THE USE OF SOUND IN APOCALYPSE NOW

Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Coppola) – Opening Sequence; ‘This is the End...’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njfbVrYn4CU

(You may need to consider the use of editing, mise-en-scene and cinematography)

You must be able to differentiate between diegetic and non-diegetic sound:

Diegetic sound is any sound presented as originating from the source within the film’s world:

• voices of characters
• sounds made by objects in the story
• music represented as coming from the instruments in the story space

Non diegetic sound is represented as coming from a source outside the story space:

• narrators commentary--voice over
• sound effects
• musical score

Watch the sequence then makes NOTES under the following headings:

1). SOUND EFFECTS

2). MUSIC/LYRICS

3). DIALOGUE/SPEECH

Using your notes, write a 500 word response to the following question:

How does the opening sequence to APOCALYPSE NOW use sound to create meaning and generate an emotional response?

MICRO ELEMENTS: CINEMATOGRAPHY

Cinematography is predominately concerned with shot sizes, angles, camera movement and lighting. Here are some sequences that make interesting use of cinematography:

1). Children of Men - Miracle Cease Fire Scene



2). Touch of Evil - Opening Long Take



3). Elephant - Steadicam



4). Kill Bill - Split Screen

MICRO ELEMENTS: EDITING

The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing is a documentary that interviews Hollywood editors about the process of editing. Here is the first part:



Here are some examples of film editing:

1). The Godfather - Baptism Sequence



2). City of God - Chase the chicken



3). Silence of the Lambs - Parallel Editing



4). Breathless - Jump Cuts



5). 2001: A Space Odyssey - Match Cut