Blog #3: Reflections on Sound Design

For this assignment, I'll be transcribing one of the most well-known scenes in a movie I love, (500) Days of Summer. Here is a link to the scene:

http://vimeo.com/13768746

And here is my transcription of the scene into script format:

In this scene, the only sounds are causal sounds--the dinging of the elevator, the clicking of shoes, the quiet rustling of movements, and music coming from Tom's headphones. These noises are literal and true to what we see; there is little need for semantic or reduced (acousmatic) sounds. The usage of purely causal sound creates an effect of realism in the scene, which is not only generally appropriate in many non-animated films, but particularly appropriate for a film such as (500) Days that is supposed to be true to real life. The sound designers seem to use listening modes to further demonstrate this realistic feel.

This scene uses minimal sound, causing a bit of the scene to be nearly silent. However, this silence is used effectively and with purpose. If there were music (other than what was literally playing from Tom's headphones) or other noises placed into the scene, it could have affected how we viewed time within the scene. For example, if there had been slow-paced music, it could have given the audience the impression that the scene itself was more slow-paced. The sound designers do not abuse their power to create subjective time, contributing to the simplicity of the scene. They also do not rely on added sound to create an emotional effect or particular tonal center. Although this may seem uncreative, I think it's what makes the scene’s tone so charming and relateable. It is undramatic, and more manipulation of sound would have only tainted the pure emotion of the moment.