Planning Sound

Planning Sound 

Sound is an important element within any film that is created. It is able to manipulate and control during the production. This is an important element as many films are focused on shots and ignore the poor sound effects and quality. Sound can help to create an ulra-heightened expectation of what is about to happen and help to build suspense for the audience. Sound can also transform any scene from dull and boring to make it seem lively and create tension.

Non-Diegetic Sound of the Soundtrack

A none diegetic sound is a sound that can not be heard by other characters or any characters within the scene. One diegetic sound that we will be using is the soundtrack leading up throughout our entire opening thriller sequence. The music will help to create suspense throughout the sequence as it builds up every time a significant event happens, so the audience will be on edge until the music has built up its tempo, knowing that something bad is going to happen; essentially the music is foreboding the events that happen within the sequence. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience alerted and interested throughout the duration of the sequence as they wonder why the music is steadily increasing pace and tempo, wondering what is going to happen when it has built up maximum tempo, and if something terrible will happen, or if something will jump out. 

Non-Diegetic Sound of a Heartbeat

Our final non-diegetic sound that we will be using in our opening thriller sequence is an exaggerated sound of a heartbeat. This will be used when the girls spot the antagonist, and the majority of the time when the victims are fearful or being attacked. The heart beat helps to intensify the scene as it shows how scared the character is. The audience will then sympathize for the characters as they are a similar age and can not help but imagine themselves in the same situation and how scared they must be. This is conventional to the thriller genre as not only does this give the audience a sense of uncertainty but it also builds suspense and tension as they want to find out what will happen next, and if the victims will escape from what they are fearing.


Exaggerated Diegetic Sound of Footsteps

Another sound that we will use within our thriller opening sequence is the exaggerated diegetic sounds of footsteps. This will be used within the handheld camera scene of the antagonist following the two girls down the long stretch of road. The footsteps are easily added in as there are many sound effects of footsteps. This helps to portray to the audience that the girls are being followed which intensifies the scene as the audience begin to sympathize for the victims as they want the girls to be safe and well. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as the sounds build up tension and emotion as it is unknown if the girls safety is in jeopardy.

Off Screen Sound

An off screen sound is a noise in which happens off screen and which the audience does not see. My group have decided that the off screen sound that we will include in our opening thriller sequence is a scream from the victims at the very end of the film, when you see the mask for the final time. The audience do not know what the girls are screaming at, but can presume that the girls have been killed as the see the mask that the antagonist has worn throughout the entire duration of the sequence. This would keep the audience in suspense as they do not know what has happened to to the girls, but will also shock them as it could possibly not be the girls that are screaming and they did not expect this sound to happen, keeping them on the edge of their seats as they are now alerted. This is conventional to the thriller genre as is shows that a victim has been hurt, but has also created enigma as it is a mystery to the audience who was screaming, and why they were screaming.

I think by planning which sounds we are going to use in our opening thriller sequence this will make our overall production much more effective. This is because each sound technique that we have used is to create emotion for the audience as each one relates to the victim that they have built a relationship with. In addition to this, the sounds used will enable the audience to grasp the concept of the narrative alot easier and what is going on. An example of this is when the antagonist is walking behind the victims and the footsteps are used. Before this could have been seen as a scene where a man is walking behind two girls, but now adding exaggerated footsteps this gives the impression that the antagonist is following the girls, building up suspense adding to the overall effect, keeping the audience engaged. It was also useful to plan what sounds we were going to use in order to create the sounds before it came to the editing phase of the task so we were not behind on time and if there were specific sound that we needed to get, which were difficult to record or find, we would have plenty of time to do so.