In the seminar we discussed sound. We experimented with microphones and discussed intimate sounds such as a whisper and the signal to noise ratios that you must be aware of when recording audio. The higher the signal the better quality the sound. It is also important to be aware of levels when you are recording. If the level is too high, then the sound will be distorted and it is near impossible to fix in post-production. I didn’t really find this section that exciting as I have had exposure to sound recording before and found the exercises were not challenging for me.
Jasmine mentioned a reading by Leeuwen (1999) regarding perspective and social distance. Leeuwen (1999) suggests that social distance can be applied to visual and well as auditory elements, and suggests that social distance is the distance between the viewer and the representation. I find this very interesting because I have never really thought about the distance between myself as a viewer and a media text such as a film. However as suggested by Leeuwen (1999) I can see a correlation between a close up shot on the screen as a sense of intimacy, and I can also understand that a whisper is an intimate sound.
Leeuwen (1999, p. 15) talks specifically about audio and breaks down sound into three sections, intimate, support and background. The immediate is the sound that is listened to as opposed to heard, whereas the support and background effects may not be noticed.
This is further explored through the idea of soundscapes and the separation of the foreground and background sounds. Depending on the position of the listener, the sounds may be figure, ground or field. Leeuwen (1999, p. 23) states that figure is the most important sound, and must be listened to, ground is a part of the listeners “social world”, whereas field is a part of the physical world and may be external to the listener.
Leeuwen (1999, p. 16) also refers to Hifi soundscapes, which is a quiet location were discrete sounds can be heard, because the ambiance is not evasive however, Lofi soundscapes consist of closer sounds, that cannot be easily distinguished, and where a person must alter their noise level in order to be heard.
In regards to distance, Leeuwen (1999, p. 27) suggests that distance is how the sound is represented to the listener, and the intimate distance implies closeness or intimacy. Personal distance is informal and casual, similar to if you were conversing with a friend, and informal distance is not as strict an environment as formal distance, but is more formal than personal distance and public distance is the loudest sound, used to grab attention.
—
Leeuwen, T 1999, ‘Speech, music, sound’, Macmillan Press, London, United Kingdom.
