Telling wildlife’s story: the role of soundscape on film

The essence of a wildlife documentary film is to tell a story with which the intended audience can connect. Through the images the viewer is led into the intimate lives of animals and plants, or into the natural history of specific locations. While images are the primary vehicle through which the story is told the accompanying sounds: ambience, sounds made by the subject, music, and narration play important roles. Ambience and sounds made by the animals draw the viewer into the detail of the subject’s life. The reasons for replacing, enhancing or repairing sound recorded in the field are discussed along with a consideration of some of the techniques used by Foley artists and the ethics of such practices. Music communicates emotions while the narration adds information that cannot be seen in the images showing on the screen. Together ambience, animals sounds, music and narration, the sound of a film, is an essential component of a wildlife documentary and add to its entertainment value