Focused Analysis of Sound/Music; Master And Commander



I chose this video because other than the transition from slow to quick editing, the sound is the main/only thing that builds tension- and it does this very effectively. Which is why I was not surprised to find out that it won many awards, including:
- The BAFTA Film Award for Best Sound (2004)
- The Oscar for Best Sound Editing (2004)
- The C.A.S Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures (2004)
- The Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features- Sound Effects & Foley (2004)
- The Golden Satellite Award for Best Sound (2004)
As the trailer starts we hear music, this has a strong beat to it to create an atmosphere but at the same time it is still calm. Due to the calmness of the music we are able to hear a voice over the top of this. Then the music very discreetly fades to nothing and we hear enhanced sounds of the water against the ship and the wind. After a couple of seconds this then fades back into the music and the voices come back (music still quite calm). The voices help us to understand and get an idea of the story, as does the copy which comes up on the screen.
After all the copy on the screen is finished an actor shouts and the shots get progressively quicker and the music builds up with this. The quick shots and music continue to progress for approximately 7seconds. These 7seconds make the tension rise along with the audiences anticipation to find out what happens next. At the end of these 7seconds the music then comes to a climax and cuts out in time with a black out on screen. At this point the audience are completely wrapped up in the trailer and want to know how this ends.
The black out doesn't last long, we then get an actor on screen who shouts "fire". As soon as he shouts the music comes back. The music now has very strong beats to define each bar. We are then given some more copy on screen and this is timed in with the beginning beat of the bar, making it very dramatic and increases the tension even more. The shots get progressively quicker after the last piece of copy and again this comes to a climax and then cuts sharply with another black out.
There are then 2 more beats of music for the title of the film to come up on screen and then the release date.