26th September 2016

Sound Analysis: Drive

Diegetic Sound What the characters can hear

Non-Diegetic Sound Sounds put in post-production which they cannot hear

Background Music

Creates the mood of being followed and paints the tension gradually as the music gets more layered and louder in the scene.

Police Scanner (we-wo-we-wo)

Gradually louder in the distance. Foreshadows and adds to the tension of the thieves getting caught.

Crickets

Used to emphasize the setting of night to the audience. The crickets not only give the setting but also build the mood and create small suspense. Crickets are normally related to the meaning of isolation, but in this context with the actor "under pressure" and a stressed facial expression, the crickets isolates the actor in the thin line of time and luck. Silence is later used as it is the most effective sound for tension, which prolongs the wait even further.

Breaking In / Out SFX

This is applied when we see the extreme long shot of the robbers breaking out from the shop. Because it is seen from the far point of view of the actor in the car, and a big fence blocking them, this sounds is used to establish that they've broken out, therefore tension is broken and somewhat resolved.

Sports Radio: 4th Quarter

Radio voices of a baseball game building from each base as the heist progresses, is used to mainly support and build tension. The contrast of a lively, loud and cheerful voice of a commenter is said throughout the insecure, silent and risky heist. This not only explicitly tells the audience about the progression of the heist out of "4 bases", but also gives a bit of context about the actor listening to a game in the middle of a heist. By doing this, it shows how the actor is professional and knows what he is doing, as he doesn't seem to panic as much.