Onscreen and offscreen sounds : Onscreen sounds are sounds whose sources are present in the shot. Offscreen sounds, on the other hand, have their sources lying beyond the shot’s frame. In the clip from My Darling Clementine (1946), offscreen sounds have widely been utilized. The camera mainly focuses on Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell walking towards the church. Therefore, the sound coming from the people singing and the instruments are not present in the shot. On the other hand, the clip from Once Upon a Time in the West use onscreen sounds in most instances- the sound of the train passing the railway, the whistling of the windmill, the dripping of water, the buzzing sound of the fly, footstep noises, and the whimpering of the dog, among other sounds. Unlike in My Darling Clementine, the Foley editing technique has been used to enhance various sounds in Once Upon a Time in the West, particularly the whimpering of the dog, the heavy footsteps, the dripping water, and the buzzing of the fly.
Internal and external sounds : While external sounds can be heard by all characters, internal sounds occurs in instances where only a single character can hear the sound. With most scenes from Once Upon a Time in the West having a single actor on short, the clip employed internal sounds; these sounds were not heard by other actors. However, in the clip from My Darling Clementine, most scenes had more than one character. Therefore, the external sounds made by the actors, through their conversation or playing musical instruments, were being heard by fellow actors and actresses.
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Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds: Diegetic sounds are the exact sounds made during productions. Diegetic sounds can be made through dialogue among characters, environmental sources, actions or movement of objects, and music played during production. In My Darling Clementine, diegetic sounds are hugely used. Diegetic sounds are envisaged through the conversations made by the characters, the noises due to the tapping of feet and dancing, and the music played. Although diegetic sounds have been used in Once Upon a Time in the West, non-diegetic sounds are also observed. Non-diegetic sounds are sounds emanating from sources that are neither visible nor implied by the current action. To bring out the wildness of the West, various non-diegetic sounds, particularly the noise made by wild birds, have been used. The non-diegetic sounds in the clip were made through the use of ambient sound.
Direct and Wild Recording: While the clip from Once Upon a Time in the West utilized direct recording heavily, wild recordings are more prominent in the clip from My Darling Clementine. Wild recordings are film soundtracks that are not in synchrony with the picture. Wild recordings are instrumental in creating an atmosphere in a scene. In the starting scene of the clip from My Darling Clementine, a wild recording is observed in the form of the church singing heard in the background while Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell are conversing; the church singing and the conversation between Henry Fonda and Linda Darnell were not recorded at the same time. Direct recordings, on the other hand, refer to recordings that are recorded together with a film’s picture. The soundtrack and the actions in a scene are in synch when direct recording is used. The clip from Once Upon a Time in the West utilizes direct recording to capture the multiple onscreen diegetic sounds.
Music Score : A well-written music composition is observed in My Darling Clementine. Music instruments are utilized to play the composition. The clip from Once Upon a Time in the West does not, however, have any music score.
