Sound Analysis Life of Pi

Sound

The trailer starts by denoting the diegetic sound of the storm being the rain (00:13) and the waves these are known as Foley Sounds and are created separately using other means but they are natural to the story world and can be heard by the characters and audience. The storm connotes danger and chaos and this relates to the diegesis as the storm kills everyone apart from a few on the ship and leaves him alone with a tiger, it could also connote drowning and death, this also connotes the film genre being action which is shown through the fast pace and chaotic sounds. Next is the Diegetic sound denotes a Zebra panting for breath in the water (00:37), this connotes that the Zebra is drowning and possibly presents the connotation that the rest of the animals will die on the boat, it could also connote a life threatening situation or drowning. This also relates to the narrative style being Orpheus following the loss of something, this is the start of the loss and it is going to be followed through. The effect on the audience is that the story starts to grip them and the enigma/disequilibrium has just begun. On top of all the chaotic sounds there is the protagonist screaming (00:46) as he is launched into the water, this connotes that the character type is dominant but is in a vulnerable situation challenging the stigma. The next diegetic sound denotes a tiger growling (01:22) which could connote danger and chaos again and possibly connote that anyone near the tiger has their life threatened, this also connotes that a new disequilibrium/enigma that needs to be resolved and also links to the narrative style being orpheous and now we follow the protagonists new loss . this is followed by a drastic change in the music briefly connoting the enigma and possibly a more interest. The last diegetic sound is the voice over in the second trailer (00:17), it denotes the protagonist talking about his life story and explaining what has happened, this could denote that the story is very interesting and needs to be told or that the story is complicated and needs explaining, “Let’s see, where to begin”. The subtle tone to his voice connotes that the start of the story is peaceful and calm, being proved when he says “I was born and raised in one of the most beautiful places on Earth”. Connoting this film is going to be both aesthetically beautiful but also emotionally beautiful. The mode of address of which the voice over has been addressing is Parent to child as he talks very confidently but with a soft tone as if trying to explain a story to a child.

There aren’t many non-diegetic sounds to the trailer, but that is because the film is creating verisimilitude. The first non-diegetic sound denotes some incidental music which is slightly calming and subtle which adds to the subtlety and softness of the voiceover, this could connote that the storm is over and the enigma/disequilibrium has been resolved, the protagonist is safe, it also connotes calmness and peacefulness, this reinforces the genre being partly drama and the narrative style being orpheous. The last Non-Diegetic sound denotes the sound track being Paradise by Coldplay, this could connote that the film is very aesthetically pleasing and connotes a beautiful view, the lyrics aren’t be played but the up tempo and positive pitch connotes that the disequilibrium/enigma has been solved and the loss is being followed through, relating to the story following the loss of the protagonist being his family and watching him fight to survive. The song is popular as it is in the charts and even though the words aren’t there, everyone will already know the words and will be feeling happiness and hopefulness according to the tempo of the song.