Film Details
Title: The Raid 2:
Berandal. Writer/Director: Gareth Evans. Genre: Action. Stars: Iko Uwais,
Arifin Putra, Tio Pakusodewo, Oko Antara, Alex Abbad, Yayan Ruhian, Julie
Estelle, Cecep Arif Rahman, Very Tri Yulisman. Blu-Ray. Indonesia.
Film Plot
The Raid 2 begins
three hours after the events of the original, in which hero Rama narrowly
survived a disastrous SWAT Team raid. Learning that corrupt police officials
want him dead, Rama goes undercover and begins infiltrating a powerful crime
family, so that he can find the evidence needed to keep his family safe.
However, as he tries to keep his cover, he finds himself becoming a different,
more brutal kind of man. Scene
Synopsis:
Having successfully
ingratiated himself to the Bangun crime family, Rama is introduced to his new
flat. Once alone, he plays very loud music in order to hide his call to Bunawar,
the task-force leader who placed him undercover in the first place. After
fighting with Bunawar, Rama finally places a call to his family, and finds a
rare moment of peace in listening to his baby’s laughter. Time code: 38:47 –
44:17.
Sound Design
In this particular scene of the
Indonesian action film The Raid 2:
Berandal, sound is essential to the development of the plot and characters.
In dissecting this scene for its sound design, it becomes apparent just how
many choices were made regarding this crucial element, as well as just how
instrumental it is in moving the story forward.
At first, the only sound in the
sequence is a sound bridge transitioning from the previous scene, in which
protagonist Rama succeeded in his “job interview” for the role of mob enforcer.
This optimistic, satisfactory sound bridge leads us into the next scene, where
Rama continues to taste good fortune as he is shown his new apartment. Thanks
to this transition, we are beginning this new scene with the feeling that our
protagonist is in a relatively assured and safe position. After this audio
fades out, however, the only sound is the monologue another character gives
Rama. Once Rama is alone, however, he finds a CD and begins playing it at
maximum volume. Since this music is playing from a grounded onscreen source, it
is considered source music, and therefore diegetic. In the context of the
scene, the music serves as a tool to hide Rama’s clandestine activities, as he
sets about calling Bunawar, his only contact inside the police force. This
music, however, also serves thematic purposes. It begins with an aggressive,
pounding drumbeat, re-introducing the more threatening themes in the soundtrack
as the protagonist’s main concerns resurface. This intro is followed by
electronic elements that play up the more nerve-wracking elements of this
storyline. The track keeps a consistent level of intensity for the duration of
the phone call, offering a counterpoint of anxiety to the relatively calm
visuals. A link to the diegetic music used in this scene can be found below:
As the call ends, the music continues at a slightly lower audio level,
before Rama makes another call – this time to his wife Isa. As this call means
much more to him emotionally, Rama puts a finger in his ear to try and block
out the noisy track. It is at this point that the sound editing decidedly fades
out all of the audio in the scene, with the audio effect occurring alongside a
close-up of Rama inserting his finger. This shot ends in silence, before
cutting to a completely new location within the sequence. We can fully see Isa
as she speaks her dialogue, whereas with Bunawar, we could only hear his
distorted voice over Rama’s phone. This serves the narrative purpose of
establishing a strong relationship between Rama and his rarely seen wife, while
also developing a messy and distrustful partnership with Bunawar.
It
is at this point in the sequence that non-diegetic sound is finally introduced.
As opposed to the dark, assaulting track from before, the new musical
accompaniment is now calm and tranquil. Throughout the conversation, this music
only serves as peaceful underscoring, but when Rama gets to hear his child
laughing over the phone, the track becomes the only audio in the scene. This
musical emphasis serves to communicate Rama’s inner peace as he listens, and
more importantly, establishes a key character theme that will reappear later in
the film to communicate the same emotions. As both the music and the phone call
end, a much more ominous theme returns, again in a non-diegetic manner. This
theme is meant to reflect the character’s newfound strength and determination,
as well as the lengths he will be prepared to go in order to be reunited with
his family. This ambience serves as a transition out of the scene as well. The music that takes place during this sequence, as well as the soundtrack piece where the theme specified above re-emerges, has been included through video format here:
Through these numerous manipulations of the soundtrack, this scene and the
audio accompanying it help communicate the main themes of the movie, that being
the brutalities and complexities of a violent world, but also the good and pure
emotions that can exist outside of it.
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