ABSTRACT
Sound allows us to hear what people are talking about, and hearing their voices, as opposed to reading their words, can give us information about their attitude, mood, geographical origin, and age. The same words can mean different things when shouted and whispered. A slight inflection or emphasis can imply sarcasm or doubts that are not evident in the printed word. Environmental sound can set location, time of day, or year and give information about who or what is present. Lapping water, the yell of gulls, children’s voices, and the bell of an ice cream truck create a clear sense of location, whether there is an image accompanying the sound or not. Even if there is a visual component to the media work, sound can imply the presence
of people or things not present in the visual frame. The sound of a shot fired off screen can be an important but unseen aspect of the story. Music creates an emotional impact by itself or as accompaniment to other sounds or images.
