The advert it’s self is very entertaining and comical, it is based around the idea that when offered these treats, cats will be well behaved, even around the Christmas period when there are multiple distractions for them. The audio in this advert contributes massively to getting their message across. 

 

At the beginning of the advert, it is silent, until the set of Christmas decorations is revealed which is followed by muffled Christmas music, suggesting the sound is coming from inside the room and is therefore diegetic. The first 10-15 seconds of the advert is very peaceful, this amplifies the contrast in mood as it continues. This could be considered the equilibrium of the advert, the calm before the storm in some ways. 

 

The cats are shown to be behind cat flaps around the room, they are presented as getting increasingly more excited with the visuals and audio together, the visuals cut between shots of the cats eagerly waiting and close ups of the Christmas decorations, getting faster with the increasing volume and clarity of the Christmas music. The way that the audio changes creates tension while the audience wait for the opening of the cat flaps, somewhat feeling the same as the cats themselves. 

 

This is followed by the noise of cuckoo clocks chiming and jack-in-the-box’s popping up, the cats are shown to be let in with a loud “ding” noise and as they run into the room, the muffled Christmas music stopped and very clear (possibly non-diegetic) heavy metal music starts. In contrast to the Christmas music that gives connotations of festivity and calmness, the heavy metal gives connotations of anarchy and chaos, somewhat reflecting the disorder of the cat’s destruction of the decorations. 

 

The heavy metal is primarily used to portray the cat’s actions, shown as the cats are mid-eradication of the set. The metal stops to be replaced with the muffled Christmas music again, this allows a calm moment, disrupted by the sound of the cat treats being shaken in the packet. Shots of the cats looking towards the right side of the room suggest the location of the sound. As the cats run towards the sound the metal is reintroduced, this suggests that they are going to cause chaos elsewhere, this could be seen as the end of the disequilibrium.  

 

At the end of the advert the product is clearly shown with the slogan beneath. During, the same Christmas music is played at full volume, suggesting the calm is restored, as a resolution to the action caused by the cats. A new equilibrium.  

 

Breaking bad is a popular TV show with 5 seasons that follows a lung cancer-ridden high school teacher who breaks bad and turns to cooking meth to pay for his treatments. The series itself is a drama with aspects of comedy throughout. 

 

The audio in Breaking Bad is often brought into a scene before the cut to the context of the sound, for example, in a scene where Mr White is going into work (high school) he pulls up outside and the school bell rings. This sound is then continued into a shot of him in the classroom. This allows the audience to create an idea of the situation before it is made clear. The purpose of this sound would be to inform the viewer that it is the start of his day, creating a time frame, and the shot establishes the location. This specific sound is somewhat diegetic and non-diegetic, it is at first non-diegetic and becomes diegetic as the classroom scene is shown.  

 

In the scene where Mr White is told he has lung cancer the dialogue fades out into a muffle and is then snapped back into full clarity when he is asked a question. The purpose of this effect is to allow the audience to understand his emotions at that point, without it would be harder to connect with his character however this allows an insight to his inner monologue. 

 

In another scene, as the shot is on Mr White teaching there is inaudible muffling in the background, this is coming from students talking at the back of the class however that isn’t shown until later, the shot stays on Mr White’s face, this gives the audience context to why his expression implies he is annoyed. This is another way that the audience can feel his emotions. 

 

Non-diegetic and diegetic music is used in the background often throughout the episode. Although, both are used for different reasons, the diegetic music is used to establish a character’s personality, their music taste and such, this allows the audience to imagine their background. However, the non-diegetic music is used for comedic or dramatic effect. An example of non-diegetic music in a comedic situation would be when Walter sees Jesse jumping out of a second-floor window of a meth lab, Hispanic upbeat music plays and puts a less serious tone on the situation than how the characters see it, making it humorous for the viewer. A dramatic use of non-diegetic music could be when Mr White is frantically driving the RV to the sound of sirens in the Arizona desert, fast paced music plays and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as it builds tension to how Walter will get out of the situation.

Grand theft auto is a series of games set in large cities like London and Los Angeles where the player becomes a criminal working with gangsters to complete tasks, the player levels up when the tasks are completed. 

 

The sound in GTA is primarily used to make the game more realistic for the player. Most of the sound in GTA is diegetic and used to immerse the player in the storyline and surrounding area. Diegetic sounds such as footsteps range in tone and sharpness depending on the surface the character is walking or running on. This detail is also put into vehicle and engine sounds, depending on the vehicle it will sound different when starting up and crashing, for example, a car crashing on the road will have a different sound effect to if it was a lorry or motorbike. The same is done with punch and gunshot sounds depending on the surface being impacted and the type of gun or punch used. 

 

The non-diegetic sounds in GTA come most frequently when the player is on the selection page or has just died. For example, when a player dies, the screen goes grey and the word “wasted” comes onto the screen, and with it so does a sound effect. This sound wouldn’t be heard in the game universe and is aimed at the player. 

 

Sound such as crickets establishes the time of day and the location for the player. Crickets are used at night time in the game as to make it more realistic to real life. It is also true to the reality of the area that GTA is set as crickets are common around many areas of America like Los Angeles. 

 

Certain moods are set in indoor locations with background music. An example of this is in the clubs they play bass heavy hip hop music. This gives the audience an idea of the type of background the characters have and establishes the genre of game they are playing. GTA rarely uses tension-building music as it is not a dramatic-thriller game. When the player is outside a building with music inside they can hear it but it is muffled, creating a lifelike experience. 

Sirens are used to alert the player when they are at risk of being caught by the police, this is often introduced before the visual of police cars. It could be seen as GTA’s own way of creating drama and suspense compared to the methods of other games. 

 

Dialogue is heard with the background characters in GTA. They have set dialogue to suit the situation and the actions of the player, for example, if the character was robbing a car and shoving a civilian, that person would react and talk to them. Once again, it makes for a more realistic experience for the player. Dialogue is also used as a way to progress the storyline; however, this is a different type of dialogue, the player can choose response options. It is less in the background and more focused sound. 

The War of the Worlds is a science fiction radio drama based around HG Well’s story of a brutal Martian invasion of Earth. All of the sounds throughout the clip are diegetic. The purpose of this audio is to entertain an audience.

 

The dialogue in the audio tells the audience that the event is taking place in southern England, this is suggested through the accents of the voice actors, which are very proper and well spoken. The content of the actual dialogue is somewhat like a narrative as the actors explain what is going on in the scene, for example, they describe the creature/alien that they can see in front of them as having “arms, tentacles I suppose you could call them” and describe its breathing as “it’s pulsing”. These descriptions of the creature from a witness point of view allow the listener to create an image in their head of the scene whilst allowing the story to progress, compared to if it was a simple description of what was going on from a narrator, characterising the voices allows the listener to empathise with the scene and become more attached when something goes wrong.  

 

There is a wild track throughout the clip, it suggests the scene is set on a street or busy area in Britain as you can hear muffled British accents, the tweeting birds let the audience imagine that the characters are outside and you can hear distant sounds of creaking, as if a large metal object is moving. 

 

Atmospheric sound is prominent in this scene. It is presented as a low hum that progresses to become louder or quieter depending on the amount of action in the narrative. It creates tension and establishes the mood of the situation so that the listener can relate to the character’s emotions. 

 

There are constant sound effects throughout. Some of which are explosions, lasers shooting, and the creaking of metal that suggests a large structure because of the deep tones used.