In our busy lives, we often forget to stop and listen to the wonderful sounds our ancestors heard every day. Our lives are now filled with the constant hum of a passing car or the constant drum of airplanes overhead, among other noises. In the 'Sounds of Silence' video package, Gordon Hampton encourages people to discover nature and all its beautiful sounds. Hampton shows, however, that even where he wishes his square inch of silence to be, he cannot escape the sounds of an industrialized nation. The package begins with quick, detailed shots showing scenes of a city. These shots are accompanied by sound clips and the quick cuts between clips give the viewer the impression that the entire sequence is chaotic. These quick shots at the beginning serve to compress time effectively as the entire sequence only takes a few seconds in total, but there are several clips in the sequence. The edits then become slower as the sequences focus more on nature in an attempt to showcase the tranquility and peaceful sounds of the natural world. However, the shots are still faster than what a normal video would be and that's because the creator is simply using the visuals to allow the viewer to recognize what the sounds are. Throughout the package, the focus is entirely on the sound clips and the video clips only serve to make the sounds recognizable to the viewer. By making these short clips, and then extending them when Hampton speaks, the viewer is able to see everything through Hampton's point of view. Additionally, because the focus is on sound rather than sight per se, the video is very unique as normally videos focus on the actual footage rather than the sound clips. Surprisingly, there were only a few wide shots......... middle of paper ......this, once the character is introduced, transitions are added to add a sense of fluidity and atmosphere calmer. The clips are also longer and the shots wider, which only adds to that sense of tranquility. However, by the end of the play, the viewer sympathizes with Hampton and is also somewhat surprised that he has regained his hearing. The viewer is sympathetic as Hampton tries to listen and record the natural sounds when a plane flies overhead and ruins it. Without the shot of the plane flying overhead and the ability to see Hampton's expression, this scene wouldn't be able to evoke the same emotions. After this sequence, the finale returns the audience to a sense of tranquility due to the ocean waves crashing on the beach and the slightly brighter lighting used to signify a new beginning for Hampton, who is doing what he really likes to do..