Emma - The Last King of Scotland

As the sequence begins we hear diegetic sound coming from an accordion that is being played on screen. Other sounds include the chirping of birds and photographs being taken of Forest Whitaker's character, Idi Amin. Diegetic sounds like these set the mood of the scene but also contrast with the scene that is to come making the transition more effective.

The music at the beginning of the next scene is used to indicate that all is not well by using non-diegetic sound as background music to show that something isn't right. James McAvoy's character, Nicholas, walks into the room with no background music but as the camera is focused on his face we can tell that something is wrong by the way that the music slowly builds up from silence to create suspense and create a feeling of uneasiness.

As the character picks up the photograph the music goes down a pitch and starts speeding up but doesn't let go of the suspenseful feeling as it changes from string instruments to brass which gives it a deeper, atmospheric sound. This music, to me, suggests the emotion of sadness at the fact that his belongings have been ransacked but also the feeling that there is more to come.

As Nicholas picks up the envelope the music slowly falls into an almost silence which is a contrast to the rest of the scene which is filled with the background music and diegetic sounds of paper rustling as Nicholas searches through his things. This on it's own depicts to the audience that whatever is in the envelope is important but they can also tell from the sheer contrast of the build up to the silence that what is in the envelope is not going to be good.

As Nicholas is opening the envelope the music starts to build an eerie tone and as is gradually gets faster and faster the atmosphere builds until the tension is high enough that the audience are almost building with the music themselves. When Nicholas discovers that what's in the envelope is his new Ugandan passport the music reaches the peak of its crescendo and ends with a strong beat as Nicholas slumps down onto the chair. This music brings us on a journey with Nicholas' emotions while he goes from feeling confused, worried and it ends with a almost helpless, defeated feeling.

As the scene changes from inside the house to blurred headlamps the music is different. It has a faster pace to it and suggests a feeling of urgency as Nicholas heads to where he needs to go. By the time he reaches the door the music has changed again and instead of having a full atmosphere with the music it sounds almost hollow as Nicholas knocks on the door which is a stark contrast the beginning of the scene.