BLOG ASSIGNMENT #4 Reflection On Sound Design

In Requiem For a Dream, the audio production defined a lot more of the film interpretation than usual.

     In the movie music is used whenever the characters deal with temptation or being high. Often sound effects seem loud and echoing which reflect the feeling of isolation and negative emotion of the characters in focus. In one scene, Tyrone is being chased by gunfire while music plays loudly. This amplifies the fact that he's having to deal with being high in a difficult real world situation which is explained with semantic and causal listening modes.

    The specific scene posted shows Jared Leto's character Harry smoking marijuana and hallucinating about his girlfriend. Semantic sound incorporates alternative noises in place of things we normally would hear. When he rolls his joint, semantic sound is used to show each of his actions. The paper being whipped out sounds a like paper being whipped out, but the action of grinding up and placing the cannabis on the papers is replaced with a sound like rushing water. Next, Harry proceeds to lick the glue on the papers and the sound used for that is a much more animated sound that what would actually hear. Finally, when the bag is closed back up, a zipper sound is used.

      While semantic sounds give us a perspective of the characters being high and dealing with their emotions,  causal sound is used for equivocally "real world" situations in the movie. Jared Leto is caught up in his hallucination with Jennifer Connelly when all of a sudden, the music stops playing and the door opens up as Marlon Wayans walks in. The sound used for the door was completely typical.

     Requiem for a Dream is an excellent example of sound manipulation. The Gestalt Principle is incorporated in the entire movie. Drug use is literally amplified as each character's perception of reality changes. Harry's mother Sara deals with temptation and eventually prescription pill abuse. Every scene she deals with having to diet has her taunted by surreal sound design of her stomach grumbling, the fridge being incredibly loud, the music is echoing and eerie. The audience is bombarded with audio, but the illusion is that often only one sound is playing at a time to add inflection to each movement.