Voice Tracks

Voice tracks is where actors/actresses voices are recorded and placed over the video afterwards. This is used in various different ways. One of the most obvious ones is for animated film, be it cartoon or CGI (Computer Generated Imagery). This is because there is no actual person acting the footage, the sound for this is recorded by voice actors in a sound booth and placed over the footage.

Another form of this is when the voice is recorded using hidden microphones, usually hidden above the heads of the actors. This could also be done later on separately in a sound booth. This is once again added over the footage in a later stage.

Music

Music is a massive mood setter when it comes to the moving image. Its very commonly used on scenes full of action or drama as well as others. Choosing the right music for a scene is very important as it could make the film confusing or not make sense. For example you wouldn't have a sad scene of a movie e.g. a funeral, with happy, 'dancy' music in the background. If used well, music could make moments so good that viewers will be on the edge of their seats.

Music is also good for brand association. This is when music is used in things such as advertisements where the music, be it a melody or a jingle, becomes recognized alongside the brand the advertisement is for. Sometimes the music used can be very annoying, but these tend to be the most effective ones as they are most remembered.

Sound Effects

Sound effects are a massive part of sound for the moving image, without these the video, be it a film or whatever, will not go very far at all. Sound effects are usually used for two different things. The first is general sound for the whatever is happening. Now, although these sounds are actually happening whilst filming they are usually recorded separately using various equipment, this is because when filming there tends to be a lot of background noise and interference that effects the quality of the recording. This could be for things such as footsteps, doors opening or a sword clashing. To get a better quality sound, something called foly is used, this is where someone or a group of people create objects or use every day items to create the sound required, for example, two half coconuts clanking on a thin layer of sand could be used to mimic the sound of a horse prancing. The people doing this will be watching the recorded footage whilst creating these sounds to ensure that they are in time with the actions and to see if they sound right. Foly is also used sometimes for the second type of sound effect which is sound effects for things that do not exist. This tends to be things such as lazer beams and space ships. The same process applies for creating these sounds as well.

Atmosphere

Sound in moving image such as sound effects and music is used a lot to create atmosphere. This means the sound is used to create a 'feel' of the scene, e.g. if it is a sad/dramatic scene the soft, slow background music could be playing, this creates an atmosphere that makes the viewer feel what is happening more. If the same sad scene had fast paced loud music it wouldn't create the same effect and would frankly make no sense. Sometimes the best way to create the right atmosphere in a scene is to have not much sound at all, for example it could be just dialogue, very little sound effects and no sound, this would be used in quite sad scenes where a character is very upset.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8UKkw-BzHg

This is a scene from the movie - A walk to remember. Just by watching it, it is fairly obvious that this is a sad scene, but without the atmosphere created it would not be as sad. The scene starts of with hardly any sound, no sound effects and no music, just the wind, there isnt even any dialogue to create drama and tension. Then, as the scene progresses in sadness, very soft, sad, piano music starts to play, this helps you as the viewer feel what the characters are feeling easier.