Sound Evaluation: An Extract from Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs By Lea Weller BA

This evaluation analyses a four minute extract from Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs (1991), according to leitmotifs and the effect they have on the audience; how they are used and their link with the characters state-of-mind. I will look at the way music and sound effects help the transition of images through editing and explain how sound is heightened through the use of post-synchronization and how the non-diegetic music plays a role in the editing.

Leitmotifs are musical representations of a person, object, supernatural force and so on. Lecter’s connection with the point-of-audition sound shows him as the auditor. The classical source music is hermeneutic; we can see where the music is coming from and is diegetic as the scene shows us the music is produced from a cassette-player in the diegesis. Bach’s “Goldberg” variation resounds as the camera pans over to Lecter, calmly sitting behind the toilet screen. Halfway through the extract Lecter attacks the guards then the scene is calm once again,

He is seen humming along with the Bach, seemingly enveloped in the music even as he is clearly plotting his escape [...] looking over the carnage as the non-diegetic music fades and the Bach reasserts itself.

(Goldmark et al, 2007, pg 191)

Lecter attacks the guards as the non-diegetic orchestra takes over the Bach and Lecter’s fury shows beating and mutilating the guards. The orchestra imitates the beating of the guard by Lecter. As the orchestra fades down the diegetic source music reinstates itself panning over images of the dead guard, to the cassette-player, as seen at the start of the extract. An above point-of-view shows Lecter conducting the cassette-player and revelling in the music, inviting the audience to join again his peaceful state. Larsen states, Lecter has a leitmotif assigned to him throughout the film,

On its first appearance the motif is linked to a specific person [...] and when it later reappears the intention is for the viewer to be reminded of the first occurrence and to ‘hear’ the reference to this person.

(Larsen, 2005, pg 60)

Lecter’s link with the trance-like classical music shows his state of mind, and the audience are previously informed that his heartbeat stays the same even when he kills. The orchestra shows us the ‘adrenaline rush’ that he feels, but does not show leitmotif music is an accompaniment for suspense driven scenes. The music drowns the simple dialogue slightly; the music overbears it so we are straining to listen, which builds a feeling of tension and emotion,

In Silence of the Lambs, Howard Shore’s score is present for more than an hour of screen time, and it underpins all of the highly dramatic moments in the film, often guiding the emotion of the spectator through its suspended minor chords and the nervous-sounding lower-register tremolos.

(Beck, 2008, pg 78)

The source music is continued throughout the whole scene, with the non-diegetic score layered on top. The orchestra, perceived as ‘’powerful’’ is empathetic as it matches the rhythm of beating showing Lecter’s rhythmic control. The Bach sounds objectively and it is an-empathetic to Lecter’s violence. Empathy is created by showing Lecter interacting with the music-conducting the Bach, “we can observe his deeply subjective communion with the music, and if we are so inclined, even join in his revelling in the music.” (Goldmark etal, 2007, pg192) Lecter’s voice creates a trance like feel and is inviting, this is a leitmotif as his voice stays at a constant tone throughout the extract and is a memorable voice that fits his gestures and physiognomy.

 This extract connects the images using continuity editing for example, we can hear and see the cassette-player as it pans across the cage to Lecter; the music creates a smooth transition of images. We hear footsteps off-screen which acts like a sound bridge and creates a “sonic” deep focus, layering the shots then cutting between images of the guards walking towards Lecter’s cage these crosscut images flow into each other as the classical music plays through building the tension,

From the very earliest days of cinema, sound has been one of the key devices by which a film-maker can counteract the fragmentary nature of film to tell, propel, or enhance its storytelling properties. Edits may be frequent, constantly presenting us with changing visual images, but sound is likely to be more continuous, carrying over from one shot to the next and so helping to connect the images and provide continuity from one shot to the next.

(Roberts and Wallis, 2001, pg 65)

The footsteps create a sound perspective: as the guards get closer, the image switches to the guards, the footsteps are louder and echoing showing us the distance from the cage and the size of the room. Off-screen a toilet flushes; we cut to a shot of Lecter emerging from behind the screen. There are multiple examples of sound manipulation in this extract. One example is the dialogue and sound effects layered over the cassette player and when the orchestra produces a score for use as mood music in the attack scene; this is layered over the Bach and the dialogue of growls and screams.

Lecter unleashes a vicious attack on the guards, violence we see in a flurry of medium close shots, many of them half-obscured and accompanied by low, fairly generic non-diegetic horror music that swamps the Bach filling the foreground of soundscape as the sequence ends.

(Goldmark et al, 2007, pg 191)

 

This example is post-synchronized to add the non-diegetic score and heightened sound. Lecter attacks the first guard biting him then bashing his head repeatedly against the cage bars, synchronized with the orchestral booms. He attacks the other guard beating him with a baton, synchronised with the mood music and showing Lecter’s control. Along with this Lecter pants heavily and rhythmically as he beats the guard. The most obvious use of synchronised sound is the dialogue perfectly synchronised with lip movement. The movements in the image match up perfectly with the sound. The classical music shows us the calm beginning and ending to the extract, the orchestra showing us the violent attack scene.

Sound effects enhance the sounds and objects on and off-screen without the use of music or dialogue, as they are not referred to as ‘sound effects’. Even though, they apply the same effect of enhancement to the scene. ‘Hard’ sound effects in the extract are the sounds of the cage door and the prison bars as Lecter attacks the first guard. The atmosphere is quiet and calm with the Bach playing. Foley sound effects enhance the smaller objects in the extract such as keys, handcuffs, a baton, footsteps; even the sound of the guard rolling up Lecter’s drawings is heightened. Lecter growls when he attacks the guards and it seems enhanced with the growl of an animal, using sound effects and dubbing. Foley is a method for producing sound effects and replacing direct sound with the heightened effects. In this extract it replaces everyday sound such as footsteps, these effects are created in a studio recorded exactly as it is seen visually onscreen and enhancing the volume, pitch and timbre to insert ‘back’ into the diegesis.

One characteristic of diegetic sound is the possibility of suggesting the sound perspective. This is a sense of spatial distance and location analogous to the cues for visual depth and volume that we get with visual perspective [...] sound perspective can be suggested by volume. A loud sound tends to seem near; a soft one, more distant. [...] Sound perspective is also created by timbre. The combination of directly registered sounds and sounds reflected from the environment creates a timbre specific to a given distance. Such timbre effects are more noticeable with echoes.

(Bordwell and Thompson, 2004, pg 370)

Lowering and increasing the volume allows the visual to show the spatial perspective. Moments of suspense are created through the increased volume of objects and sound effects foreshadow events, thus whilst we see Lecter sat behind the screen, we hear footsteps and rattling keys echoing; coming from somewhere in the room, giving us spatial awareness. This sound advance introduces the next image; this is usually associated with suspense films like this. The echoing of footsteps and objects in the extract simulate the effect of an echo in a large hall.

                This extract successfully uses leitmotifs for Lecter’s state of mind and his actions. The music and sound easily helps the images flow into each other and foreshadows events yet to be seen. The sound effects used created tension and suspense and helped make objects of restraint more noticeable by adding enhanced sound. The mood music certainly created a feeling of adrenaline and then, a calming once again with the diegetic classical music, the mood music, set the atmosphere and made us feel the emotions of the character.

Bibliography

Altman, R., (1992) Sound Theory, Sound Practice. (Ed) London: Routledge

Beck, J., Grajeda, T., (2008) Lowering the Boom: Critical Studies in Film Sound. (Eds.) USA: University of Illinois.

Bordwell, D and Thompson, K (2004) Film Art: An Introduction, (7^th Ed). USA: McGraw-Hill

Brown, Royal S. (1994), Overtones and Undertones: Reading Film Music. London: University of California Press, pg. 12-37

Collins, A. P., Collins, J., and Radner, H., (1993) Film Theory Goes To The Movies. London: Routledge

Frith, S. (1984), 'Mood Music: An Inquiry into Narrative Film Music', Screen, Vol.25, 3, Oxford

University Press, pg. 78-87

Goldmark, D., Kramer, L., and Leppert, R., (2007) Beyond the Soundtrack: Representing Music in Cinema. (Eds.) London: University of California Press.

Larsen, P., (2005) Film Music. London: Reaktion Books

Roberts, G and Wallis, H (2001) Introducing Film. UK: Hodder Education

Filmography

Silence of the Lambs (1991) Jonathan Demme. [FILM] USA: Orion Picture Corporation

By Lea Weller BA