G321: Considering Sound and Effects

For our opening, we wanted to use both a voice over and non-diegetic music to accompany the filming. This is because we have noticed that a lot of other films from the rom-com genre also use this technique such as Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) and Bridget Jones (2001). Our main character Penelope Fox speaks in the voice over and so we plan to audition different actresses to find someone with an appropriate voice. The voice over is extremely important to our opening as it introduces the main character as well as directly showing the particular genre of our film. It is one of the main features of the opening as it narrates what is happening and makes the audience want to ask questions about what might happen later in the film.

We would like to have a romantic piece playing in the background and to add the comedy element to our piece we plan to cut off the music when a phone rings loudly. This is to introduce a mood change from relaxed and calm to frantic and panicked. Whilst the voice over is playing, we would like to have the piece of music playing softly in the background that has romantic connotations but is still happy to emphasise the comedy element. It is important that we use royalty-free music because of the copyright laws and so we have been looking for music that is copyright free. Below are some of the songs that we are considering using for our opening and we have evaluated what their strengths and weaknesses.

'There is Romance'
This piece is a soft piano piece that is very romantic and is very simple and calming. We liked this piece because it connotes the romantic element of our genre and wouldn't be too overpowering with the voice over playing on top. However it does not add to the comedy side of the genre which is an important part to our genre and would not give a good representation of this in our opening.

'Somewhere Sunny'

This piece is a guitar duet that is both calming and uplifting. We liked the sound of this piece as it would fit nicely beneath our voice over and compliment the slow camera movements. Also the relaxed sound would also effectively contrast with the change in tone when the phone begins to ring. However, we do feel that the guitar sound is slightly too 'country' for the sound we desire and doesn't quite fit with the romantic atmosphere of the opening.

'Porch Swing Days'

This piece features both acoustic guitars and a chorus, which enters early on in the piece. These sounds together work to create an airy, carefree atmosphere. We like this piece as it has a feel-good melody which is calming but fun. The sound would fit nicely underneath the voice over and would not intrude and prevent us from hearing the voice over. Again however the guitar instrument makes the piece sound a little 'country' but played quietly underneath this could still work effectively.

'Clear Waters'

This piece is a delicate solo piano piece which is simple and light. It is very calming and would fit with the film we are creating. We like this piece because it has a romantic feel and enchanting melody which creates a relaxing atmosphere. As the piece is going to play alongside a voiceover we need to choose one that won't over power the film and take away the focus from it and this piece is soft enough to do so. However, we feel that this piece may be too quiet and may not be heard under the voiceover. Also, it may be too romantic and not cover the comedy side of our genre.

Cath, Charley, Joanna