Chapter 9: Sound
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which film, whose sounds were almost all produced in the studio, is memorable for its richly textured
sound design and multilayered sound mixing?
a. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2006)
b. Inception (2010)
c. Alien (1979)
d. You, the Living (2007)
e. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
2. What is the effect of hearing the Gregorian chant Dies Irae during the opening of The Shining (1980)?
a. It underscores the theme of freedom.
b. It foreshadows an upbeat denouement.
c. It provides us with clear clues about the characters’ location.
d. The music signals that things will not end well for these characters.
e. It suggests temporal continuity.
3. With regard to sound, what is the crucial difference between sound and silent films?
a. A sound film can emphasize silence, but a silent film has no option.
b. A sound film only uses diegetic sound, but a silent film can use nondiegetic sound.
c. A sound film uses automatic dialogue replacement (ADR), but a silent film uses rerecording.
d. A sound film does not use ambient noise, and silent films only use sound effects.
e. A sound film’s fidelity is never faithful to its source, and silent films are always faithful to their
sources.
4. Which of the following is a phase of sound production?
a. mise-en–scène d. effecting
b. coverage e. framing
c. editing
5. Most film sounds are constructed
a. on the set. d. during sound design.
b. while location scouting. e. in preproduction.
c. during postproduction.
6. The group responsible for the sound in movies is called the
a. ADR team. d. sound-mixing team.
b. gaffer crew. e. sound editors.
c. sound crew.
7. Why has the role of the sound designer become more prominent over the years?
a. Directors have learned how well they can cover up mistakes in shooting.
b. Sound design has simplified so people understand better how it functions.
c. Producers have realized that it is more economical to invest in a top sound designer than a
cinematographer.
d. Motion picture sound has become more complex and increasingly innovative.
e. More men have entered the field, yielding higher salaries.
8. Which of the following is an assumption on which the concept of sound design rests?
a. Image and sound create separate worlds for the viewer.
b. Sound should be integral to at least two of three phases of film production (preproduction,
production, and postproduction).
c. Sound should be added in postproduction only.
d. A film’s sound is never as expressive as its images.
e. Images and sound are co-expressible.
9. How is a sound designer’s approach to a sound track similar to how a painter treats a canvas?
a. A sound designer uses a sound’s pitch as a painter uses a brush.
b. A sound designer uses background tones like a painter uses different colors.
c. A sound designer mixes dialogue and effects like a painter mixes different colored paints.
d. A sound designer edits sounds the way a painter makes compositional choices.
e. A sound designer uses music the way a painter uses a model as the basis for a painting.
10. Which of the following is a responsibility of a sound designer?
a. dissuading screenwriters to consider all types of sound
b. recording production sound
c. supervising two stages of filmmaking: preproduction and production
d. overseeing the creation and control of how silence is used in a movie
e. leaving the editing team alone in postproduction to make decisions involving sound
11. Which of the following is an assistant to the production sound mixer?
a. rerecording mixer d. sound editor
b. boom operator e. sound effects personnel
c. Foley artists
12. Which of the following is a reason why sound editing takes up a great deal of the time in the editing
process?
a. Significant portions of the dialogue may need to be created or added during postproduction.
b. Unwanted sounds need to be filtered out.
c. Sound tracks usually need to be combined and compressed.
d. The relative loudness and various aspects of sound quality need to be adjusted.
e. Dialogue must be recorded.
13. Synchronized picture/sound work of a day’s shooting is known as
a. ADR. d. mixing.
b. double-system recording. e. dailies.
c. outtakes.
14. Why is ADR used?
a. to help sort through outtakes
b. to rerecord sound originally recorded on the set or in a foreign language
c. to put film sound on a medium separate from the picture
d. to help transition to the digital format
e. to add dialogue when screening the dailies
15. Which of the following describes what happens during the process of sound mixing?
a. Different individual sound tracks are combined and compressed into one composite sound track.
b. Foley sounds are added.
c. Dialogue is recorded.
d. Usable film footage is logged for easy accessibility.
e. Automatic dialogue replacement (ADR) is often needed.
16. Which of the following does NOT describe a perceptual characteristic of sound?
a. pitch d. fidelity
b. quality e. amplitude
c. loudness
17. How is sound pitch (or level) defined?
a. by the frequency (or speed) with which it is produced
b. by its amplitude (or degree of motion within the sound wave)
c. by its harmonic content
d. by its timbre and texture
e. by its volume or intensity
18. What does the shift from low-pitched to high-pitched music in the “all work and no play” scene in The
Shining (1980) signal to the audience?
a. It highlights Wendy’s coping strategy of denial.
b. It underscores how Wendy has become more relaxed.
c. It signals Wendy’s growing comfort with Jack’s writing.
d. It suggests that Wendy’s anxiety has escalated to sheer panic.
e. It underscores Wendy’s nonchalant attitude.
19. Why would filmmakers use the extremes of near silence or shocking loudness in a scene?
a. to signal something important
b. to create rhythm
c. to express a character’s point of view
d. to create harmonic unity
e. to underscore a theme
20. A sound’s faithfulness or unfaithfulness to its source is known as its
a. fidelity d. frequency
b. timbre e. harmonic content
c. amplitude
21. The same note played at the same volume on three different instruments (say, a piano, violin, and
oboe) will produce tones very different in quality since each instrument has its own
a. amplitude. d. frequency.
b. harmonic content. e. color.
c. pitch.
22. How do the sounds of a violent storm shape the audience’s interpretation of The Ice Storm (1997)?
a. The nonfaithful sound suggests that Ben and Elena might be able to save their marriage.
b. The sweeping wind sounds suggest that this difficult time will pass.
c. The harsh breaking sounds serve as a metaphor for the characters’ frail lives.
d. The nonfaithful sound suggests that the characters’ social order is under attack.
e. The faithful sounds of the snow landing on the commuter train suggest a smooth, calming end.
23. Which statement best describes the film sound we hear when Charlie points his fingers as if they were
a gun in Mean Streets (1973)?
a. we hear a gunshot, a nonfaithful sound
b. we hear thunder, a faithful sound of the storm
c. we hear a bomb exploding, a faithful sound of terrorist activity
d. we hear a kiss, a faithful sound between Charlie and Teresa
e. we hear a firecracker, a nonfaithful sound
24. The sound effect of a bomb exploding when a vase falls in Love Me Tonight (1932) can best be
characterized as
a. not faithful to its source. d. complex in quality.
b. diegetic. e. simultaneous.
c. low-pitched.
25. What is the difference between diegetic and nondiegetic sound?
a. Diegetic sound is offscreen; nondiegetic sound can be on-screen or offscreen.
b. Diegetic sound provides no relevant spatial or temporal dimensions; nondiegetic sound provides
an awareness of where the sound emanates.
c. Diegetic sound is recorded during postproduction; nondiegetic sound is recorded during
production.
d. Diegetic sound originates from a source within a film’s world; nondiegetic sound comes from
outside that world.
e. Diegetic sound is assumed to be inaudible to the on-screen characters; nondiegetic sound
accompanies action and speech depicted on-screen.
26. Sound that comes from a place within the world of a story, and that we assume is heard by characters
in that world, is known as
a. ambient sound. d. nonsimultaneous sound.
b. internal sound. e. external sound.
c. diegetic sound.
27. In the opening sequence of The Shining (1980), the electronic music, which does not emanate from an
on-screen location, is
a. diegetic. d. on-screen sound.
b. low-pitched. e. external sound.
c. nondiegetic.
28. What is the effect of hearing nondiegetic orchestral score music as we see David cross the dance floor
in search of a potential partner in The Lobster (2015)?
a. It underscores the absurdity and humor of the scene.
b. It provides an awareness of the spatial and temporal dimensions of Mt. Rushmore.
c. It increases our identification with the characters.
d. It emphasizes his anxiety in this high-stakes situation.
e. It increases the audience’s awareness of the danger that the characters face.
29. Which of the following sounds are typically used to draw the attention of an audience?
a. sound effects faithful to their source
b. a synchronous sound bridge
c. nondiegetic, offscreen sound to the exclusion of all else
d. medium pitch sound
e. diegetic sound effects
30. In Le Million (1931), director René Clair’s decision to have the sounds of a football game humorously
play over a scene featuring characters scrambling to find a valuable lottery ticket is a use of
a. synchronous sound. d. on-screen sound.
b. asynchronous sound. e. simultaneous sound.
c. diegetic sound.
31. Which of the following is an example of synchronous sound?
a. Characters search for a lost dog, and the audience hears the sounds of a hockey game.
b. A bottle of champagne is opened, and the audience hears a pop as the cork flies across the room.
c. A baby cries, and the audience hears the roar of a lion.
d. A couple fights, and the audience hears an ambulance siren.
e. A woman opens her mouth to scream, and the sound of a train whistle is heard.
32. What is the significance of the offscreen sound used when Lieutenant Fontaine is imprisoned in A Man
Escaped (1956)?
a. The offscreen sounds of daily life represent the world outside the prison, and therefore, freedom.
b. The offscreen sounds of other prisoners wailing suggest the tyranny of the Nazis.
c. The offscreen sounds of rain, thunder, and lightning represent the power of nature.
d. The offscreen sounds of cell doors and keys clanking suggest the gears of justice are in motion.
e. The offscreen sounds of gunshots suggest he may soon be liberated.
33. In which film was the innovation of combining spoken lines with an interior monologue made?
a. Badlands (1973) d. Hamlet (1948)
b. Padre Padrone (1977) e. The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
c. Double Indemnity (1944)
34. Whenever we hear what we assume are the thoughts of a character within a scene, either as random
thoughts or as a sustained monologue, this is known as
a. external sound. d. internal sound.
b. simultaneous sound. e. overlapping sound.
c. on–screen sound.
35. Which of the following are excluded from a film’s sound track?
a. dialogue d. a director’s rehearsal notes
b. narration e. music
c. sound effects
36. Which type of film sound tends to dominate most films?
a. ambient sound d. vocal sounds
b. music e. sound effects
c. Foley sounds
37. While dialogue in most movies represents ordinary speech, the screwball comedies of the 1930s
invented
a. a serious, naturalistic style.
b. a fast, witty style that called attention to itself.
c. a languorous, slow style that expressed romantic longing.
d. a staccato, clipped manner of speech.
e. a proper, formal style.
38. Which of the following is NOT true of dialogue?
a. It is a function of plot since it grows out of the characters’ situations.
b. It is a product of acting since it involves an actor’s voice, gestures, and facial expressions.
c. It is one of the primary ways of telling a story.
d. It is recorded during production or rerecorded during postproduction.
e. It is the speech of characters who must be visible on-screen.
39. How does the ambient sound of wind when Tom Joad returns to his family’s home in The Grapes of
Wrath (1940) shape the audience’s interpretation of the scene?
a. The high intensity of the wind suggests a tornado is coming, and we fear for Tom’s safety.
b. The low sound of the wind underscores Tom’s loneliness and isolation.
c. The squealing of the wind suggests rising tension between Tom and his family.
d. The light breeze of the wind suggests a peaceful reunion.
e. The high frequency of the wind highlights how unnerved Tom is to return.
40. What is the principal difference between traditional sound effects and Foley sounds?
a. Traditional sound effects are unique; Foley sounds can be taken from a prerecorded library.
b. Traditional sound effects are created and recorded “wild”; Foley sounds are recorded in sync with
the picture.
c. Traditional sound effects call attention to their own artificiality; Foley sounds enhance
verisimilitude.
d. Traditional sound effects rely on a variety of props to simulate everyday sounds; Foley sounds are
recorded from the natural sounds of real things.
e. Traditional sound effects exaggerate reality; Foley sounds are naturalistic.
41. Which of the following Foley sounds were used to create the dramatic illusion of a glove breaking a
nose while in the boxing ring of Raging Bull (1980)?
a. the whoosh of an arrow d. the cries of an infant
b. a knife stabbing a watermelon e. train whistles
c. a fist hitting a side of a car
42. Before Danny Elfman, Mark Mothersbaugh, Randy Newman, and Jonny Greenwood became some of
Hollywood’s most prolific contemporary composers, they were
a. DJs. d. radio hosts.
b. rock musicians. e. music producers.
c. symphony conductors.
43. What do the heavy, hard piano chords, insistent drums, and the chanting of monks, which accompany
the funeral procession in The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice (1952), suggest?
a. Othello and Desdemona may still be alive.
b. Fate was the cause of Othello and Desdemona’s deaths.
c. Their deaths could have been avoided.
d. Bad luck was responsible for their deaths.
e. Othello is in heaven; Desdemona is in hell.
44. How do the following directors use music to enhance the pace of a film?
a. Ang Lee uses a Japanese folk song to create a dreamlike pace in Brokeback Mountain (2005).
b. Tom Tykwer uses techno-music to match the surreal tempo in Run Lola Run (1998).
c. Joe Wright uses Gregorian chant to bring an ethereal mood to Atonement (2007).
d. John Curran uses Rage Against the Machine songs to accelerate the pace of We Don’t Live Here
Anymore (2004).
e. Lana Wachowski uses music by Johann Sebastian Bach to slow the tempo of The Matrix (1999).
45. From a sound perspective, what is the major achievement of Black Hawk Down (2001)?
a. multiple voice-over narration, which offers conflicting accounts of the same event
b. the bold juxtaposition of images with contrasting music
c. the silence used to produce a new rhythm
d. music that is fused with sound effects to create a seamless tapestry
e. incongruous nondiegetic sound for comic relief
46. When is nondiegetic music recorded?
a. It is recorded during the shoot so that it captures the spontaneity of the performance.
b. It is recorded during preproduction so that actors can match their performance to the prerecorded
music.
c. It is recorded at the very end of the editing process so that it can be accurately matched to the
images.
d. It can be recorded at any point during the production.
e. It is recorded after the script is written since its lyrics may stand in as dialogue.
47. Which contemporary film uses silence most inventively?
a. Joel and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men (2007)
b. Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989)
c. Debra Granick’s Winter’s Bone (2010)
d. Stephen Daldry’s The Hours (2002)
e. Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run (1998)
48. What is the most powerful sound used in Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)?
a. jungle noises.
b. a short offscreen interior monologue.
c. monks’ prayers.
d. music from a TV melodrama.
e. silence of the perceivable world and the afterworld.
49. How does the sound in the beginning of War of the Worlds (2005) shape the audience’s expectations?
a. The soothing sound of the waves lapping up on the seashore lulls the audience into a false sense of
peace.
b. The gentle whoosh of the wind across the blue sky combined with the upbeat music suggests a
happy ending.
c. Loud, high-pitched sounds, accompanying eerie atmospheric effects, suggest something terrible is
going to happen.
d. The low-pitched foghorn, combined with the gentle purr of a cat, suggest this may be the calm
before the storm.
e. The carnival music, loud crowd sounds, and sirens blaring foreshadow danger.
50. Which of the following sounds do NOT contribute to the doomsday atmosphere when the tripods
attack the fleeing crowds in War of the Worlds (2005)?
a. army tanks firing missiles
b. crowds rushing back and forth
c. massive tripods crashing through the landscape
d. silence
e. electronic sounds
51. How does the sound of Harlan Ogilvy sharpening a large blade in War of the Worlds (2005) affect the
audience?
a. It leads the audience to believe that Ogilvy may become an evil force.
b. It suggests Ogilvy could be an ally.
c. The soothing tones suggest a happy ending.
d. It provides irony since the viewers know a new demonic force now rules the world.
e. It provides relief since the characters could use a large blade.
52. How does an audience process visual and sound elements in a film?
a. They tend to see images as a whole, while they hear sound as individual elements.
b. They are slow to differentiate visual elements but are quicker to separate sound into its constituent
parts.
c. They interpret visual elements emotionally, while an audience is far more analytical when it comes
to sound elements.
d. They can easily differentiate visual elements, while it is more challenging for them to separate
sound into its constituent parts.
e. They are more easily emotionally manipulated by visual elements than sound elements.
53. How does the sound design of the opening scene in Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) function?
a. It intentionally thwarts the audience’s spatial and temporal expectations.
b. It answers fundamental questions about the narrative.
c. It helps the audience distinguish the individual sounds and understand how they are arranged in
relation to one another.
d. The audio mise-en-scène emphasizes the camaraderie of three desperadoes.
e. The various nondiegetic sounds help us understand Harmonica’s point of view.
54. What is the primary function of the sound used in the opening scene of Love Me Tonight (1932)?
a. It creates rhythm. d. It sets up audience expectations.
b. It offers insight into the protagonist. e. It creates a sound bridge.
c. It grounds the audience spatially.
55. How does the grand operatic music used in the “Helicopter Attack” scene in Apocalypse Now (1979)
help to reveal Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore’s character?
a. It underscores his megalomania.
b. It highlights how meek he is.
c. It suggests he has a grounded, stable personality.
d. It emphasizes his pacifism.
e. It suggests his calming influence.
56. Which of the following is NOT an example of how sound is used as part of characterization?
a. Horses whinny when a character’s name is mentioned in Young Frankenstein (1974).
b. Quint draws his fingernails across a chalkboard in Jaws (1975).
c. A Javanese gamelan orchestra plays when Lester fantasizes about escaping to a better world in
American Beauty (1999).
d. A woman opens her mouth to scream and instead we hear a train whistle in The 39 Steps (1935).
e. Bernstein sings as if he is having a good time in Citizen Kane (1943).
57. Why is sound overlapped?
a. to link and provide unity between disparate shots
b. to fulfill an audience’s expectation
c. to convey a character’s emotional state
d. to underscore the theme of the movie
e. to create rhythm beyond that created by the music
58. What made Orson Welles famous overnight?
a. his 1938 radio production of The War of the Worlds
b. his Broadway adaptation of Julius Caesar
c. his baritone voice in his performance as Charles Foster Kane
d. his direction of Citizen Kane
e. his modern adaptations of literary classics
59. What was unusual about the sound production of Citizen Kane?
a. Mixing of the sound effects occurred during preproduction.
b. Dialogue was edited during production.
c. No music was used.
d. The music was composed before the rough cut of the film had been assembled.
e. All the dialogue had to be looped.
60. Which of the following film sounds are typically recorded during production?
a. dialogue d. sound effects
b. narration e. Foley sounds
c. ambient sounds
ESSAY
1. Explain the meaning of director Steven Spielberg’s statement, “The eye sees better when the sound is
great.”
2. Provide an example of how music adds symbolic import and emotional impact to the footage we see
on-screen.
3. Tomlinson Holman said, “Sound design is the art of getting the right sound in the right place at the
right time.” Explain this statement.
4. How is pitch employed to shape our interpretation of the “wizard” in The Wizard of Oz (1939)?
5. How does the sound design of the opening of Apocalypse Now (1979) shape the audience’s perception
of Captain Willard as well as set up the themes of the film?
6. Explain how the use of nonfaithful sound when Charlie playfully points his fingers in the shape of a
gun in Mean Streets (1973) contributes to our understanding of Charlie’s relationship with Teresa.
7. How did Martin Scorsese and Frank Warner use sound to make the close-ups in the boxing ring of
Raging Bull (1980) almost unbearable to watch and hear?
8. Explain how the use of music in film may help to create irony. Provide a specific example from the
text.
9. How does the music employed in The Crying Game (1992) help underscore the surprising turns in the
story?
10. How can music provide structural unity or coherence to a story?
11. What unique challenges did The Hours (2002) create for Philip Glass, its musical composer, and how
did he solve them?
12. Why is Ethan and Joel Coen’s use of silence in No Country for Old Men notable?
13. How does the sound in an exclusive restaurant in The Player (1992) help to direct the audience’s
attention?
14. Explain the effect of Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann’s use of sound effects in The Birds
(1963).
15. Explain why Orson Welles is considered to be the first sound designer in American film history.