Sound
One of the features that makes film such an impactful and powerful medium is that it can combine visuals and sounds. Audio is an incredible asset and is one, that when done correctly, goes unnoticed. You rarely marvel at the sound of a lightsaber or the shot of a gun, but without these sounds you wouldn’t be anywhere near as immersed in the story.
Music also has an amazing capacity to effect us emotionally. You will often find that movies and TV shows cue us in to how to feel through music before anything even appears on screen. The repetition of certain musical motif’s also allow filmmakers to easily and quickly convey meaning and emotion without using visuals.
These are some of my favourite movies and I probably wouldn’t have liked them anywhere near as much if it weren’t for their iconic sounds. If you know the movies I’m sure you can already hear some of those sounds.
Think about some of your own favourites. What do they sound like? Do you think you would like them as much if it weren’t for the soundtrack? What if the sound effects were taken away, would it still have the same meaning?
Editing
The second feature that makes Film and Television such an impactful medium is the ability to cut from one visual to another, which is more commonly known as editing.
Editing allows creators to break free from the restrictions of time and space. The passing of days can be shown in mere seconds through quick editing, or a single second can be slowed down to last a life time.
Editing is also a very powerful tool as it allows creators to convey an association between two different images. These images, which are usually seperate, become entangled causing the meaning from one to be put onto the other.