AESTHETIC, SEMANTIC, AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS OF SOUND DESIGN IN CONTEMPORARY CINEMA

This study is devoted to a systematic scholarly analysis of the aesthetic, semantic, and cognitive functions of sound design in contemporary cinema. Sound directing is examined as an independent component of film language, with particular attention paid to its interaction with the visual layer, its mechanisms of influence on the spectator’s perceptual processes, and its transformations associated with digital audio technologies. The research employs approaches from audiovisual semiotics, film psychology, and cognitive film theory. Films by Denis Villeneuve and Robert Eggers are analyzed as case studies. Through these examples, the narrative, psychological, and metaphorical capacities of sound design, as well as its role in shaping the viewer’s immersive experience, are explored.