Abstract
Most film analysis features discussions and explorations of the visual track, while marginalising the soundtrack. In addition, soundtrack analysis itself can be limited to formalist descriptions of sound production or musical structures. This article argues for the incorporation in film analysis of theories concerning viewer perception, cognition and emotional response, particularly in relation to the soundtrack. It discusses sound space and perception through a brief study of technologies such as stereo sound, Dolby SR (Spectral Recordings) and digital sound. It examines the ways in which the development and introduction of these technological advances in film sound recording, mixing and cinema reproduction have affected the role of sound in film diegesis. 'Open' and 'compact' sound spaces are explored in relation both to these technologies and to the way in which film spectators respond to the events on the screen.
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