(no subject)
A stark colorless world, with murderous shadow that creeps through the city claiming innocent victims is paralleled by a world of overpowering montages and false expectations. These different worlds are tied together through sound cues- the whistling of a serial killer cues the audience into a bleak foreshadowing, while the sound of a cash register and car alarm cues us into the lucrative and illegal world of selling drugs. Both worlds are completely different, yet are created using the similar tools.
The cinematic techniques of sound and editing are undoubtedly two of the most important techniques within film, and no other films demonstrate their constructive ability more than “M” by Fritz Lang and “Requiem for a Dream” by Darren Aronofsky. These films use these cinematic techniques to create very unique diegesises that were not only innovative for their respective times, but creative as well. Through their respective styles, different forms of narrative emerge and different filmic meanings become present. There are many similarities and differences between the two films, and rightly so- Fritz Lang’s “M” was created in 1931 and Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream” came out in 2000, with nearly seventy years difference- similarities in the films’ shot and sound editing can still be seen. While Lang’s diegesis in “M” is a world constructed of murder, silence devours the scenes of action and suspense, and by the use of editing, diegetic sound is transformed to non-diegetic narratives. In Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream,” a world of drug abuse and failed personal connections, fast cutting of images is matched by equally fast-cut sound effects that immerse the viewer into a drug filled reality. While Lang and Aronofsky create very different diegesises, both directors use a combination of diegtic and non-diegtic sound in unison with shot editing to create unique and unconventional realities within their films that were innovative for their times.
For example, the diegeses within Fritz Lang’s “M” is one that is different from Aronofsky’s requiem, yet it uses some of the same cinematic techniques almost seventy years earlier. When Lang’s “M” came out in 1931, its use of sound editing was a technique that had scarcely been done before; Lang would use sound and shot editing to create a dark and ominous world. Even when the film first begins, the non-diegetic sound of a morbid childrens’ song about a black man with a cleaver’s blade is heard before the first shot of the film. Already the cue of song and sound narrate the mood for the audience, and the fact that it is heard before anything is seen foreshadows the importance of sound within the film. When the first shot appears, the ominous and dark feeling of the song is illustrated by one continuous crane shot that moves to a worried mother chastising the children for singing. When the audience is first introduced to Hans Beckert, the serial killer, it is not him they see but instead his shadow and the sound of his voice. When Beckert purchases his victim a balloon from a blind peddler, the audience is shown his back from a high angled shot as the sound of a motif from Grieg’s Peer Gynt is ominously whistled. Lang uses this motif to foreshadow impending doom, and it reoccurs within the film at pivotal points of tension. In this way, the filmic meaning behind the motif foreshadows the events that are about to unfold. Much like his motif, Lang also transforms diegetic sound into non-diegetic sound through shot editing so that the sound becomes a narration, and a character’s voice becomes the narrator of the shots presented on the screen. For example, when Elsie Beckman’s mother calls out her name when she doesn’t arrive home from school, a montage of deserted settings illustrate the helplessness of her mother’s calls. A shot of an empty staircase becomes an empty washroom that becomes an empty chair that finally concludes to a shot of Elsie’s ball rolling down a hill to a stop and a shot of her balloon stuck in telephone wires. The diegetic sound of her mother’s voice transforms into non-diegetic sound that narrates the montage presented. The more helpless and worried each call becomes the more barren and hopeless the shot presented becomes. Lang uses this technique within his film again but in more obvious detail in the scene where the commissioner and secretary share a phone call discussing the case of the serial killer. As they delve into the details of the progress occurring, their diegetic voices become non-diegetic narration of a montage of different shots. Shots of people investigating fingerprints found on the press letter suddenly transform into the diegetic dialog of the finger print investigator. As he begins to describe the killer, his voice suddenly transforms into non-diegetic narration illustrated by Hans Beckert studying himself in a mirror. As the description ends and the conversation between the Secretary and commissioner resume, so too does the diegetic conversation become narration of a montage of different shots. Lang uses the technique of sound and shot editing to visually illustrate the conversation being heard. Lang’s technique of illustrating a conversation visually and then returning back to the diegetic world of what’s being said keeps the viewer visually and audibly interested in what is occurring within the film. It’s a fresh perspective and editing technique that was innovative for its time.
As important a role as sound plays within Lang’s “M,” Lang even removes it at times to heighten action and suspense. When Beckert is discovered and chased by the lookouts, Lang removes sound from the sequence when Beckert is chased into the building. The last sound heard before the sound is removed is a whistle, and from that point forward the viewer is left with a sequence of shots following Beckert into hiding. The absence of sound creates a very surreal experience, and those chasing Beckert become much more ominous and frightening images than if the sound were left in. In this sequence, Lang creates surreal filmic meaning in order to heighten the suspense of the events unfolding on screen. When Beckert vanishes from his pursuers, sound is then returned and the hunt continues.
The cinematic techniques of sound and editing are undoubtedly two of the most important techniques within film, and no other films demonstrate their constructive ability more than “M” by Fritz Lang and “Requiem for a Dream” by Darren Aronofsky. These films use these cinematic techniques to create very unique diegesises that were not only innovative for their respective times, but creative as well. Through their respective styles, different forms of narrative emerge and different filmic meanings become present. There are many similarities and differences between the two films, and rightly so- Fritz Lang’s “M” was created in 1931 and Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream” came out in 2000, with nearly seventy years difference- similarities in the films’ shot and sound editing can still be seen. While Lang’s diegesis in “M” is a world constructed of murder, silence devours the scenes of action and suspense, and by the use of editing, diegetic sound is transformed to non-diegetic narratives. In Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream,” a world of drug abuse and failed personal connections, fast cutting of images is matched by equally fast-cut sound effects that immerse the viewer into a drug filled reality. While Lang and Aronofsky create very different diegesises, both directors use a combination of diegtic and non-diegtic sound in unison with shot editing to create unique and unconventional realities within their films that were innovative for their times.
For example, the diegeses within Fritz Lang’s “M” is one that is different from Aronofsky’s requiem, yet it uses some of the same cinematic techniques almost seventy years earlier. When Lang’s “M” came out in 1931, its use of sound editing was a technique that had scarcely been done before; Lang would use sound and shot editing to create a dark and ominous world. Even when the film first begins, the non-diegetic sound of a morbid childrens’ song about a black man with a cleaver’s blade is heard before the first shot of the film. Already the cue of song and sound narrate the mood for the audience, and the fact that it is heard before anything is seen foreshadows the importance of sound within the film. When the first shot appears, the ominous and dark feeling of the song is illustrated by one continuous crane shot that moves to a worried mother chastising the children for singing. When the audience is first introduced to Hans Beckert, the serial killer, it is not him they see but instead his shadow and the sound of his voice. When Beckert purchases his victim a balloon from a blind peddler, the audience is shown his back from a high angled shot as the sound of a motif from Grieg’s Peer Gynt is ominously whistled. Lang uses this motif to foreshadow impending doom, and it reoccurs within the film at pivotal points of tension. In this way, the filmic meaning behind the motif foreshadows the events that are about to unfold. Much like his motif, Lang also transforms diegetic sound into non-diegetic sound through shot editing so that the sound becomes a narration, and a character’s voice becomes the narrator of the shots presented on the screen. For example, when Elsie Beckman’s mother calls out her name when she doesn’t arrive home from school, a montage of deserted settings illustrate the helplessness of her mother’s calls. A shot of an empty staircase becomes an empty washroom that becomes an empty chair that finally concludes to a shot of Elsie’s ball rolling down a hill to a stop and a shot of her balloon stuck in telephone wires. The diegetic sound of her mother’s voice transforms into non-diegetic sound that narrates the montage presented. The more helpless and worried each call becomes the more barren and hopeless the shot presented becomes. Lang uses this technique within his film again but in more obvious detail in the scene where the commissioner and secretary share a phone call discussing the case of the serial killer. As they delve into the details of the progress occurring, their diegetic voices become non-diegetic narration of a montage of different shots. Shots of people investigating fingerprints found on the press letter suddenly transform into the diegetic dialog of the finger print investigator. As he begins to describe the killer, his voice suddenly transforms into non-diegetic narration illustrated by Hans Beckert studying himself in a mirror. As the description ends and the conversation between the Secretary and commissioner resume, so too does the diegetic conversation become narration of a montage of different shots. Lang uses the technique of sound and shot editing to visually illustrate the conversation being heard. Lang’s technique of illustrating a conversation visually and then returning back to the diegetic world of what’s being said keeps the viewer visually and audibly interested in what is occurring within the film. It’s a fresh perspective and editing technique that was innovative for its time.
As important a role as sound plays within Lang’s “M,” Lang even removes it at times to heighten action and suspense. When Beckert is discovered and chased by the lookouts, Lang removes sound from the sequence when Beckert is chased into the building. The last sound heard before the sound is removed is a whistle, and from that point forward the viewer is left with a sequence of shots following Beckert into hiding. The absence of sound creates a very surreal experience, and those chasing Beckert become much more ominous and frightening images than if the sound were left in. In this sequence, Lang creates surreal filmic meaning in order to heighten the suspense of the events unfolding on screen. When Beckert vanishes from his pursuers, sound is then returned and the hunt continues.