P1. DRIVE

Analysis of Sound Effects 

The sound effects used in this clip are extremely effective, as they add to the tension of the clip, to inform the audience of information they haven’t picked up visually and to emphasise the content of the scene.

In this scene, a get away driver (Ryan Gosling) is waiting to pick up 2 burglars, although  he only gives them 5 minutes do to the job, otherwise he'll drive away.

The first diegetic sound we hear are the police sirens, this automatically tells us that there is a crime taking place, and that the police are on the look out. This is effectively told though sound, as the sound effect over laps the shot through an L – edit, meaning it wasn’t necessary for the cinematographer to film the actual car passing by. This sound effect is used purely to inform the audience of what is taking place and add to the action.  The sirens are repetitive and irritating, although fairly quiet and faded into the background, this tells us that they are still relatively far away.

We then hear the radio, when we see the main character (driver) in the car; this is effective, as with out actually having to see the police (which creates more tension and fear) we can hear about their whereabouts and movements and later on in the sequence, that they suspect the characters car.  We can also hear the basket ball game in the background, which foretells where the characters go in the end of the scene, but also shows that the driver is calm and relaxed enough to listen to the game, showing he is probably experienced in what he does.

The sound effects we here such as the crickets in the back ground, and the traffic, add to the atmosphere and surroundings and also re-enforce the fact that its night time and still busy.  The environmental sounds of the car engine and the tires moving also help the audience to focus on the movement of the car.

In this sequence one of the most important sounds effects are the ones coming from the watch, we firstly hear the driver fiddling with the watch, which draws our attention to it.  We then hear him adjusting the time; this then reminds us of the rule that he follows, which is to stick to 5 minutes of waiting for the burglars or else he drives away. Lastly, we hear an over exaggerated noise of the watch ticking, this tells us that time is running out and creates even more tension for the audience. 

The alarm which goes of in the building that the burglary is taking place in, tells the audience that the characters are in trouble, and the police are soon to be on their way. This is a constant, high pitch and repetitive noise, which irritates the audience’s ears, causing them to be tenser. The sound gets louder when the driver opens the door, making it more noticeable and realistic.

Other sounds, such as the car driving in and coming to a stop, the gate opening, doors opening, and the door open alarm, emphasise the actions that are taking place, so the audiences attention is specifically drawn to those actions and not distracted by anything else on the screen.  These sounds as well as the breathing, tires moving and car engine, are also used to bring a more realistic feel to the clip. 

Lastly, the sounds blend together to create an effective sound mix. It's effective as the scene starts of with a large and loud variety of sounds, this then grips the audience making them pay more attention to the scene. While the driver is waiting for the burglars, there is a lot less sound, and it is much quieter, this works well, as we can feel the awkwardness of the driver waiting, creating tension and also allows us to concentrate on specific sounds, such as the watch with out being distracted by other noises.