Sound Effects and Pineapple Express

In every movie, there are three very important types of sounds that make a movie what it is.

Dialogue is the script and the words that are exchanged between characters.

Sound Effects are usually artificial sounds inserted into a scene to enhance an action that is taking place on screen. Examples are gunshots, explosions, and nature sounds.

Music really helps set the mood of a film. Certain songs and scores can really aid in giving a film a dark feel, or perhaps even a lighthearted mood.

The film I chose to exemplify these techniques is Pineapple Express. In this popular action/comedy film, a stoner and drug dealer work together to get themselves out of a sticky situation involving a drug lord working with a corrupted cop.

The dialogue in Pineapple Express is ridiculous and hilarious. The characters are awkward, the dialogue is flawed, and it makes the film perfectly funny. The next scene exemplifies the style of dialogue used in this movie. The crude language only adds to the comedic style of the film. The following scene is chaotic, with frenzied dialogue, and you just can't help but to laugh at what would otherwise be a very tense, perhaps frightening scene in any other movie.



The sound effects the scene from Red's House are a perfect example of the slapstick comedy used in some of the scenes. The first sound effect kicks off at around 00:40, with the ashtray hitting Dale in the head. From there, the scene escalates into a hilarious battle between two idiots who beat each other senseless. There are exaggerated noises of slapping, spitting, banging, falling, crashing, etc. I think that the sound effect could have been changed a little to make it a more "serious" fight, but that noises that the filmmakers chose for this scene perfectly compliment that comedic style of the film.

    The music in this film also played a vital role. The following scene is one of my favorites from the film. It's extremely simple, kind of pointless scene in the film, but the music chosen just gives it this kind of whimsical feel, and the viewer gets the idea that Dale and Saul are really just two simple guys that are in way over their heads. The scene gives them an almost child-like demeanor. Without the music chosen, however, I feel like the scene would really feel pointless and out of place.