Sound as narrative mediation in cinema

sonic remediation and its limits in the film August Rush

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18568/cmc.2026.e3130

Keywords:

remediation, audiovisual narrative, film, sound design, close reading

Abstract

This article examines how the soundtrack and ambient sounds remediate the narrative of the film August Rush by substituting and expanding functions traditionally assigned to verbal dialogue. Methodologically, the study adopts a close reading approach articulated with the concept of remediation, applied to the analysis of three moments in which audio assumes a leading role. The study identifies three key motives underlying sonic remediation: narrative substitution, narrative expansion, and remediation of insufficiency. It is observed that sound, although structurally significant, depends on visual anchors for semantic comprehension. The investigation further reinforces the interdependence between sound and image in audiovisual media and suggests a replicable analytical approach for future studies in cinematic sound design. 

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Author Biographies

Pedro Paulo da Cruz, UFSC

Doctoral student in Knowledge Media (UFSC, 2025). Master’s degree in Information Science (UFSC, 2023). Member of the research groups SIGMO: Brand Signification, Information and Organizational Communication/UFSC, and GPCIn: Center for Studies and Research on Information Literacy. E-mail: arierom41@gmail.com.

Richard Perassi Luiz de Souza, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

PhD in Communication and Semiotics from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (2001), Master’s degree in Education from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (1995), and Bachelor’s and Licentiate degrees in Arts from the Art Education program at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (1986). He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute of Art and Design (IADE/Lisbon, 2015). He is currently a full professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, teaching in the undergraduate programs in Design and Animation, as well as in the master’s and doctoral programs in Design (Pós-Design/UFSC) and Engineering and Knowledge Management (PPEGC/UFSC). E-mail: richard.perassi@ufsc.br.

Luciane Maria Fadel, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

She holds a degree in Visual Communication from the Federal University of Paraná (1987), a degree in Computer Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (1994), a Licentiate degree in Secondary Education from the Federal University of Technology – Paraná (1992), a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (2001), and a PhD in Typography and Graphic Communication from the University of Reading (2007). She completed postdoctoral studies in Narratives, supervised by Prof. Jim Bizzocchi at Simon Fraser University, Canada, and in Mixed Reality, with Dr. António Coelho at FEUP, University of Porto, Portugal. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Graphic Expression at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. E-mail: liefadel@gmail.com.

References

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Published

2026-05-27

How to Cite

da Cruz, P. P., Perassi Luiz de Souza, R., & Fadel, L. M. (2026). Sound as narrative mediation in cinema: sonic remediation and its limits in the film August Rush. Comunicação Mídia E Consumo, 23, E3130. https://doi.org/10.18568/cmc.2026.e3130

Issue

Vol. 23 (2026): JAN/DEC

Section

Artigos

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