Image copyright New Line Cinema (2001), [web] retrieved from IMDb.com)
Title: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Writers: R. R. Tolkien (novel), Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Perer Jackson (screenplay)
Actors: Elijah Wood (Frodo), Sean Astin (Sam), Ian MCKellen (Galdalf)
Director: Peter Jackson
Year: 2001
Information retrieved from: IMDb (2001). [web] retrieved on Oct. 20, 2014 from: imdb.com)
Categories of Sound in a Film:
Sound in a feature length film consists of anything the audience hears. It can consist of dialogue (the spoken words the actors or characters in a movie say), Sound effects (anything from background noise, to the closing of a door, to the over exaggerated sounds of bombs exploding), music (popular songs or scores created specifically for the film) or any combination of the three. The most successful and well-loved films incorporate a seamless mix of each of these elements in the making of a movie.
In the epic film The Lord of the Rings the first thing you experience is the magically haunting voice of a woman narrating the origins of the One Ring along with the others (rings) that it controls. We will later come to find out the voice belongs to that of Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) who plays a Noldrin princess (New Line Cinema (2001), [web] retrieved from IMDb.com). As the voice of Galadriel continues to narrate, we begin to hear a score play in the background. In just a matter of seconds we are then introduced to sounds of arrows flying through the air, swords clashing, hammers banging (forging the rings) etc. These sound effects are all happening while the score is playing and the narration is taking place. As you read this you may draw the conclusion (if you have never seen the film) that this is an overwhelming and confusing experience. But, in fact, it is not. These elements set the audience up for what to expect for the rest of the movie. From the introduction elements (sounds, scenes, narration) we can gather this film is in the fantasy genre. That it will also included elements of action and drama. The impact the viewer gets is that the movie they are about to view has the potential of being “larger than life”. Further, the audience can infer there will be many underlying plot elements, themes and meanings in this movie.
Although this film has many realistic plot elements, such as – the simple celebration of life (the hobbits in the Shire), the human species playing a central role, horses as the main mode of transportation; we also see elements of the fantastic or whimsical. This is congruently reflected in the sounds you hear throughout this movie. From the ethereal scores to the singing and dancing of the hobbits to the sound of horse hooves pounding on dirt paths. As viewers we experience both the expected and unexpected or exaggerated (that is the diegetic and non-diegetic). This combination works wonderfully to draw us into the fictional storyline but keeps us just grounded enough (by using realistic elements within the plot) that we are never lost.
One of the things I noticed most about the film, is there are relatively few scenes with complete silence. That is, scenes with no dialogue, no music and no sound effects (heavy breathing or a heartbeat for example). When it does happen (complete silence that is) the viewer is forced to pay particular attention to what is happening in the screen. Had the editor or director used a lack of sound throughout the film, I don’t think this movie would have the same extraordinary feeling that it currently does. That isn’t to say a lack of sound or music in a film can’t be meaningful. An example of the excellent use of minimal music would be the film Twelve Years a Slave. The lack of music and background score force the viewer to engage more deeply with the characters and plot elements in the story. However in the case of The Lord of the Rings, the use of the element of sound in almost every frame of this film greatly enhances and engages the viewer.
In the clip below we see how all elements of sound are used to convey a particular feeling and set a tone. In this case it is that of fear. Pay particular attention to the sounds of the animals in the beginning and the brief absence of all sound just before Frodo looks up at the horse’s hoof scratching the ground.
Resources:
IMDb.com (2001).The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring(2001) New Line Cinema . Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/?ref_=ttco_co_tt
New Line Cinema (2001). The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. [Movie Clip] retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L0A2D7zV7A
New Line Cinema (2001). The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. [Image] retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm896831232/tt0120737?ref_=tt_ov_i
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