There are many different visual components in films that can help enhance a film, tell the storyline or even be the main focus of the movie.
Cell Animation - this is the type of animation used before computers. Each frame was drawn by hand and then filmed to create the cartoon 'movement'. Many Disney films and early TV series like 'The Simpsons' were made using cell animation. The cell would be a transparent film of cellulose acetate which can be painted on and then laid over other cells or a painted backgrounds to create scenes. It is a very labour intensive, time consuming and precise job. Today you can buy original hand painted production cells such as this one for $583 unframed.
CGI - Computer Generated Imagery is where the graphics are created by computer programmes. Initially 2D but now 3D the basic idea is to simulate the real world as accurately as possible and this is done by slicing up the reality into as small pieces as possible then controlling their movement within that recreated world. Toy Story was the first fully CGI animated feature film.
Stop Motion - is an animation process that makes a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own e.g. a piece of clay. If the animator has a clay character and films each tiny movement individually, when the film is all put together it looks like the character is moving. A good example of this are the Wallace and Gromit films.
Logos - The film industry is full of iconic logos and symbolism. These logos are usually immediately recognised by the viewer and help the marketing of the film, such as the below logo for 'Ghostbusters'
Titles + Stills - The film title and any publicity stills are again to help market the film. They should be able to capture the attention of potential viewers and make them want to see the film.
Subtitles are another part of how a film helps its audience understand, whether it is a language translate or to show a particular motion the character is portraying.
Live Footage - Actual film of a live recording is used in films, TV shows, concerts, sports events, new reports. This does not mean live as in happening at that exact moment, it means humans and living things are being filmed. A recent example being The Winter Olympics at Sochi in Russia.
The function of film music is a lot more complex than just a song playing in the background of a film, it is a very important part of a film which is very diverse.
For example, there are many different areas that film music can represent as well as being accompanying music for a film. It can represent many different functions including;
Create an atmosphere - This is created by how the score enters a scene, by means of how its depicted by the audience first time it is heard can set the tone for the film. But strong use of this function could create plot twists.
Portray emotions - This is another strong function that when combined with what the actors' emotions are on screen, can then trigger the emotions of the audience.
Time/Period Reference - This function is good to help when a film is set in a different era, say the medieval period, when the right instruments are used it helps out the audience recognize the film's setting. Or whether it is a flash back in a film to the 50's, the sound of rock n' roll with almost trigger the audience instantly in recognizing the era.
Manipulation - Often when there is a character in a film, portrayed as a good guy, the music in the film doesn't make the audience think otherwise, until that character may change in the end which is this represented by the music for the character suddenly changing.
Parody - This function can interact with the audience for them to decide whether or not a certain scene is meant to be serious or not, for example someone who may pretended to be a superhero, the accompanying music may be an almost cartoon sounding trumpet, therefore depicting the scene as not a serious one.
Physically unite the audience -When scenes such as a heroic moment, when characters may proceed through a large crowd of people to address the public in a heroic and memorable moment, or even such as a superhero who has defeated his enemy and is celebrating in a victory parade.
Depict movement - This function comes through old cartoons where strings plucked may indicated movement or a xylophone ping when an eyebrow is raised. These functions are common in slapstick situations but also work well in dramatic moments.
Depict social/cultural or geographic references - This is when a certain type of music is played, the audience can automatically detect where the scene is set, without necessarily having to focus to much on the visual aspect. Sounds from a fiddle could indicate an Irish scene, while bagpipes could indicate a Scottish scene.
Commentary - This function is not as commonly used now as it was decades ago, it can depict the mood of a certain scene or depict the mood of dialogue. This function is seen as not necessary, but when used in crystal clear way can influence an audiences decision.
Temp Track
A temp track is what a composer will reference, so they can get an idea of the film score they're trying to create. A temp track is basically an existing
piece of music that can serve as a guideline for a certain style that a director or producer is looking for in a film/video. Temp tracks can come from a variety of sources, from production libraries, film
soundtracks to mainstream albums or from the composers
own back catalogue. It is only used during pre-production and its
purpose is to ensure that those who require the score and those who are creating it are on the same page.
A famous example of when a temp track ended up being used as the film music is from Stanley Kubrick's film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Originally the composer Alex North had written a score, but Kubrick decided to use the temp track which was classical pieces from composer György Ligeti.
Sound effects are created artificially or by enhancing a sound. They are used to depict the mood, simulate reality or even create an illusion in a video. For example if a glass bottle smashed, that sound of the glass breaking is recorded separately and enhanced to sound realistic as possible. Another example of sound effects could be when two people are having a conversation in a restaurant full of other people, the sound of the other diners in the background is added to create the illusion of a realistic restaurant environment. A further example of sound effects could be to create a mood. For example, a cowboy sitting by a small fire in the middle of the desert, that instantly gives of the mood to the audience a sense of warmth, add a sound such as an owl hooting can change the mood to lonesome, a wolf howling could change it to a darker mood, or even gun fire could signal a sense of danger.
Foley
Unlike sound effects, foley are the sounds that are added near the end of production of a video. These sounds are caused by human interaction, such as footsteps, picking up or dropping an item. the sound of clothes rustling, cutlery sounds etc.
These sounds are added to give a video more of a realistic sense, they can be separated into three categories; Feet, Props and Cloth.
Examples of foley used to create common sounds are techniques like;
Cellophane creates crackling fire effects
A selection of wooden and metal doors are needed to create all sorts of door noises but also can be used for creaking boat sounds
Corn starch in a leather pouch makes the sound of snow crunching
A pair of gloves sounds like bird wings flapping
An arrow or thin stick makes a whoosh
A famous example of foley being used (in an over-dramatic way) is from the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, were coconut shells are cut in half and stuffed with padding to make horse hoof noises.
Even though foley is a crucial part to the videos final audio track, it is often the best foley track goes unnoticed because it is well mixed.
