they contain genre tropes. Sound is also used to help 'suspend disbelief' to create realism for the viewer and their experience of the film. Soundscapes A soundscape has been defined as the auditory environment which surrounds a listener. The term soundscape is analogous with landscape in that it represents an individuals unique experience of inhabiting an auditory environment based on their previous experiences and interests.A film usually contains a sound track which is comprised of three essential topics:

 -diegetic sound effects
 -non-diegectic soundtrack
 -final mix of both

The director of star wars franchise , George Lucas argues that 'sound is 50%' meaning that without the sound you only have half the product or a film that isn't as good as it could be. I personally agree because without sound, the film losses half of the viewers attention as sound makes the audience imagine and relate to the film.

Diegetic sound effects...

Sound is called diegetic when its source is visible or implied in the world of the film. Common diegetic sounds present in most films are: actors speaking to each other or sounds originating from any object on the screen, like footsteps and police sirens. Digetic sound can be either on screen or off screen depending on whatever its source is within the frame or outside the frame. I have noticed that they normally contain silence which makes it drag.

non-diegectic soundtrack...

Sound is said to be nondiegetic when its source is not present or implied in the narrative universe. Common instances are: music or score, used to augment emotions actor’s commentary or narration any extra sound added for effect. I figured that this creates a ambigious and confusing atmosphere as the viewers are forced to pay attentions to little details in the images due to no sound. It makes the viewers lose interest in the film as they have to look for clues within the images.

final mix of both…

Such a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds communicates what the event is all about and also how it feels. It shows the outside and the inside of the event simultaneously. Both of these sounds combined ,compliments each other as it intensifies the experience to realism.The effects of layering or 'synchronisation' helps to make the sound and image work together and appear seamless.