the use of sound in 'Serenity'.

Joss Whedon's Serenity is a sci-fi set in the future, so the challenge for every sci-fi direction is to create the atmosphere of science fiction with futuristic environments. It's not all about visual aesthetics, how a film sounds is integral to its authenticity. In the ship, you can hear the sounds of the mechanical arms and parts of weapons and crafts being soldered together. The ship is the workshop of the future; a haven for innovative weapon design and vehicle manufacturing. Right from the opening shot, you can see the spaceships of the future flying about, so the entire sound design revolves around this concept. In space, there aren't any particles to carry vibrations, so no sound. For the shots of space, you can't hear the ships flying by, as that would go against the laws of physics, so the sound in those scenes creates authenticity in regard to sticking to science-fact that many other sci-fi seem to ignore. We commend Gravity on its use of sound in space, but it defies many other laws of physics that most other viewers don't care to mention. Whereas Serenity sticks true to science in almost every aspect, and the sound design is no exception. 

The soundtrack sounds very Western and often bluegrass, as the basic premise of Serenity and it's television predecessor Firefly is 'western in space', which is quite an innovative concept; combining space with other facets of geek culture is the very thing that made Star Wars famous. The mid-20th Century western soundtrack juxtaposes the futuristic environments and locations, giving the viewer an innate familiarity which we otherwise wouldn't have. The accent of Malcolm Reynolds, the main character, is also quite southern, reinforcing the western aesthetic. After all, dialogue is sound too.