HW2c - Sound in film openings (DYM)

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/brazil/

Brazil is a 1985 dystopian sci-fi black comedy written and directed by Terry Gilliam. 

Dialogue

Dialogue can be heard during the opening sequence from a television in a shop window, both before and after the explosion. It is diagetic and is used to set the bleak comedic tone of the film - "Bad sportsmanship" - as well as to give the audience some context. For example, it explicitly tells the audience that terrorist attacks are increasingly common in this world, hinting at general unrest amongst the public. Before the explosion the TV presenter is walking around a house filled with pipes and ducts, showing the audience what suburban life is like in the city and showing that the story is set in an industrialised grey future world.

Sound effects

There are several minor sound effects in the first half of the sequence, such as the beam of light that appears in the sky being accompanied by a low whistle and the TV screen crackling as it tunes in. This is an effective way to fade in the audio and gives the impression of a future world where little technological progress has been made. The main sound effect in the sequence is the explosion, which also contains sounds of glass breaking and objects hitting the floor. This is much louder than the audio before it, giving it prominence and potentially making the audience 'jump' due to it's unexpected nature. After the explosion we see a TV on it's side and the dialogue from the screen is complemented with static TV crackles and small electrical fizzes from unconnected wires leaking sparks. These sounds are all quiet in order to focus in on the dialogue and the fire itself seems to have no sound, so the crackles are likely only there to match what's on screen.

Music track

The sequence opens in the clouds with a non-diagetic, jaunty, old-fashioned song that features the word 'Brazil' prominently, obviously a reference to the film. This combines with the diagetic, laid-back TV show theme and calming background music shown in the show itself to both lull the viewer into a false sense of security before the explosion and to show the juxtaposition of the society shown by the happy-go-lucky vibe of the music being mixed with terrorist bombings. During the explosion we hear a frantic, scurrying piece of non-diagetic soundtrack that helps make the explosion even more of a disturbing contrast to the calm music before it. When the explosion calms and we see the neon sign marked 'Brazil' as a title card for the film, we hear a shrill musical sting that fits with the uncomfortable and unnatural way the title is shot. This again hints at the juxtaposition of the society, as a bright colourful neon sign is made to seem scary through the sting. After the sting a small amount of background music can be heard in order to transition the title card back into the film world smoothly.