Sound Effects in Fight Scenes: What we Perceive in Film Sound

Abstract: It can be speculated of what we really hear in film. If sound effects really are representing the sounding objects we see on the screen. This study investigates the perception of sound effects and their realism. The focus was set on sound effects for fight scenes in action and drama movies. A combination of listening/watching tests and interviews were used in order to gather viewpoints and opinions on previous mentioned issues. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The results in this study indicate that movies often are about the whole cinematic experience, that certain elements and notions are well established and that the audience is used to experience it in this fashion.