Independence day: Resurgence is a futuristic film that encapsulates our modern perception of aliens and intergalactic warfare. As the 4th of July approaches, nations from across the globe are facing what could be a mass extinction of the human race. Though the plot of this film is elementary, the way it was conveyed was interesting and noteworthy. In relation to Stephen R. Prince’s Movies and Meaning- An Introduction to Film, there are several of functions that attribute to the production of this film. The sound designer of this film did a grotesque job at assigning acoustic qualities to the aliens, and the technology they brought with them. At the same time, the editors of this film did a subpar job at establishing certain tempos during different …show more content…
Sound design is imperative for the conveyance of information in any film because sound creates the illusion that what’s happening on screen is real and spontaneous. In other words, sound is what connects the images of the film to the plot. Without sound, any inferences made by the audience would be left unjustified. For example, in the beginning of Independence Day: Resurgence, the mother ship descended upon earth with its massive 3,000-mile diameter. The ship then began to violently transcend its giant “claws” into the earth’s surface, resulting in the destruction of major cities, and an outbreak of worldwide carnage. Ultimately, this scene establishes the presence of an intergalactic war that is yet to begin. The sound designer of this film purposely omitted any character interactions during this profoundly important scene. As a result, the audience was forced to interpret what was going on visually, and through different types of sound. Stephan R. Prince claims, “ Sound effects are the physical sounds heard as part of the action and the physical environments seen on screen” (184). While the mother ship was landing on the surface of the planet, the primary sound effect was a low, baritone kind of noise. This low frequency sound is used in several of 21st century films. Usually, this sound corresponds to an identification that the rising action of the narrative has commenced. Stephen …show more content…
Editing refers to the joining and assembling of shots to produce a finished product that can entice the audience visually (Prince 135). Specifically, the concept of parallel action was implemented during the climaxing scenes of this film. For instance, while the U.S army was firing all of its ammunition at the mother ship, 7 pilots were compelled to attack the “queen” of the ship. According to the narrative, these 2 scenes were taking place at the same time and therefore “parallel action” was enforced to keep the story organized. Parallel action, as stated by Stephen Prince, is what ““Enables the weaving together of several lines of action in the telling of their story” (147). This editing mechanism allows the narrative to flow smoothly, and also manages to keep the story line organized and continuous. This also embellishes the idea of realism, because in reality, things don’t always occur sequentially. Furthermore, during the falling action of the film, the “queen” is destroyed by a ploy set up by the U.S military. This ploy ultimately guided the queen to a vulnerable location in the desert by which she was shot down by fighter jets and soldiers. As the movie proceeded, it was very obvious that the tempo began to speed up. Borrowing from Stephen R. Prince, “ By varying the lengths