A Single Life is a short film that shows viewers what can happen if a newly acquired power isn't used carefully.
What would happen if somebody were suddenly given the power to travel through time? To be able to see where their live is headed and know if everything is going to turn out well? Or maybe first they would revisit the past, and relive a favorite memory? Despite the fact that plenty of science-fiction films have shown us how dangerous playing with time travel could be, it's hard to imagine being given such an incredible power without using it to satiate at least a little bit of curiosity.
A Single Life, written and directed by Job, Joris & Marieke, presents viewers with such a story, when one woman's lunch is interrupted by a knock at her door and she finds a mysterious package that has been left for her. Upon opening it, she discovers she has received a vinyl record that allows her to travel through time, and takes to exploring her newfound power when curiosity gets the better
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The vast majority of the sound in the film comes from the vinyl record, A Single Life, the namesake of the film. The music is upbeat and jovial, with lyrics much more well thought out than I realized during my first viewing. Past the music, the sound effects are well executed and strategically used, never distracting from the narrative at hand. There is no dialogue in the film, but ultimately any dialogue would have been unnecessary, and the music and sound effects more than make up for its absence.
In fact, this lack of dialogue is part of why the film is so relatable. While watching the film, I knew that I would make the exact same decisions that the woman makes, unable to resists temptation. With no dialogue to show that this woman is a specific person, she becomes an everyman (or everywoman, I should say) of sorts, making her relatable to audience members of any age or gender. This relatability is part of the film's
The sounds and music in this film are very realistic, and to the point. There is not anything abstract or out of place, and everything is very appropriate. The
The music throughout the film plays a big role in the way it is perceived and the overall tone and message. The directors and producers used background noise and music very wisely in order to convey the emotions of a scene. In the movie, it reaches a certain point where it almost looks as though things are looking up for education. It is when the documentary starts describing the “new acting chancellor of the district of columbia schools”, during this scene the makers want you to really pay attention and become almost shocked by this turn of events. However, they do not only grab your attention by the words and clips shown, but also by the loud, upbeat music that is suddenly played while she is being announced. Also, later in the movie they use this same
After viewing the film “GEN SILENT”, I was speechless by some of the experiences and challenges faced by the aging LGBT seniors. To me, it is a disgrace to see in this day and age that human beings are experiencing these challenges (emotional, social, and psychological) and stigma by their families, strangers and health care providers simply because of their sexual orientations or preferences. I feel that it is a disgrace for such an inequality to continue to be of existence in the 21st century because I believe as human beings we should all be more considerate and treat everyone with respect and dignity.
Another aspect of sound in this film was how it affected the story. By using sound dramatically in certain parts and not using it at all in other parts, sound gave this story an entity of its own. For example, during long stretches of film with mostly dialogue, there was no music played in the background, only a phone ringing in the distance, or the men's voices during their deliberation. These long silences also took place during editing shots of the town and images that surrounded this German city. This dramatic difference in sound was a revelation of how mood can be made by images and sound put together to make an incredible component.
Choosing the soundtrack for a movie is another difficult task that a director has to do because they have to find a perfect song or an instrumental track that will fit or compliment the scene that they are editing. The soundtrack of a movie is also a guaranteed way of effecting the emotions of the audience members. As a result, directors spend a great deal of time in choosing the right soundtrack for the movie. They want to make sure that they target the correct emotions for each scene. The sequence of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” featured many different sounds; such as, speech, music and sound effects.
One would have to say that one of the most notable features of the film would have to be its soundtrack, which incorporates no music but only diegetic sound, from the preliminary noise of the river flowing under the bridge through the even louder sounds of the forthcoming American tanks to the quaking clamors of the ending battle scenes. A prodigious example of sound transpires within the middle of the film. It is when the boys are woken from their cots and called into combat; the sequence features electronically distorted sounds that together equally insinuate the boys’ disorientation as well as the disorientation of the viewers.
In the thriller/action film, Safety Last, The Boy played by Harold Lloyd, moves to the city in efforts to “make good” for him and his girlfriend so they can get married. While in the city Harold discovers making money is not as easy as he planned. After sometime, Harold finds a job as a salesclerk, at the department store De Vore’s. Overhearing the store manager offering one thousand dollars to anyone that can attract a crowd around De Vore’s, Harold offers a solution. He inquired help from his friend Limpy Bill to scale the 12 stories of the De Vore department store. However, with only minutes until the event, Limpy Bill is not able to scale the building due to previous issues involving the law. Harold then decides to scales the building himself.
The music interacts with dialogue in the film; the techno beat is, at times, accompanied by vocals, which correspond with not only what is happening in the scene, but also the internal diegetic dialogue—another important motif.
The audio although normally overpowered by the visual aspect played a key role in defining and empowering the movie. The music was fast and uplifting during celebration and on
The same applies to a dramatic scene where the music may be deep and frantic to convey to the audience the feeling of anticipation. A scene i would like to focus on is the scene in which Garry and his father have a final ‘showdown’, if you will, at the front of the house. The scene consists of the father imposing himself on Garry and proceeding to continually beat him down time after time only for Garry to rise up and face his father on each occasion. This scene evoked a feeling of pride and admiration from the audience as to Garry’s courage and determination to convey the message to his father that he is ready to stand on his own two feet and defy him. This is a very powerful scene within the movie which initiated powerful emotions within the audience. All of this was accomplished with the notable absence of music of any form. The omission of music in this scene created an atmosphere in which the dramatic affect was amplified due to the silence.
This movie also contains a memorizing sound track that is just as unusual as the rest of the movie. Each character is given their own background music, which
Even though the film is essentially a visual experience, the use of sound has become extremely important in modern film. The modern viewer hears a complicated soundtrack that is as meaningful as the image on the screen. Three elements comprise the film's soundtrack: the dialogue, the sound effects, and the musical score. The proper balance and mix of these elements produced the essential emphasis required, which created the desired effects. As explained by Joseph Boggs and Dennis Petrie,
While well-crafted sound design and sound effects are so very necessary in the creation of a film, music touches the emotion, the psyche, and the things you cannot see. Sound design and effects don’t do this nearly as efficiently and naturally. Without music it would be much more difficult to follow the emotional ups and downs of a film. (Freer)
The music is appropriated to the visual images. When George is thinking about his daughter is going to leave him, it has background music of ¡§My Girl¡¨, and the lyric fits his feeling. The film uses narration, George tells what is going to be happened and defines the places. It is effective because the story is very realistic and the language is funny.
The music helped in elaborating this great film. As I mentioned in class different instruments helped create different moods for different scenes in the movie. We heard the cello and the violin to create sadness and remorse. The flute created eeriness and the trumpet created awareness. I thought these were instruments and tools that help make this film extraordinary.