This scene from Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs uses several elements of sound to enhance and manipulate the experience for the audience. Towards the end of this scene we see a fantastic example of the Gestalt principle in action. Using the concept of figure and ground, the sound of the hand dryer is immediately brought to the forefront of the soundscape, so much so that the other sounds are barely audible. We can also see that use of proximity and similarity between Freddy's dialogue in the bar and his voice over in the bathroom. Although both examples are him speaking, the bar music cuts off whenever it switches to voice-over, which helps create sudden tension. When he is talking in the bar, the story seems just like a regular guy sharing a funny experience. On the other hand, when his dialogue is contrasted against the silent background of the bathroom, the story seems like a dangerous encounter that could lead to severe consequences. Time is also affected by sound in this scene. As the hand dryer continues, the sound’s tone changes to make it seem like time is slowing down. So this is a perfect example of speed and loudness affecting subjective time.
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