4.3 Material properties

It is above all in genres with a fantastic character or in the presentation of the emotional fragility of the protagonists that one can observe a very subtle arrangement of the material properties on the soundtrack. Among other things, sound objects are meant to enhance the two-dimensional image with haptic qualities that feed directly out of the material connotations. At the same time, these connotations contain a symbolic dimension that results from the history of the materials and their cultural usage. While many love scenes are accompanied by the pleasant sound of water, metal is frequently linked with aggressive elements, for example in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (US/FR, 1991, directed by James Cameron). In numerous films, wind correlates with borderline emotional situations, such as in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (US/GB, 1977, directed by Steven Spielberg). In Raiders of the Lost Ark (US, 1981, directed by Steven Spielberg), it is used as a leitmotif to represent a Nazi threat.