Gus Van Sant is an American film director, photographer and screenwriter. He Achieved mainstream success with his 1997 film good will hunting. I have seen a lot of Van Sant's
films and it think he came into his own as a director later in his career. I think his use of sound in later films such as 2003's Elephant a film about a high school massacre similar to infamous columbine massacre and 2007's Paranoid Park, a film about a teenage skateboarder who is involved in a tragic accident accentuates the emotions and moods of characters.
I think a great scene from paranoid park is a scene involving the protaganist in the shower. To start of with the only sound is the diegetic noise of shower water falling, however this is out of sync with the slow motion footage on the screen and gives a dream-like, surreal atmosphere. This reflects the detached state of mind the protagonist is experiencing after having witnessed a murder. This then intertwines with sounds of exotic birds and eventually it becomes evident that the sound is of a rainforest rather than a shower, (so non-diegetic.) The pace of the soundtrack quickens over time, (again a contrast to the slow-motion footage), and seems to be illustrating the growing confusion and paranoia of the boys mind. This is an interesting example of sound design, helping to portray the inner mind of the character rather than the visible action on screen; through this, the tone of the film is emphasised in that the focus is on the workings of the mind - specifically paranoia. Using sounds that don't sync up with the images to help create mood, tone and meaning that may not be created through visible imagery is a notable technique.
films and it think he came into his own as a director later in his career. I think his use of sound in later films such as 2003's Elephant a film about a high school massacre similar to infamous columbine massacre and 2007's Paranoid Park, a film about a teenage skateboarder who is involved in a tragic accident accentuates the emotions and moods of characters.
I think a great scene from paranoid park is a scene involving the protaganist in the shower. To start of with the only sound is the diegetic noise of shower water falling, however this is out of sync with the slow motion footage on the screen and gives a dream-like, surreal atmosphere. This reflects the detached state of mind the protagonist is experiencing after having witnessed a murder. This then intertwines with sounds of exotic birds and eventually it becomes evident that the sound is of a rainforest rather than a shower, (so non-diegetic.) The pace of the soundtrack quickens over time, (again a contrast to the slow-motion footage), and seems to be illustrating the growing confusion and paranoia of the boys mind. This is an interesting example of sound design, helping to portray the inner mind of the character rather than the visible action on screen; through this, the tone of the film is emphasised in that the focus is on the workings of the mind - specifically paranoia. Using sounds that don't sync up with the images to help create mood, tone and meaning that may not be created through visible imagery is a notable technique.
You can watch the scene here.
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