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What Five Elements Make up a Standard Film Soundtrack

What Five Elements Make up a Standard Film Soundtrack?

Producing a film soundtrack requires the inclusion of several basic elements. That make up the total ending soundtrack. Which represents a mix of songs, dialogue, film score. And other audible tones that represent the mood and style of the film. Learning what five elements make up a standard film soundtrack is important to help you get a full understanding of the work. And important details that go into the creation of the film soundtrack. But, what five elements are included in the standard soundtrack?

1. Foley

A foley represents the sound effects which are designed to be delivered synchronously with the actions portrayed by characters on the screen. Foley sounds include things like the sound of footsteps, the sound of a door slamming, and the sound of glass breaking.

These sounds are created by Foley artists in post-production. Through the use of various techniques and tricks. And they are then included in the standard film soundtrack.

2. Dialogue

When looking to answer the common question, “What five elements make up a standard film soundtrack?” Dialogue is one of the first major elements that should come to mind.

In fact, dialogue is a major element of importance for a film soundtrack. Representing the communication between characters in the film. 

Dialogue may be recorded on the film set, but it’s also often recorded after the filming in a controlled environment. This allows for outside noises and interruptions to be cancelled out. So that the final dialogue for the film soundtrack is perfect.

3. Sound Effects

The inclusion of sound effects in a standard film soundtrack represents various audible noises that you might hear during the film which add a realistic balance to the scene. For example, you might hear a plane flying over or perhaps you hear guns being fired.

These sounds are not actually take place on the set, but rather are produced in post-production using various instruments or other forms of technology to achieve the desired outcomes.

4. Background 

Ambient sounds or background sounds are also included in a standard film soundtrack. These noises can include just about any of the sounds that you would expect from a particular location or scene.

Examples such as birds chirping, traffic driving by, water dripping, wind swirling, or the sound of large crowds. Background or ambient sounds are important to the atmosphere and help to make the film more realistic. 

5. Music

This includes any film score that is produced specific to the film as well as the use of pre-existing or pre-recorded music that is included in the film. Film music can be made up of a variety of different types and styles of music.

Often it is composed specifically for the film but in other cases, such as when a particular song’s melody and rhythm mesh well with the tone and mood of the film, a pre-recorded song will be included too.

Want to learn more about the fundamental elements of film music? Filmmaker IQ has a wonderful video with more details:

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