Special effects and sound

Special Effects

'Special effects' are often referred to as 'FX'. Special effects are used when a sequence or scene in a film cannot be achieved through the usual techniques. Examples where special effects are used are when Superman flies or when an explosion is too big or expensive to be filmed in reality. Advances in computer technology have made special effects an integral (central) part of many modern films. Two of the more common types of special effects that are used today are outlined below.

Computer generated imagery (CGI) is three dimensional (3D) computer graphics that are used to produce special effects for all types of film. Some famous examples of where CGI has been used include Shrek, Ice Age and for Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. It is important to note that CGI is not only used to construct virtual characters but can also be used to alter colour and lighting. Where a director feels that there is not enough colour in a scene, CGI colour grading can be used to brighten it up.

Bluescreens in a lot of circumstances have been replaced by CGI. You will still see examples of special effects using bluescreens used every day. The bluescreen is an actual object. Actors are filmed acting in front of a bluescreen and then, during editing, the background is replaced. This is how the original Superman films created the effect of superman flying. Television weather presenters use a bluescreen.

The animated image Bluescreen in studio demonstrate the set-up, which is what you would see in the television studio, and the animated image Bluescreen final result final image which is what you see on television.

Sound, Soundtrack and Music

The sound, soundtrack and music in a film are very important to the impact of films and play a major role in shaping meaning in the text. Next time you view a film try to imagine a suspenseful scene without the music. Does it have the same effect? There are a number of factors to consider when analysing sound in a film.

Diegetic sound is sound that occurs in film that is natural. These sounds include doors opening and closing, footsteps, dialogue (the voices of the actors if they are talking on screen), any music that comes from radios in the film or played on musical instruments, thunderstorms, tyres screeching and explosions. Any sound that is caused by actions or actually happens in the course of the film is diegetic sound. Imagine that the film is real. If you could hear that sound in real life, it is diegetic.

Non-Diegetic sound is sound that is added to the film during editing. These sounds include music and songs that are added to the film, music that sets mood for films (such as screeching violins at suspenseful moments), narration (voiceovers) and sounds added as special effects, especially in slapstick (comedy using exaggerated physical violence) sequences. (the "boing!" sound as a character is hit over the head - The Three Stooges is a classic example of this kind of sound). Any sound that would not occur if the film were real is non diegetic sound. For example, when you are sad, violins do not suddenly start playing! Sound can also be enhanced through processes such as reverberation and flanging. The audio files Original sound, Original sound with reverberation and Original sound with flanging demonstrate these effects.

The difference between sound, soundtrack and music is as follows.

• Sound is generally referred to as diegetic sounds.
• Soundtracks are any songs used during the film.
• Music is the incidental mood music known as the film score.

Think about the influence sound has on the impact and meaning of film.

Clip one and Clip two demonstrate the effect of sound on film. They are the same visually, but the non-diegetic sound of each is different.

How would you explain the effect of the sound in this example? The non-diegetic sound in each clip has shaped meaning for the viewer.