The first type of sound I will discuss is diegetic. This means that the audience can see where the sound is coming from. An example is the sound of the knife when pulled out of the rack by the victim. The sound of knife is loud, highlighting's it's importance and introduces the conventional iconography to the film. This would frighten the audience as the use of iconography and sound is used at once, and the sound highlights the importance of the weapon. This shows a sense of foreboding, possibly inferring danger and death, which makes the audience uneasy. This is conventional to a thriller film as the knife is addressed by the sounds, causing it to appear more strongly and shows it's authority within the sequence. Lastly, it is ironic as the victim holds the knife at this point, foreshadowing her death later on in the clip. This further causes the audience to sympaphise with the characters, therefore they are more engaged with the narrative.
Off screen sound is used when we hear the killer on the end of the phone. This is because the audience cannot see where the voice is coming from, this further shows that the killer is hidden, making the audience feel fear and empathy towards the characters as something negative can occur. It is added so we can hear what he says therefore, we understand what is happening in the scene. This shows iconography again, with the use of a phone and is conventional to this thriller as in all the Scream films, the killer teases/threatens the victims by using phone calls. This is conventional to a typical thriller as the audience would be left in suspense. They see the phone runs through like a motif and they overall sympathise with the victim, as the killer's threats can be heard and nothing positive can occur from this situation, therefore the audience believe that the characters will die.
Another type of sound used is off screen sound. This means that the audience can hear the sound but cannot see where it is coming from yet, it makes sense to the film or scene. This happens when the doorbell rings. We cannot see the door as the camera focuses on the two girls but the sound makes sense to the scene as the setting is a house. This is conventional to the thriller genre, as the noise surprises the audience. Before this, there was silence and talk of the killer being at the door. Again, the audience feels empathy for the characters as the killer is playing tricks on them and their fate is highlighted. Lastly, this thriller storyline is quite realistic, this relates to the use of the doorbell, showing a sense of normality and frightens the audience, possibly showing that this could happen to them.
One of the victim's asks who is at the door, and when the phone starts to ring, eerie and tense music starts to play. This sound technique is added in afters, therefore is non-diegetic and makes the ambience of the scene negative and filled with suspense, causing the audience to feel the same. This music is played at 2.50 and ends around 3.13 when the door is opened. Firstly, the music is more quite and tense and once the door is opened, becomes louder and creeper. This shocks the audience, as the sound of the music increases. This is conventional to thriller genre as non-diegetic, creepy music is common and is used in scenes that are leading up to death. This highlights the suspense that should build within the scene, causing the audience to feel afraid and fear the character's safety.
To conclude, the use of different sounds in this thriller film are effective to the scene and gain a response from the audience which links to the typical 'shock, suspense and surprise.' These sounds have influenced me in making my own thriller opening as they are typical to the thriller genre as they show that without sound, the scene would be pointless and would be much less effective. An idea that I could incorporate is the eerie/tense music, as it builds suspense and shocks the audience if placed before a death.
You have explained how the sounds used are conventional to the thriller genre and how they affect the audience in turn; however, you have confused some of the sound techniques.
ReplyDeleteTo improve your post you need to:
1) Check the meanings of the different sound techniques (1st para is diegetic/on screen as you can see where the sound comes from, 2nd para is off screen as you cannot see where the person is)
2) Analyse one more sound technique
3) Elaborate on some of your points in more depth
You have provided a very good analysis of some of the sounds used within this clip, explaining their purpose and what they create for the audience.
ReplyDeleteTry to analyse one more sound technique to show a better understanding, as you have analysed off screen sound twice.
Double check spelling etc.