Sound Analysis of Saving Private Ryan Scene 'Omaha Beach landing'

'Omaha Beach' scene

Watching scene without sound Predictions:

• Waves crashing, ocean- loud, aggressive. 
• Moving around, metal cans. Motor? boat. 
• Dialogue. 
• Vomiting. 
• Bombs? Bullets, shotguns, machine guns. 
• Men screaming. 
• Faint sound -underwater? silent. 
• Bullet going through water, hitting metal. 
• Underwater again -noises become faint. 

Watching scene with sound: Sounds heard:

• Waves crashing against boat. 
• Man opening metal water bottle. 
• Boat motor. 
• Men throwing up on the floor. 
• Dialogue Airplanes flying. 
• Bombs, explosives. 
• Faint prayer from a soldier. 
• Whistling noise. 
• Stirring of wheel. 
• Bullets, gunshots -machine guns. 
• Bodies hitting the floor. 
• Metal clanging. 
• Underwater- muffled noise of bullets, etc. 
• People moving around the water. 
• Muffled noise- as if underwater.

Analysis of sound in the scene:

The scene begins with a shot of the tide slowly hitting the short. The diegetic sound creates a calming and peaceful atmosphere. This creates a contrast to the following scene as it cross cuts to deeper in the ocean where the waves crash against the boats in a quite aggressive manner. The sound of the ocean waves fades to direct the audience's attention on the soldiers. Only diegetic sounds are currently as nothing has happened as well as to maintain the scene realistic and in some way tense as the silence is worrying. Diegetic sounds such as the metal bottle clanging against the soldier's hand, the faint sound boat motor and waves crashing are used to reinforce the idea the soldiers are in a boat.



Further along the scene, the audience hears soldiers getting sick and vomiting. The atmosphere and tone of the scene becomes more chaotic and tense. As dialogue is introduced between the characters, the other diegetic sounds increase in volume. The sound of explosives and bombs are also introduced. These are asynchronous sounds as they are are separate from the action, meaning the audience can't see the actual bombs as the camera is focused on the soldiers' expression. However the combination of these loud noises create a chaotic atmosphere. Despite the loud noises in the background, pleonastic sounds such as the metal necklace clinging against the man as he holds it is used to further reinforce the idea the focus is on the soldiers.




The scene develops when the focus changes to a more general view of the action. A loud whistling noise and stirring of the boat's wheel is another use of pleonastic sound to show what is currently happening in the boat. A loud sound effects of gunshots and bullets passing by and clanging against the metal, are introduced in a loud volume that enables us from hearing the other diegetic sounds. The sound effect of a machine gun and men screaming can also be heard which adds on to the chaotic and dangerous atmosphere. These loud noises fade as the men jump inside the water. To create the effect the soldiers are in the water, the sounds are edited to muffled noises in order to maintain the scene realistic. Once the soldiers go back up, the previous loud sounds are added once again to bring us back to the war zone. In my personal opinion the overall intention of the Director is to show the audience is a key component in the film, as the previous scene I've analyzed, and how the use of sound is important to set the mood, tone and atmosphere of the action taking place. The use of sound also enhances the audience's emotional experience, making them feel an emotional connection with the film and especially characters.