TABLE OF CONTENTS 
All too often, sound is considered by students studying animation only as an afterthought, but a film without sound or with an unconsidered soundtrack is a pale shadow of what it could be. Sound adds light, colour, texture and movement. We see these things with our ears.
How important do you consider the soundtrack to be within a film? On one hand, you may find that the images dominate a film, leaving the soundtrack to simply fill in the gaps to no real effect other than to obliterate the silence. At the other extreme, the soundtrack may be the fundamental aspect of the film, relegating the visuals to mere illustrations, nothing more than animated wallpaper. Between the two of these rather extreme standpoints there is room for a wide range of interrelationships between sound and vision, and this relationship of sound and vision can be a complex one. A good film score can enhance the visuals to such a degree as to turn mediocre footage into something very special; a poor one can kill an otherwise good piece of animation stone dead. Indeed, a good soundtrack, sensitively used with good animation, can turn a good film into a great one. More than that, it can enhance mediocre animation to the extent where the final product is not just acceptable but a film of true quality. The soundtrack can completely alter the mood and meaning of a piece of film and, because of this, a great deal of...
