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The soundtrack analysis for Cidade de Deus (City of God) (2002) demonstrates how the 1960s samba songs ‘Alvorada’ (‘Dawn’) and ‘Preciso Me Encontrar’ (‘I Need to Find Myself’) used in the film represent the samba lírico-amoroso and the depictions of rural living, idyllic favela, naivety and the hope and desire for a better life as well as a love for the romantic frustrations in the life of the malandro. As the story of the film moves into a new period and the favela descends into a world of drugs, violence and death, samba changes its use and representational function in the film.

Experimental phenomenology in the development of a colocative audio-visual display
Authors: Michael Filimowicz 

This article describes the methodological background for perceptual studies conducted on the author’s Pixelphonic display – a system that colocates visuals and their associated sounds in moving image displays. The concept of Pixelphonics is to add a spatial complement to synchronized sound, so that audio can now be in place with its image, in addition to being in time with it. Methods grounded in experimental phenomenology are used to better understand the general perceptual response to the system, which works by attaching a 2D array of audio exciters to the backside of a screen, connected to signal distribution and software. Findings show the general efficacy of the system and adequate perceptual resolution for further development and refinement of the display. One experiment is selected for discussion to illustrate the approach.

Investigating sound: Visual and aural style from Broadchurch to Gracepoint
Authors: Amanda Keeler 

Using Broadchurch and its American version Gracepoint as a case study, this article explores the aesthetic relationship between these two television programmes through an analysis of their visual and aural styles. The increasing proliferation of television-to-television adaptations and remakes necessitates revisiting the terminology to assess how it accommodates methodological approaches that extend beyond cross-cultural analyses. As narrative content and style are inextricably connected, this article attends to the complexity of employing existing terms to analyse the new version of a programme that simultaneously replicates and departs from the style and tone of its predecessor.

Calls of the wild? ‘Fake’ sound effects and cinematic realism in BBC David Attenborough nature documentaries
Authors: Karen Collins 

The BBC’s Planet Earth II represented a landmark in natural history documentary television, using the latest technologies to capture nature in ways never before seen or heard. But the series was mired in accusations of ‘fakery’ and ‘trickery’ when it came to the sound, due to its entirely post-production soundtrack. This article explores these accusations in the context of the history of Attenborough documentaries and contemporary practice.