Sound
Sound is a vital part of film-making as it improves the film's scenes and makes the film come to life. It is split in two main parts - diegetic and non-diegetic sound - which are used in different ways to make scenes more interesting and edgy. In thriller works, sound is used on and offscreen to build suspense and tension throughout. Different sound effects and soundtracks contribute to scenes in order to build up tension making the audiences feel on edge.
I have chosen to analyse a clip from 'The Shining' are I believe the sounds in this clip had a variation in type.
Non-diegetic Sound
In the clip there is a non-diegetic sound of an eerie, screechy soundtrack featured just as Johnny approaches the door - from 0.00 all the way through the clip. This soundtrack builds up tension and is also parallel sound as it compliments the actions during the clip. The build up of the sound however, does not stop when Johnny finally puts the axe through the door - which is what you would expect, especially for a thriller. Most thrillers normally have a soundtrack of this type included, to create a build up of tension to a final climax where the soundtrack stops just as a shocking or surprising action occurs - not in this clip. This makes this clip quite unique compared to others in reference to sound and makes the audience feel intrigued and engaged as a result. Suspense is still achieved however, as other sounds compliment one another causing a mixture of sounds present at once, for example, the panicky screams and the soundtrack. This use of soundtrack is conventional to the thriller genre as the screechiness of it makes the audience feel on edge and builds up suspense and tension in the best way as it isn't comfortable to listen to. It also causes audiences to build a relationship with the character as they are made to feel more empathetic and sympathetic to the victim and their situation because the soundtrack makes the scene seem more emphasised and tense. Therefore, they feel worried for the victim and hope that they will escape as soon as possible.
Diegetic Sound
The sound of the axe is a good example of diegetic sound in this clip, as well as the knife. The axe (1.17) and the knife (2.09) are both quite harmful sounds from the fact that they are classed as being violent iconography and even if they are off screen at points, the audience can easily recognise what they are. Because of their distinctive sound, it automatically creates a sense of foreboding for the audience know what the objects relating to these specific sounds can do. This makes us feel weary of the characters that are in control of each of these objects/weapons and feel worried for victims of these characters. The axe and the knife are both sharp objects with properties that mean it can cause death and so this is why these sounds are found in thrillers an awful lot. Due to pretty much every thriller having a killer and at least one victim, there is always an including of t least one type of weapon - a knife being probably the most common. From seeing and hearing the use of this weapon for killing, audiences may associate that sound with killing from then on. This turns an everyday object into a dangerous one and so when the audience hear it they feel weary and on edge and are waiting for something bad to happen. So although this particular use of diegetic sound creates a sense of normality and gives the audience thought into being in that specific scenario, it still creates that suspense and shock elements in-particular from the way in which these objects are used. Furthermore, it represents the antagonist as being fearless and close to the victim as knives and axes are up close and personal whereas iconography such as a gun can be used to kill from further away, showing the antagonist as being slightly weaker and less deluded. The audience build a relationship with the characters, especially the victim, as they can see the antagonist and can guess his intentions. The audience automatically feel worried for the victim here and begin to think of what they would do if they were in her situation.Thrillers try to create elements of surprise, suspense and shock and so this is what diegetic sounds created by these weapons create - therefore, they are conventional to the thriller genre. Without these diegetic sound, there is no sense of normality and therefore no believe in the film as it doesn't seem realistic. This means that the audience will not feel as affected by the film as no impact is made.
On Screen Sound
One example of on-screen sound in this clip is screaming from the victimised girl (1.18 onwards). The screaming was clearly coming from her as the audience were able to witness it on-screen. This creates a feeling of sympathy from the audience towards the victim as we get a real feeling how distressed she is. In addition, as the audience are able to see what the antagonist doing, the audience are made to feel on edge because we know that something bad is most likely to happen and a sense of foreboding is created. A relationship is built between the victim and the audience as the audience can not only hear but get a real sense visually of how scared and panicked the victim is and so the audience feel scared for her. Screaming is a typical on-screen (and off-screen) sound in a thriller and so is conventional to its genre. There is always a victim and when they are in some sort of danger their initial, involuntary reaction is to scream and so this is why it is used a lot throughout this genre in-particular. Having the scream as on-screen sound creates enigma as audiences are able to see where the scream is coming from but not necessarily how they will escape from their pain and panic. This makes the scream more personal ad direct, as it is putting a sound to its source. Suspense is then created and causes a response from the audience to the actions present in the scene.
Parallel Sound
The girl victim in this clip is shown to be scared and fearful of her death. We know this from the crying, screaming and the quick and heavy breathing in which she makes - this is parallel sound (1.18 onwards). The sound compliments this frightened feeling and so is what the audience expect to hear. Audiences feel empathetic towards her because of her situation and the quick pants of breath build up tension and panic that is reflected onto the audience. From the continuous hearing of these distressing sounds, the audience also feel worried for the victim and hope that she is relieved from the danger that she faces as quick as possible therefore, building a relationship between them. This type of parallel sound is conventional to the thriller genre as there are many distressed characters that feature within them. These sounds help build up tension and shock as the quick tempo of them getting faster and faster creates more of a climax to fall into. Therefore, having this match of sound makes the thriller make sense and easily understandable. If someone was about to get killed and the victim is laughing, it simply wouldn't work as the audience wouldn't feel obliged to react in the targeted way.
This research into sound has helped me think of the different ways in which I can use sound in my sequence and in the different ways it can be used to make my sequence conventional to the thriller genre. Through the use of sound in different ways, suspense, surprise and shock can be created which are 3 main elements in order to make a thriller successful. From analysing the different types of sound, I can see how they each in turn have a vital role in a thriller film. I really like the idea of using violent iconography through diegetic sound and have found that these sounds are very conventional to the thriller genre. The impact from these sounds create a great effect of the audience and really emphasise the presence of these objects. Moreover, I was inspired by the use if the non-diegetic soundtrack that runs in the background throughout the clip. I think the input of this created a tense atmospheric feel to the clip which stayed frequent all the way through. These two types of sound will definitely be included in my own thriller sequence as I liked the effect they created in this clip and intend the audience for my thriller sequence to feel the same. The different ways in which the sounds were included that still kept the conventionality to the thriller genre present has inspired me and are what I will use in my own thriller sequence.
I have chosen to analyse a clip from 'The Shining' are I believe the sounds in this clip had a variation in type.
Non-diegetic Sound
In the clip there is a non-diegetic sound of an eerie, screechy soundtrack featured just as Johnny approaches the door - from 0.00 all the way through the clip. This soundtrack builds up tension and is also parallel sound as it compliments the actions during the clip. The build up of the sound however, does not stop when Johnny finally puts the axe through the door - which is what you would expect, especially for a thriller. Most thrillers normally have a soundtrack of this type included, to create a build up of tension to a final climax where the soundtrack stops just as a shocking or surprising action occurs - not in this clip. This makes this clip quite unique compared to others in reference to sound and makes the audience feel intrigued and engaged as a result. Suspense is still achieved however, as other sounds compliment one another causing a mixture of sounds present at once, for example, the panicky screams and the soundtrack. This use of soundtrack is conventional to the thriller genre as the screechiness of it makes the audience feel on edge and builds up suspense and tension in the best way as it isn't comfortable to listen to. It also causes audiences to build a relationship with the character as they are made to feel more empathetic and sympathetic to the victim and their situation because the soundtrack makes the scene seem more emphasised and tense. Therefore, they feel worried for the victim and hope that they will escape as soon as possible.
Diegetic Sound
The sound of the axe is a good example of diegetic sound in this clip, as well as the knife. The axe (1.17) and the knife (2.09) are both quite harmful sounds from the fact that they are classed as being violent iconography and even if they are off screen at points, the audience can easily recognise what they are. Because of their distinctive sound, it automatically creates a sense of foreboding for the audience know what the objects relating to these specific sounds can do. This makes us feel weary of the characters that are in control of each of these objects/weapons and feel worried for victims of these characters. The axe and the knife are both sharp objects with properties that mean it can cause death and so this is why these sounds are found in thrillers an awful lot. Due to pretty much every thriller having a killer and at least one victim, there is always an including of t least one type of weapon - a knife being probably the most common. From seeing and hearing the use of this weapon for killing, audiences may associate that sound with killing from then on. This turns an everyday object into a dangerous one and so when the audience hear it they feel weary and on edge and are waiting for something bad to happen. So although this particular use of diegetic sound creates a sense of normality and gives the audience thought into being in that specific scenario, it still creates that suspense and shock elements in-particular from the way in which these objects are used. Furthermore, it represents the antagonist as being fearless and close to the victim as knives and axes are up close and personal whereas iconography such as a gun can be used to kill from further away, showing the antagonist as being slightly weaker and less deluded. The audience build a relationship with the characters, especially the victim, as they can see the antagonist and can guess his intentions. The audience automatically feel worried for the victim here and begin to think of what they would do if they were in her situation.Thrillers try to create elements of surprise, suspense and shock and so this is what diegetic sounds created by these weapons create - therefore, they are conventional to the thriller genre. Without these diegetic sound, there is no sense of normality and therefore no believe in the film as it doesn't seem realistic. This means that the audience will not feel as affected by the film as no impact is made.
On Screen Sound
One example of on-screen sound in this clip is screaming from the victimised girl (1.18 onwards). The screaming was clearly coming from her as the audience were able to witness it on-screen. This creates a feeling of sympathy from the audience towards the victim as we get a real feeling how distressed she is. In addition, as the audience are able to see what the antagonist doing, the audience are made to feel on edge because we know that something bad is most likely to happen and a sense of foreboding is created. A relationship is built between the victim and the audience as the audience can not only hear but get a real sense visually of how scared and panicked the victim is and so the audience feel scared for her. Screaming is a typical on-screen (and off-screen) sound in a thriller and so is conventional to its genre. There is always a victim and when they are in some sort of danger their initial, involuntary reaction is to scream and so this is why it is used a lot throughout this genre in-particular. Having the scream as on-screen sound creates enigma as audiences are able to see where the scream is coming from but not necessarily how they will escape from their pain and panic. This makes the scream more personal ad direct, as it is putting a sound to its source. Suspense is then created and causes a response from the audience to the actions present in the scene.
Parallel Sound
The girl victim in this clip is shown to be scared and fearful of her death. We know this from the crying, screaming and the quick and heavy breathing in which she makes - this is parallel sound (1.18 onwards). The sound compliments this frightened feeling and so is what the audience expect to hear. Audiences feel empathetic towards her because of her situation and the quick pants of breath build up tension and panic that is reflected onto the audience. From the continuous hearing of these distressing sounds, the audience also feel worried for the victim and hope that she is relieved from the danger that she faces as quick as possible therefore, building a relationship between them. This type of parallel sound is conventional to the thriller genre as there are many distressed characters that feature within them. These sounds help build up tension and shock as the quick tempo of them getting faster and faster creates more of a climax to fall into. Therefore, having this match of sound makes the thriller make sense and easily understandable. If someone was about to get killed and the victim is laughing, it simply wouldn't work as the audience wouldn't feel obliged to react in the targeted way.
This research into sound has helped me think of the different ways in which I can use sound in my sequence and in the different ways it can be used to make my sequence conventional to the thriller genre. Through the use of sound in different ways, suspense, surprise and shock can be created which are 3 main elements in order to make a thriller successful. From analysing the different types of sound, I can see how they each in turn have a vital role in a thriller film. I really like the idea of using violent iconography through diegetic sound and have found that these sounds are very conventional to the thriller genre. The impact from these sounds create a great effect of the audience and really emphasise the presence of these objects. Moreover, I was inspired by the use if the non-diegetic soundtrack that runs in the background throughout the clip. I think the input of this created a tense atmospheric feel to the clip which stayed frequent all the way through. These two types of sound will definitely be included in my own thriller sequence as I liked the effect they created in this clip and intend the audience for my thriller sequence to feel the same. The different ways in which the sounds were included that still kept the conventionality to the thriller genre present has inspired me and are what I will use in my own thriller sequence.
You have provided a sound analysis of the sound techniques used within this sequence, mentioning what sound is used and what it creates within the scene.
ReplyDeleteYou need to:
1) Relate all points back to the audience and how they are able to build a relationship with characters involved
2) Relate all points back to the thriller genre and whether it is conventional
3) Include times of your sound examples from the clip
4) Elaborate on your points further to show a deeper understanding - stay focused on the clip - don't worry about comparing it to other examples/films
5) Include a conclusion stating how this research has been useful and explaining what inspirations you have taken from this clip and why
You have provided a good analysis by explaining how the audience will be able to build a relationship with characters as a result of the sound techniques used, as well as what ideas you have taken on board as a result of this research. You need to elaborate on why these techniques are conventional of the genre
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