The sonic journey of the hero: Sound design analysis in filmic narrative

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between sound and narrative structure in cinema. The main question is whether a parallel between the narrative structure and the film sound design can be drawn. This thesis examines animation film sounds to have a clearer view of sound events since the production techniques differ from the live-action films. In this study, the possible connection between the sound and the narrative was investigated by analyzing three feature-length films written and directed by Japanese anime director Hayao Miyazaki: Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004). The method for this study involved different phases: First, the script analysis of the films was done by identifying and pinning the hero's journey stages according to Christopher Vogler's twelve-step Writer's Journey structure. After reaching narrative structures for each film, the sound analysis was done utilizing Chionian functions on subcategories of sound like music, dialogue, silence, etc. The results of this study show that the narrative structure and sound design are bound to each other in Miyazaki's three films covered in this thesis.