Introduction
I would like to discuss the use of
sound in movies. Specifically the effects they have on the ears and body
between the extremes of the decibel levels: threshold of hearing to threshold
of pain. The three clips I would like to use are from Horton Hears a Who, Iron
man, and Bass Cannon (a music video by Flux Pavillion). These three clips have
extreme examples of audible levels found within the decibel scale, and use them
in different ways.
General Ideas for
Body
Horton Hears a Who: The first movie I chose was Horton Hears
a Who. This entire movie is about microscopic people that live on a flower and
communicate with the only character who can hear their tiny voices, an
elephant. Elephants in our world are
known to communicate long distances via low frequency sounds called infrasound
(http://www.upali.ch/communication_en.html).
While animals do have relatively better hearing than humans, the of the
elephant having super naturally acute hearing as the movie suggests is unlikely
and therefore, a cinematic fictional device used to perpetuate the aesthetics
of this movie.
Iron man: The character Obadiah Stane “stuns” Tony Stark
with high frequency device that paralyzes him. He then continues to speak to
Stark and unfold his villainous plan. Stark moves his eyeballs which signifies that
he does indeed hear what Stane is saying. Effects of this decibel level would
result in hearing loss, and, perhaps if the technology is advanced enough, could potentially cause paralysis on,
but then the victim would not be able to hear what the attacker was saying to
them afterwards.
Bass Cannon: This music video can be found on youtube from
this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htm_956k5ps.
It features two scientists preforming experiments on several different subjects.
The experiment appears to be testing the audible tolerance levels of the
subjects. The physical effects it has on the subjects bodies’ is what gives
this clip away as being cinematic fiction. When the tests begin, the sound
coming from the amplifiers appears to be so impressive, that it not only
creates massive sound waves, but also pushes the air in front of the speakers
which can be seen in the movement of the hair and mouths of the subjects.
After discussing
each movie and clip specifically, I will go in to detail and discuss why this
is incorrect according to our laws of physics and why it would work the aesthetics
of the movie.
Conclusion:
Looking at each of these scenarios
and how that were used give completely different impressions of the decibel
level from the threshold of hearing to the threshold of pain. They also give
false accounts of what is possible at these extreme levels for cinematic drama
and to make for more interesting footage.
