Soundtracks and Diegetic Music in Film - Specialist Study

The aspect of creative media studies that I have tasked myself with researching and implementing into my short film project is soundtracks and diegetic music in film. The reason that I chose such a subject was because soundtracks for film and diegetic music are aspects of film that I am very passionate about. I also have lots of experience in creating music for film and producing music in general, having been involved in writing, recording and producing music for several years now.

Soundtracks that have previously interested me and inspired me to delve deeper into the topic of film soundtracks would include the work of Bruce Faulconer, who is well-known for his work in composing the soundtrack for the television show, 'DragonBall Z' which has many notable and iconic pieces of music which have stood the test of time. I am also a fan of the work of Shiro Sagisu, who composed the soundtrack for another show of a similar nature, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' with a piece of music titled, 'The Beast' being my favourite, which had an urgency and powerful presence that I felt worked brilliantly in certain scenes of the show.

Faulconer and Sagisu both represent the part of film that I am so passionate about which is the soundtrack, as well as the music used within the world of the film itself, (diegetic music). The most notable work of Faulconer's would be the 'Final Flash Theme' and as for Sagisu, it would most likely be 'Rei I'.

The important thing that all composers for film must take into account, is that music must not only sound good, but work within the scene that it is built for/around. The aforementioned composers do a remarkable job of achieving this and it is indeed a difficult skill to master. For scenes which are gentle and minimal, very little music ornamentation must be present, the music must be stripped back and as delicate as the scene itself, with regards to the pacing, imagery and mood. On the other hand, a more energetic scene, perhaps a "fight scene" for example, would demand a much more energetic and powerful score, one which is sharp and avoids becoming stagnant, one which perhaps compliments the movements and strikes of each character during the altercation and plays in harmoniously with the visuals. Perhaps 'Duel of the Fates' from the third Star Wars film is a good example.

I do plan to undertake research into a selection of scenes from films in which I believe the music/soundtrack to be not only of a great quality, but very complimentary to the scene and playing into the harmonious nature of a cinematic masterpiece, augmented by a symphonic score.

An idea that I have for my specialist study within the short film, is to compose music that will be played through the television which is a code for our short film, representing danger when a warning message appears on screen and also, representing desertion and being alone once it turns to static. I will be composing music and sound effects to compliment said events in the film, which will help in creating the atmosphere.

One thing to remember with "diegetic" music in film, is that very rarely is the music actually coming from the scene. In truth, music is dubbed in, but edited in such a way that makes it seem as though the music is coming from (for example) a radio in the corner of the room, with low-cuts used to create the tinny, radio sound, as well as telephone effects and echo as well as reverb to represent the radio being tucked away in the corner of the room, with the echo and reverb being notably present if the scene was taking place in perhaps, a large empty room, such as an empty office etc.

In order to correctly produce my idea, I would need to undertake research into mixing music into a scene, which I have already done. As mentioned in the aforementioned radio remark, it is important for the audio to be convincing and to make the audience believe that the sound is actually coming from within the scene, with the editing being seamless and retaining its headlining quality as "the silent art". Software like Adobe Audition, which boasts EQ settings, some of which are even presets (which I will do my best to avoid) make it very easy to play around with audio and make it fit a scene. However, even software as seemingly primitive as GarageBand, can offer many options and settings to play with if one knows where to look, with pedalboards, regardless of whether or not you are using a guitar, being most helpful.

I have gained experience so far in this field, helping other students out with some of their short films, with one of my peers requesting a ringing sound for his short film, which was not specified to be diegetic or non-diegetic, however challenged me in producing the appropriate sound for the scene. By using chorus settings, pitch shifters, a ring modulator and the major key (the major key may seem inappropriate for a horror/thriller film, which was the genre of film composed by the student, but helped to enliven the preferably prominent "ringing" sound) I was able to compose a sound that the student was most pleased with.

I have learnt that music and audio which compliments visuals can even be an aspect of one's directorial style, with Edgar Wright and his work in 'Hot Fuzz' being a good example. Every sound effect plays in harmoniously with each scene, everything feels sharpened, amplified and pronounced. This is a common theme with films directed by Edgar Wright, but I feel that Hot Fuzz is the best example. The trick is to keep an eye on the scene and the mood. Where there is a gap that could be filled by a sound effect or a musical score to make it more intriguing as a film scene, by assessing the nature of the scene, it is the composers job to decide what would best fit the scene and ultimately create a more entertaining media product.

The "Auteur" theory, which essentially is when a director for example., has a niche interest or USP which can make their films instantly recognisable, (with Quentin Tarantino's bloody violence and Edgar Wright's snappy and fast-paced editing teamed with complimentary auditory ornamentation being good examples) helps to further convey how significant sound and music can be in amplifying the effect of a film scene.

Given the style of the short film that myself and my team are working on, it seems difficult to see where effective diegetic music could fit, apart from the scene involving the television. The television being a code in our short film, pulls us into the realm of "found-footage horror" and "techno-horror" with our short film also having apocalyptic undertones with regards to the cultural relevance it has, when touching on topics such as nuclear warfare, conspiracy theories and media-induced hysteria.

Seeing as the short film is silent, this does present opportunities for sound effects made by movements and things moving and breaking, to be pronounced in the edit, making them more effective in a film which avoids dialogue for the most part, with the main problem of the film itself being that the characters must stay quiet in order to avoid being discovered by the antagonists in the film, which takes inspiration form John Krasinski's 'A Quiet Place', an almost entirely silent film, where the characters are forced into the same sort of silence.

When taking another look at the work of Faulconer and Sagisu, it is evident that consistency is important with regards to a soundtrack, as soundtracks (despite being absent in this film, replaced by diegetic sound and music) are primary factors in making a scene convincing to the audience. Sagisu's work is melancholy and cumbersome, sometimes even with underlying feelings of dread and despair, in the dark and psychologically-challenging TV show, 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' which is set in a dystopian world where angels attack the population of Earth, playing into Evangelical historical accuracy, depicting less talked-about aspects of Christian theology and it's socially suppressed truths. Sagisu needed to capture this feeling of dread and despair in the soundtrack, which I think is done very well in songs like 'Rei I' and 'EVA-00'.

Faulconer on the other hand, was tasked with creating music for 'Dragonball Z' an action packed and adrenaline-fuelled powerhouse of combat and ruthless plots, where almost everything was always on the line in whichever of the sagas of the show one chose to delve into, particularly near the end of the series. The fight scenes were, while bloody and extremely violent, colourful, vibrant and captivating to watch and so, punchy synths, distorted guitars and heavy drums were all used in creating music which fit the mood for such scenes, with Faulconer perfectly capturing the feel of each scene in his musical work.

My specialist study is coming along well, with much still being required to learn, but I am confident that by the end of this segment of the course, I will have produced a body of work which can showcase my ability in creating diegetic music, sound effects and audio-editing which can compliment a scene and a film to a high-standard.