Dialogue is more than exposition. It creates tension, builds rhythm, and, more importantly, juxtaposition the visual to tell a story and generate an emotion that the picture and sound could not independently achieve.

The musical score from Boogie Nights reminds us of the era, builds a sense of rhythm in the edit, and underlines the satiric message of the film.

‘Living in Oblivion’ is a great example of everything that can go wrong on a film set. The movie highlights the sound crew. This is an opportunity to talk about their responsibilities.

Laugh tracks are the simulated sound of the audience laughing for us. It is meant to keep us distracted from critical thought and convince us that we are being entertained.

One approach to a sound design is to determine the unique aspects of the genre and then choose sounds that emphasize these aspects. This spaghetti western is a great example of sound that is built around the genre story.

Sound for animation focuses heavily on unique voices, music, and sync diegetic sound effects. But what is missing in the sound and why?

Music is not only the physical transition for the Peter Sellers’ character in Being There, it is the emotional and story transition for the audience. Score takes us from one world to a new one.

Sound effects draw us into the character’s moment. Critical are the beats when characters make decision. This scene is a perfect example of how the sound emphasizes the story.