How Cinema Sounds Affect the Perception of a Motion Picture

Andreas G Anestis,Christos A Gousios

doi:10.13189/ujp.2015.030503

Andreas G Anestis, Christos A Gousios

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.13189/ujp.2015.030503

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Abstract

The object of the present study was to investigate the effects of sound on the perception of motion pictures by film viewers. For this purpose, we selected a sequence from the film Elephant (G. Van Sant, 2003) and composed two alternative soundtracks. The three different versions of the sequence (one with the original soundtrack and two with the alternative ones) were screened to 51 adult students (mean age 21.3 y.o.), who answered a series of questions after each screening. We concluded that different soundtracks change the perception of the audience mainly concerning the recognition of the film gender and the emotions that the viewers develop while watching the sequence. Moreover, the sound-design can possibly create visual illusions when the source of sound is shown on screen. Finally, factors like the sex and the field of studies seemed to differentiate our results, thus revealing their potential effect on the viewer's perception.

Highlights

The ability of our organism to receive, translate and respond to environmental stimuli, mainly visual and auditory, has been crucial during the evolution of the human species and always maintains its great importance for its survival
40%) of the sample in both groups. This could mean that elements of drama and realism are easier identified by the film viewers, compared to comedy
This is supported by the finding that the majority of subjects in both groups selected version 2 as the original soundtrack of the sequence

Summary

Introduction

The ability of our organism to receive, translate and respond to environmental stimuli, mainly visual and auditory, has been crucial during the evolution of the human species and always maintains its great importance for its survival. A “civilization of the image” is established and motion pictures consist one of its major aspects. The effects of movies experience on our society and culture have many times been questioned by philosophers, film-makers, film-theorists, and psychologists [1]. Since the process of environmental stimuli perception has a neurological basis, brain scientists have recently considered the nature of movies experience. An important number of studies during the last 50 years have investigated the mechanisms of the human nervous system that coordinate the reception of various environmental stimuli in order to create what the individual understands as “reality”

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