Scene analysis: sound

Choose one of the four scenes posted on Blackboard, and write an analytical essay
on the way Sound is used in a creative and dramatically expressive way to help
communicate the message of the scene. Each scene has specific instructions:

1. On the Waterfront (Elia Kazan, 1954): What to do About Terry
   Describe the scene’s discussion and the positions of Charlie Malloy (Rod
   Steiger) and Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) in discussing what should be
   done about Terry Malloy. Explain the differences in pitch and tone between
   Charlie and Johnny Friendly as they perform this confrontational scene.
   How does the pitch indicate who has the authority and who is the weaker
   man in the scene? How does the voice performance work in getting through
   the dynamics between the characters?
2. My Best Friend’s Wedding (P.J. Hogan, 1997): Say a Little Prayer Scene
   This scene makes use of diegetic music in presenting a humorous situation,
   in which Julianne Potter (Julia Roberts) is showing her friend George
   Downes (Rupert Everett) as her new lover, hoping to raise jealousy in her
   best friend Michael O’Neal (Dermot Mulroney) as he is about to marry
   Kimberly Wallace (Cameron Diaz). In the scene, the Wallace family is
   having lunch in a crab restaurant and George makes up a story about his
   meeting Julianne, singing Dionne Warwick’s son “I Say a Little Prayer for
   You”, unchaining a chain reaction from the family, turning the scene into a
   musical. Explain how does the song give the scene many meanings:
   humorous, romantic, joyous, and confrontational in Michael’s case. How
   does the song work in making the scene effective and charming?
3. The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967): Benjamin’s Yearning for Elaine
   Explain the emotional effect of the song Scarborough Fair, by Paul Simon,
   used over the scene. Describe the content of the scene, what we see
   happening, and consider the lyrics of the song. Do the lyrics have any
   relation to the scene, or is the melody appropriate? What emotions do you
   feel as you listen to the song while the scene plays? Is the song a good
   choice for the scene?
4. The Graduate: A Sweet Goodbye, Mr. Robinson’s Ultimatum,
   Elaine’s Sad Farewell
   Describe the events of each scene in the sequence. Comment and
   analyze the use of all the sound elements in the scenes. Pay attention to
   the noise and music fragments used, relating them to the actions of the
   scene performed as we listen to the sound. Analyze the way the actors
   use their voices in the dialogues; how do volume, pitch and timbre give
   the scenes dramatic meaning?
   links to videos (pick one)
   https://vimeo.com/477804142
   https://vimeo.com/477802115
   https://vimeo.com/477807823
   https://vimeo.com/477805909

Sample Solution