This first clip provides qualifying examples of music and dialogue.
This next clip gives decent examples of sound effects.
Title: The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete
Writer: Michael Starrbury
Director: George Tillman Jr.
Year: 2013
Actors: Skylan Brooks, Ethan Dizon, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Julito McCullum, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Anthony Mackie, Jeffrey Wright, Rege Lewis
Sound:
Sound is one of the most important tools in film making; without it we would still be in the silent era. We live in a time when sound effects and music are highly considered when determining the rating of a movie. So for this particular Drama movie, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete, I tried to pick a clip that gives good example of the three basic categories of sound – music, dialogue, and sound effects.
In the first clip posted above, we see Mister and Pete walking to the store with almost like a pep in their step. The background music that is playing is upbeat and has a quick tempo that the boys are almost in rhythm with as they walk, which sort of signals to the viewers that just might be up to something. They are in a rough situation, and it’s expected of them to take drastic measures to survive, so it’s no surprise when Mister goes into the store and steals something to eat and runs out. We hear the music playing as Pete waits out front confused, and he stays frozen when Mister books it out of the store but starts to run too, when he sees the store clerk with the bat. Without the background music, this scene would have seemed sad, because no one wants to see two starving children stealing food. The music really keeps the mood up, and even though we know the situation in the back of our minds, with that type of beat playing it almost makes Mister and Pete’s actions kind of funny.
On top of the score in the first clip, we also hear the dialogue, although it may be short in this scene. Mister is laying down the law for Pete, he needs to know that they have to lay low or else housing authority will snatch them up. Pete asks Mister if it was true that two kids were killed in Riverview, the children’s home, and he let him know that the number was bigger than that. Then, Mister runs inside the convenient store, and tells Pete to wait out front. Now we hear the store clerk yelling to Mister trying to figure out what he is doing, as we know he is banned. We are watching Pete out front, but we hear the clerk getting louder and louder as he realizes Mister is not listening to him, and is in fact, stealing from the store. The dialogue ended when Mister walked in the store, but the role of the clerk was to inform the audience what’s going on inside since we can’t see. By his yelling at Mister, we know he must be angry at him for stealing. Then Mister and Pete run away, ending the scene.
The final component of sound, and as equally vital as the other two, is sound effects. It would be funny to watch someone slam a door in the movie, and not hear anything, right? In the second clip I posted above, the first thing we hear is music from Alice’s car playing and the skateboard that Mister is riding on. The next effect we hear is the car horn when Alice pulls up on Mister, and they begin another dialogue. During their talking, we hear all sorts of background noises like birds chirping and cars driving by. All of these sounds, allows the audience to be present in the film, as if they were there with the characters. There are always background noises going on in real life, whether it’s a pen falling or a car crashing – it all contributes to the moment. And the semi silence that is going on in this scene, lets us feel Alice and her sincerity and Mister with his stubbornness. All keys to making a great film.
References
CODEBLACK OnDemand. (2014). The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete CLIP – “Can’t
Tell Anyone”. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtkfucB83Xc
CODEBLACK OnDemand. (2014). The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete CLIP – “Riding
with Alice”. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT0Rg5g3LOI
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