The score of a film is used in many ways, one such way if often to subliminally 'tell' the audience how to feel. Below is a list of fifty words describing the score to the popular Sci-Fi action adventure video game, 'Mass Effect.'
(As this video is over three hours in length, I have added in time stamps at which part of the sound track these words refer to)
The Score:
The score is the music created specifically for the film. For this scene
in 'The Lord of the Rings' there is a very suspense filled music
constantly playing in the background, that slowly gets louder and more
'epic' as the scene itself gets closer to the inevitable clash of the
two armys. This is used in-order to set the mood of the scene and make
the viewer feel more tense like the characters are.
Dialogue or ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement):
The dialogue in a film or TV show are the words and noises that come out
of a character's mouth, this doesn't just mean words but also anything
else such as shouts of pain or laughter. The dialogue in this scene has
the two leaders of the armys rallying up their troops and giving orders
to them. Not all words will be picked up by the microphone on set so
often in post production ADR or Automatic Dialogue Replacement. This is
the practice of getting the actors to dub over their lines in order to
make them easier to hear for the final product.
Sound Design:
Sound design is used in order to create a new sound for something that
doesn't exist in the real world. At the beginning of this scene we see a
mythological creature, a dragon, make a screeching sound as it takes
off. As dragons such as that do not exist in the real world it was up to
the sound designers to make up a sound for it that sounds like it
really could exist. Without this process we would be left with either no
sound for it or something that sounds far too much like something that
really does exist, breaking the immersion.
Foley:
Foley is used to reproduce everyday sound effects that are added in post
production to improve the overall quality the audios.
These reproduced sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing
and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. This is used in this
scene multiple times, for example multiple shots show horses walking and
running about the field. The sound of the horses feet hitting the
ground as this happens is too quiet to be picked up by the microphone on
set. In order to fix this problem the Foley artist might record the
sound of coconut shells clapping together. This sound effect sounds very
similar to a horses footsteps and so is used instead.
Ambiance/ Atmosphere:
Finally the ambiance and atmosphere of a films soundtrack is the sounds
of the environment around the characters and what is off screen. This is
used multiple times throughout the scene with such sounds including the
war cry of the soldiers and the horses walking and running. These
sounds were most likely created using Foley methods however the ambiance
and atmosphere isn't limited to this, one such example would the
hum of a spaceship in most Sci-Fi's.
The purpose of a Soundtrack:
Soundtracks are used in films for a variety of reasons. They can be used to entice imagination, 'tell' the audience how to feel and even be used to subliminally tell a story. Below are some examples of what this scene from 'The Lord of the Rings' uses its soundtrack for.
'Tells' the audience how to feel -2:50 - From here on the music that plays over the scene becomes very loud and 'exciting.' This subconsciously tells the viewer(s) that the scene in the film has become more intense due to the battle taking place.
Establish a time or a place - The music that plays throughout the scene has a more fantasy and medieval sound to it. This is due to the fact that 'The Lord of the Rings' has a fantasy setting. Having music in this style subconsciously helps the viewer to get more drawn into the whole films experience.
