The use of Mickey mousing in film

Mickey mousing is when an action on screen is accompanied by music that reinforces the action being made. Mickey mousing is mainly used in cartoons and some comedies, this is because mickey mousing can be quite child like and humorous. 

Mickey mousing is used to bring cartoons to life, and give the actions of an animated film its musical equivalent. In most old cartoons mickey mousing normally involves orchestral instruments playing the music that helps fit with an action being made. For example, When cartoon characters walks down the stairs, it can be accompanied by a trumpet  descending down a scale in time with each foot step of the character, the music is in sync with the actions of the video. 

Mickey mousing is used in mostly all cartoons, one example of mickey mousing is in Tom and Jerry, the episode busy buddies babysitting. This episode is full of different musical sounds and techniques which are used to suit the actions of the episode.

Tom and Jerry- Babysitting episode

Mickey mousing is used the whole way through the episode, but varying between different instruments and techniques. In this episode there are many actions which are accompanied by the music for example at 3:24 The baby is crawling up the stairs, the music that accompanies it is ascending and gradually gets louder it is also very light and cheerful. The music perfectly fits the action on the screen and is also quite comedic. After the baby goes up the stairs he then crawls on to the pole outside the house. The baby swings  up on the wire whilst the music accompanies by sliding up on the strings then sliding back down on the strings when the baby swings back down. 

The use of mickey mousing here is to create a noise suitable for the cartoon, the less mickey mousing they use the more lifeless it becomes. In the episode above they rely on mickey mousing to help develop the story line because there is not much speech used through the episode.

Another example of mickey mousing is in Pop eye the sailor, which is another cartoon that uses  this technique to help bring to life the actions on the screen. One episode that displays a lot of mickey mousing is 'Riot in rhythm'.

Popeye the sailor- Riot in rhythm
  

in this episode the music accompanied is mainly only synced for some actions is being made, rather than for every single action. Popeye has more speech than Tom and Jerry does, therefore the music only brightens the mood and gives the actions more emphasis rather than using the music to replace the speech.

One part which mickey mousing is used clearly is at 1:23, the kids are rushing around, and the music suits this, then the kids sit back down on Popeye's lap and the music is in sync with the kids jumping and sitting, The music is light and mimics the visual suitably. Mickey mousing is used again just after at 2:00 as the kids hop into bed the music accompanies them doing so, This is effective because it gives a cheerful playful sound to the energetic actions of the cartoons in the episode.


Mickey Mousing can also be used in videos other than cartoons, For example in Spider man they use mickey mousing as he climbs up the wall for the first time. Mickey mousing is normally quite humorous but in this scene they use it to make an impact on the audience, and make his actions feel much larger because it is being reinforced by the music.

Spider Man- Climbing scene

As he puts his hand up on the wall the music accompanies his action. As he climbs up slowly the music stays in sync with his action but also starts to make a rhythm, the rhythm slowly gets more complicated until he stops moving, then the instruments hold their notes until he turns around. The first time he puts his hand on the wall the music synced with his actions makes it much more thrilling to watch.

Mickey mousing is effective here because all the actions he makes is made even more powerful by the accompany of the music. Although mickey mousing is usually used in cartoons it is suited well for this scene and shows that mickey mousing can also be used to add thrill and excitement to action and adventure films other than just comedies.

Overall mickey mousing is really effective if used well in animated film, and sometimes even in other films. Mickey mousing is usually for comical effect or to add life to a cartoon or comedy, although it can also be used in action and adventure film to make actions stand out and create a more thrilling experience for the audience.

The use of anempathetic sound in film.

Anempathetic sound is when the music/ Audio goes against the visual mood or setting of a video clip. Most films tend to use Empathetic sound which is when the music fits with the visual mood of a video, but when An-empathetic sound is used well, it can be quite effective.

Anempathetic sound will usually be found in horrors, The music on its own would sound peaceful or joyful oppose to the dark lighting and scary mood of the scene. The idea of using anempathetic sound is to twist the scene to change the overall tone of the music into something creepy and unwelcoming, for example if you were to hear a guy whistling on a sunny day most people wouldn't think much of it, but if you were to hear whistling when you are on your own in the dark it doesn't sound as friendly as it did before. 

Anempathetic sound can be used in killing scenes to make them seem even more scary. Background noises from in a video clip like a fan blowing or water running can be used as anempathetic sound as they keep on going even whilst the video is showing something violent or upsetting.

One of the most iconic scenes in which anempathetic sounds is used is the shower scene from the film Psycho. 

Psycho- Shower scene

The shower scene from the film Psycho uses anempathetic sound during the murder and after the death of the girl in the shower. The girl turns on the shower and then the man attacks her. Whilst the man kills her the shower keeps on running as if nothing happened.

The shower keeps on running as the girl is lying dead on the floor. The camera even focuses on the shower head for a while as the water is running. The sound of the water running is calming oppose to the violent death of the girl. The use of anempathetic sound in this scene makes the whole scene even more sinister.

 Another example of anempathetic sound is in the scene the smiling family in the film insidious. In this short clip you can see how  the whistling helps the scary scene to sound even more creepy.  In the clip the Smiling family they use whistling to scare the audience. The overall scene is dark, slightly discolored and edgy whilst the whistling is too cheerful that it makes the scene even more unsettling.

Insidious- the smiling family

This scene from the film insidious uses anempathetic sound at the beginning of the clip, and then again at 0:48

They use a whistled melody to introduce the family, The whistling is almost guiding him to room they are sitting in. The Characters in the scene are discolored and purposefully fake, this is to create even more of an unsettling mood to the scene. The scene is dark lighting apart from the light that the main character holds, The light is tinted blue to create a slightly cold surreal setting.  The mood of the music contradicts the scene to the point were the music makes the scene more surreal. The whistling sounds slightly distant and mysterious therefore drawing the audience in. 

One more example of anempathetic sound in film is the opening fight scene of the watchmen, this is when the comedian is killed. This scene demonstrates anempathetic sound really effectively, the music used in the scene is 'unforgettable' by Nat king Cole.

The Watchmen- Death of the comedian

In the Watchmen the radio music plays throughout his attack until he is dead outside of his apartment, The music starts off diegetic then becomes non diegetic when you see him lying dead on the pavement. The use of non diegetic sound brings out the anempathetic sound because it makes the music become fuller and therefore creates more of an impact.

At the beginning of the clip the man is sitting in his chair, smoking a cigar whilst listening to the song. The door gets slammed down and then the man is attacked whilst the song carries on playing until the point of his death.

The song used in this clip had lyrics that went against the mood but also added drama and a slight irony to the death of the comedian. for example at 1:57 the man is getting picked up and thrown out the window, the lyrics are 'that's why darling, Its incredible, that someone so unforgettable, thinks i'm unforgettable too'.  

Also in this scene they give you a close up of the smiley face badge, and the comedian also says 'This is a joke', these little things go against the rest of the scene, but also states his character as the comedian. These little things like the use of the badge, the calm music etc creates an impact on the audience as the comedian dies.

overall anempathetic sound is most effective in horrors or dramas because the calm or joyful music can become quite unsettling if put with dark and sinister scenes. Anempathetic sound can be created by the different noises in a scene for example, The Shower scene from psycho creates the sound with the shower, the smiling family uses whistling and the watchman uses music. Each scene above uses anempathetic sound from different audio sources but are all just effective as each other.

The Use of Hyper-Realistic sound in film.

In many films today there are many ways to increase tension and to pull audience the audience in. One thing they can use to build up tension is to use hyper realistic sound, Hyper realistic sound is to intensify the natural sounds to create a more exaggerated sound which is louder than natural.

Hyper realistic sound is usually used to build up tension in a scene so that it puts the audience at edge. It is effective because it can make the audience feel closer to the action, as if they were there in the scene. Hyper realistic sound can be really effective in horrors, for example in a typical horror movie you have the killer chasing a girl in distress, she hides in the cupboard whilst he looks for her. In this kind of scene the breathing of the girl is exaggerated whilst she is hiding, this is to put the the audience on edge and make them feel as if they were living the scene with the girl.

In the trailer below, hyper realistic sound is used to exaggerate the volume of the running and breathing. Hyper realistic sound is effective here because it shows panic in the character and puts the audience on edge.

The Da Vinci Code trailer

 

In this trailer for the Da Vinci Code they use many different sound techniques to create a intense surreal feel. One thing they do is use hyper-realistic sound.

there is one place in particular when they use hyper-realistic sound which really drags the attention of the viewers. At 1:16 you see a man running down a hall, There is no music and everything is relatively quiet apart from exaggerated heavy breath and foot steps.

This clip also uses hyper realistic Sound right at the beginning of the clip, the man at the start of the trailer is whispering then he hits the wall with a whip, hyper realism sound is used here to intensify the whispering and heavy breathing to put the audience on edge. They also increase the sound of the whip hitting the wall, they also add a slight echo after to echo to make an impact on the audience.

In the trailer they used scenes that hyper realistic sound is used, they do this because intensifying the sound to an almost unnatural level can intrigue the audience and pull them in as if they are in the scene with the characters. In the Da Vinci code, they used it to grab the audience and make them want to watch the film.

Hyper realistic sound can be used in different ways to create different effects, for example in the clip they use it to intrigue the audience, where as it can also be used to create tension like in the film the Terminator 2. In the terminator they use hyper realistic sound in the Chase scene.

Terminator 2- Chase scene

The chase scene is at the beginning of the film and it is important for the film to give a good first impression to the audience and pull them in straight away. The chase scene is effective because its full of action therefore giving a thrilling introduction to the film. 

The chase scene uses hyper realistic sound to boast the sounds that you wouldn't normally be able to hear to a level almost equal to the louder heavier sounds in the scene. In the scene the quiet sounds are made louder so that the audience can see it from the characters point of view rather than watching over the chase. For example the boy on the bike is heavily breathing and gasping as he is being chased by the guy in the truck. 

The heavy breathing would be to quiet to hear if you were watching over the chase but if you were from his point of view you would be able to hear him breath and gasp. They intensify the volume of his breathing to bring forward his emotions, which is mostly panic. 

Oppose to both the clips above, Hyper realistic sound is used in the godfather to create more of a realistic and natural sound rather than creating a more surreal or unnatural sound. Hyper realism is used well in the resturant scene where Sollozzo and McCluskey are shot dead. 

The Godfather-Restaurant Scene

in this scene hyper realistic sound is used so that almost every sound you hear is magnified to create a more life like experience, as if you were in the room with them. The whole way through the scene you can hear every noise from footsteps to the pouring of wine into a glass. All the quiet sounds are magnified to show the silence of there surroundings in the restaurant.The magnified sounds create a slightly unsettling vibe, that also creates tension and helps display the discomfort of the characters. 

Hyper realistic sound is used straight away at the beginning of the clip where the waiter is opening the glass of wine. The sound of the the bottle being opened is the visual and audio main focus point before zooming out on to the table, but even when the main visual point is on the table you can still hear the wine being poured into the cup quite clearly. 

Another way the godfather displays hyper realistic sound, is by magnifying the sound of the surrounding environment of the restaurant, Outside the restaurant  you can hear the sound of the subway passing by, The sound of the subway fades in and out of the scene, each time the subway passes it seems to be louder. At the time 4:20 the subway is used to create tension in the scene, the subway gradually increases in dynamics as the camera slowly zooms into a close up on his face. The audio and visual work together to display that the character is nervous and also creates suspense for the audience.

Hyper realistic sound is used in this scene to show the characters emotions, create tension, and to build up to the climax, when the characters are killed.

overall Hyper realistic sound is mainly used to create tension and build suspense, It is mostly effective in Horrors, dramas and action movies. In the examples above hyper realistic sound displays the characters emotions, in the da vinci code the breathing is amplified to show panic which is the same as they do in The Terminator 2, oppose to in the Godfather in which they use the subway train to display panic.