Christopher Nolan is the director of the 2017 movie Dunkirk. For an emotional response from the audience, Nolan used lighting, shepard tone, and the sound of the watch ticking throughout the entire movie. The ticking of the watch is used to emphasise that time is running out for the young soldiers, Lightning is used to mirror how the characters feel in scenes. Shepard’s tone creates suspense, tension, and anxiety in the audience.
Dunkirk was the name given to the 1940 World War II evacuation of British and allies back to England from the Dunkirk shoreline. For the British Expeditionary Force, the Dunkirk evacuations were crucial because, had they not returned to England, the world might not have been as it is today.
Lightning is a technique used by Christopher Nolan to replicate the actions of the actors in specific sequences. In the Despair Scene for instance, the lightning is very gloomy and overcast, which reflects the feeling of hopelessness and desperation. We can see Tommy, Alex, and Gibson sitting on the beach with expressionless faces as they watch a soldier wade into the water, virtually drowning himself. The soldier has given up on life and has no hope, and the lightning helps us to comprehend how the protagonists were feeling throughout that scene. Lightning highlights the feelings and the mounting urgency to leave Dunkirk Beach.
Shepard tone is another technique that Christopher Nolan does to build tension and dread from his viewers. Shepard tone is an aural illusion that mimics a noise that sounds like it’s getting higher and higher when it’s just the same 3 octaves repeating.These octaves are 1 note apart from each other. This gives the impression that the pitch of the sound is changing but it actually stays the same. The music in Dunkirk was composed by Hans Zimmer, and it serves to tense up and frighten the audience, keeping them on the edge of their seats and wondering what will happen next.
Another sound effect and method used in Dunkirk is the watch’s ticking. The sound of the watch ticking emphasises that time is of the essence and that the Germans are drawing nearer with each passing day, hour, and minute. The sequence where Farrier, the closest thing we have to the main “hero” and spitfire pilot, must choose between saving himself and saving the soldiers on the beach is one in which the ticking of the watch is highlighted.
With all of this information we can see that this all contributes to the structure of the film. It makes it A very ‘’on edge’’ type of movie with all of the sound effects. The structure of this film was very well thought through on how they would be making the film and how it would play out. Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan will be one of the best structured movies of all time in this generation.
In conclusion Christopher Nolan uses a lot of sound techniques to build a great structure and create one of the best films in modern day, with its thought out plot and structure it is one of the best put together films.
