Journal Entry – Week 5

In “Steamboat Willie”, the sound is used to emphasize gags and jokes. The introductory scene is very sound-heavy, as Mickey whistling is in tune with the rest of the music and so is the wheel of the steamboat. Both of the sound’s play off each other to create a catchy tune while still being completely relevant to the story. Additionally, Mickey’s sounds are very light and upbeat compared to Pete’s sounds which are a little more menacing compared to Mickey. Music is one of the most important roles in this movie because it is used to portray the mood of the scene through what is happening around them.

“Steamboat Willie” is notable not just for having Mickey Mouse’s premiere, but also for employing fully synced sound, which was innovative at the time. The film’s sound is employed to accentuate the action and enhance the film’s comic effect. For example, in the moment where Mickey is piloting the steamboat, the sound of the engine and the slapping of water against the boat are timed with the movement of the boat, giving the spectator a more immersive experience. Similarly, as Mickey utilizes various things on the boat as musical instruments, the sound of each object is timed with his movements, making the song more engaging and interesting.

Mickey Mouse’s use of a cow’s tail as a musical instrument is an example of how sound is used to emphasize the action in the film. In addition to highlighting Mickey’s playful nature, the cow mooing and tail slapping create a rhythmic and comedic effect that adds a musical element to the film.

Each dwarf in the film Snow White was made to look similar to each other, but each dwarf demonstrated their differences through their appearances and actions. The sleepy dwarf was designed to appear tired, so he has droopy eyes, eye bags, and a droopy face. His voice sounds crackly and weary. His body languages, such as stretches and yawns, will also reflect that he is tired. His voice sounded drowsy as if he had just woken up. The grumpy dwarf has a frown and furrowed eyebrows. His voice is raspy and deep. His behavior in the film also shows that he is upset, as he crosses his arms in the film.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a groundbreaking movie when it was released in 1937. Utilizing the multiplane camera, animation reached new heights. Though all seven dwarfs were animated similarly, with large heads and cartoonish squat bodies, each had different personalities and visual traits. For example, Bashful blushed when Snow White guessed his name and moved in a way that showed his childlike shyness, fidgeting, and hiding behind his knotted beard. Another dwarf named Grumpy was drawn with a scowl and snapped back when Snow White asked, “How do you do?” Grumpy had narrow eyebrows, his body language was stern, and his arms were crossed, signifying he was not interested in socializing as the other dwarfs were.

In steamboat willie, every action emphasizes its own beat, and everything the character do the sounds follow them to the exact rhythm they are doing. Music plays a significant role in the film, it is what makes the film so inspiring to watch and to be so captivating and it never lets the audience watching it be bored it. Moreover, the use of sounds reveals a lot about the characters on the boat for example Willie doesn’t like to take his job so seriously instead he wants to slack off and not do what he is supposed to be doing and he is more about being fun and enjoy life to the fullest and which the captain of the boat is always on him, for him to do what he supposed to do and to keep him in check for him to make it safely to their destination.

The synchronized sound is used to emphasize action because it gives away to emotions and “dialogue” between the characters and their actions. For example, when Mickey puts Minnie on the boat, they begin to make music out of the animals and objects around them, and that music synchs up with the clanking out the pot and even the drumming Mickey does on other objects. The role music plays in the film is that it occurs during scenes of action and when Mickey begins to make music. The use of sound reveal show the characters are because in the beginning, the sound is louder and domineering when Pete the cat begins to shout at Mickey. With Mickey and Minnie, the sound is somewhat still loud because they are running around causing a lot of noise.

 Well, in the beginning of the short film, you can see Mickey dancing to the bet. but then it changes a little bit when Pete kicks  Mickey out of the boat. Almost like they make some instruments louder and hold the note. The musical also get faster. One mini is chasing the boat. I believe the music is use to help the setting, but also the direction the short film is going or the mood that they want to purvey.

The sound is used in every single possible way to emphasize the action. There’s various stretching noises, some that emphasize the rubber hose bodies of the characters and some that help emphasize the silliness or weight of the action that is happening. The first of the stretching noises I noticed occur when Mickey Mouse is distorted by Pete after Mickey is caught steering the boat. The noise serves as an emphasis to the stretchiness of Mickey. The second stretching noise occurs when Pete lifts his lower body up and then quickly releases it. It seems to give weight to Pete’s… fatness. The next stretch noise occurs as Mickey and the goat fight over the ukulele fingerboard. I think it really gives emphasis to how hard Mickey and the goat are fighting over what’s left of the ukulele.

The music, as a whole, seems to tie the entire short into a lighthearted piece of animation. Watching Minne twist the goat’s tail, Mickey pull the cat’s tail, strangle the duck, yank the piglets’ tails, and use the cow’s teeth as a xylophone doesn’t feel as nearly as sociopathic when the music is playing. I’m not sure that the sound places equal emphasis on giving all the characters their own personalities. Pete and Mickey have the most obvious differences. Pete’s approximation of a voice seems to be really gruff and low, giving him a stern character. The pantomimed voices of Mickey and Minnie are, in my opinion, rather indistinguishable from each other. Their voices are higher than Pete’s, but it doesn’t lend that much to characterization. There’s a section where Minnie is frantically calling, “Yoo hoo! Yoo hoo!” which tells the audience that she is panicked, but it doesn’t lead to characterization.