A close analysis of a sound

A close analysis of a sound in 2 min sequence from a film (750 words)

“Taken”

     For my prep to describe a close analysis of a film sound in a two-minute sequence I chose to write about the film called “Taken” which I have seen so many times and which is an action thriller directed by Pierre Morel, which came out in 2008 and had to more parts after this. The sequence which I chose is in the first 15-20 minutes of the film and is the first main tragic scene of the kidnapping when dad cant help his ‘little’ daughter as he is in a different country and can just give her instructions when they are on the phone until they take her.

     From the very beginning of a sequence we can hear a calm but very intense non-diegetic sound, playing as a background for both of the main characters even though they are in different places and even in a different countries which suggests us that there is a sound bridge between them which connects them and us the audience as well. Also when they are talking to each other on the phone we can hear each of them even when the shots are changing from dad to daughter and other way around because it’s a pleonastic sound as usually we cant hear that clear when someone else is on the phone. Producers definitely made it on purpose to give us a feeling like we are not just random people who came to watch the movie but we are actually part of their conversation and maybe they want to make us feel like we are in the same room and even in the same situation. We obviously can’t talk to them but we can probably feel the same as they do.

When he is giving her instructions which is a diegetic sound, of what to do, she doesn’t really reply, we can only hear her crying which creates a feeling like something is about to happened and we feel very sorry for her. Also, producers use a sound bridge to show and give us a clear feeling that they feel the same thing.

Talking about the steps of the unknown for us people and a creak opening of the door which is a diegetic sound really pushes us towards the scene which we think is more likely to happened- the kidnapping of his daughter and which is also a diegetic sound. Very calm but intense music suggests that dad’s words were correct and it only makes us feel sorry for her and it makes us wait.

Another interesting fact to consider is when those people who come into the room start talking on a different language which none of us can understand but also our characters cant. They might be saying something really important which could help dad to find his daughter. Something like what they do with all of these girls or where they keep them. Straight after you see this shot you start thinking about the following possible circumstances which can happened to his daughter. There are more or less likely to be 2 possibilities, one of them is they take her and the second one is they leave and she is free to go.

But that’s when our thoughts stop. We hear them leaving the room and going in the same direction from where they came from. There is a non-diegetic sound on the background which we can compare to the heart beating. Now we really understand what she feels like lying under the bed with no possibility to do something. Afterwards she takes her phone and starts talking to her dad. There is no any music on the background, but only her scream when one of the unknown men is pulling her from the bed.

The sequence ends with breathing of the person on the other side of the phone from her dad. There is a calm non-diegetic sound playing as a background which can suggest that they have done what they wanted to do. They took his daughter. Now dad has to do something. Music stops and the shots are changing to the next sequence.