Thriller Genre - Sounds

Dear Readers,

A films sounds or audio tracks has a profound effect on how it communicates meaning to an audience and how it creates the filmic world. It creates mood and atmosphere by aiding out means of interpretation of characters or action, whilst linking together sequences and moments.

Sound effects are classified in three different audio elements,

1. Dialogue - all the words and vocal expression of the actor
2. Music - the music soundtrack that may be in parts or all of the sequence 
3. Effects - other sounds such as footsteps, gunfire, cars, for example

We watch movie in front of us but we here sound in 360 degrees. When I talk about 360, I mean watching a movie, you don't just here dialogue but you might hear all the sound effects you can't see, such as a street you could here talking, bustle of bags, footsteps and birds along side the dialogue of the people on screen. 

'Dialogue' and 'Effects' is referred to as diegetic sounds because they exist within the film, the characters can also hear and see them if they are happening.

However 'Music' is  non-diegetic sounds, this is when the characters can't hear it,  the music overlay is their to prompt out expectations and emotions to create a reaction in the audience. This can also be a voice over.

When filming is taking place then the sound team will mainly concentrate on recording the dialogue. The sounds of what is occurring around the action will probably be added later. Not just added, they will be created. 

In order for me to make my two minute opening as good as possible, i decided that i will do some research on the iconic sounds connected with the genre. The reason for this is because i wanted to find soundtracks that will relate to my genre very well and help me deliver the content of the film to the best of my ability. I personally believe that in films, sound is a huge impact and different types of films have different types of tempo. For example, action type films may have fast paced, quick tempo type of music, where a romance may have a slow high pitched music.

In order to find out more about iconic sounds connected to thriller genres, i decided to undergo some research and watch & listen to come sound tracks of thrillers.

One that has been a constant theme throughout my blog is SCREAM the movie, so i went straight to that movie opening to see how they used sound:

This movie's opening title is someone screaming and a slammed door but the first noise we here is a phone ringing. The phone ringing is iconic because its a silence breaker plus it adds the sense of unknowns. The ring would be an overlay of music. The voice on the phone would also be an overlay, but this unknown voice adds the fear to the scene. The opening then carries on to a swing in the wind, you can hear the bustle of the leaves and the creak of the swing. The creak is a well known iconic thriller noise, its to add effect to the swing, originating from a haunted house years ago where the joints would of been stiff, yet the creepy legacy of the creak has lived on.  The next sound is the pop corn, as the pop corn pops faster and faster it adds subtle build up of suspense. The piano sounds come in when a a significant moment happens to highlight her emotion for the audience easily.  Dog barks in the background could mean danger, as a dog barks at strangers as if someones coming. Now finally this is when they build up the music, starting off with typical strings and then the piano, building up tension followed by the bass and cellos... until a sudden cut off. This is a typical iconic sound effect of building and building up then sudden cut off.