However, there are two crucial differences between Chion’s traditional acousmêtre and the acousmêtre as encountered in Her, which can explain why the effect of acousmatic sound in Jonze’s film is so unique. Chion notes that traditionally acousmêtres are the villains in films due to the “panoptic fantasy” (“the fantasy of total mastery of space by vision” (24)). Chion defines “acousmatic” as “a sound that is heard without its cause or source being seen” (18) and an “acousmêtre” is an acousmatic being, “one who is not-yet-seen, but who remains liable to appear in the visual field at any moment” (21). In Her, Samantha can be conceived of as an “acousmêtre”. The film was was nominated for Best Original Score and Best Original Song at the 86 thAcademy Awards, and won Best Original Screenplay. The film’s score was written by Arcade Fire and Owen Pallet, and “The Moon Song” was written by Karen O. Through music and sound editing, the film provides insight into the development of intimacy between Samantha and Theodore and ultimately prompts the audience to reflect on the nature and limits of love. These scenes rely heavily on montage, acousmatic voices, and play with the audience’s perception of diegetic and non-diegetic sound. At three different points in the film, she composes music that is meant to represent a physical presence in the scene. One of the ways in which the film addresses Samantha’s lack of physical form is through music. This will allow me to explore the way that the film navigates the fact that Samantha, as an OS, does not have a physical body yet she and Theodore have an intimate and mutually fulfilling relationship. This research report aims to engage with theories surrounding the relationship between voice and body in film – particularly Michel Chion’s idea of the “acousmêtre”, Mary Ann Doane’s “fantasmatic body”, and notions of the voice as corporeal – in the context of Her. Spike Jonze’s 2013 film, Her, tells the story of Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) who, following the dissolution of his marriage, embarks on a relationship with an artificially intelligence Operating System (OS), named Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). This essay was originally written in November 2016 for the “Hearing Film: Film Sound and Music” module of my MA in English Literature.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |