Research into sound - Ms Miller

In this post I will be talking about sound and how it is used within the thriller genre for different purposes, it is used throughout clips to create a sense of shock, surprise and anticipation amongst the audience. The clip that I have chosen to base my analysis on was ‘Taken 2’ mainly because it had various examples of different sound terminologies.

At the start of the clip we see two characters talking to each other which then get into the car, both of their voices are rose which would create a sense of danger as their voices would convey the emotions and feelings they’re experiencing. As they start the car we see an example of diegetic sound when we hear the sound of the car starting up, the main reason for adding this in particular could be that it reminds the audience of the reality of the situation and also allows the audience to relate to the situation as they have heard that sound before. Another example of diegetic sounds within the clip is when we hear the sound of the wheels spinning as the car is racing round corners. The sound of the wheels spinning would imply that they’re in a hurry as the car is racing to escape. The sound of the wheels would also create suspense as the audience are excited and are expecting something to happen next. This would relate to the typical conventions of a thriller as the clip puts the audience on suspense.

Another sound technique used in the clip is non diegetic this is apparent when they enter the car and the soft consistent music starts to play, it has a regular beat which would suggest that they’re not in danger at all and that all is ok. Then suddenly the music increases to a more dramatic upbeat, intense sound this is non diegetic because it is not natural sounds you would expect from the scene and therefore must have been edited in after. The fact that the music goes more extreme and louder would suggest that there is an chase or sense of danger and would also build a relationship between both the characters and the audiences as the audience begin to feel the desperation and panic of the characters within the film. This is typical feature that you expect in a thriller because it creates a sense of anticipation and suspense. The main reason for its use is to add excitement and suspense within the audience, ultimately it would create suspense as there is a sense of danger and death.

When the chase happening we start seeing more examples of non diegetic sounds and parallel sounds for example when Lee Nelson is firing his gun out of the back window we hear loud shooting noises coming from his gun which would suggest a sense of suspense as a weapon which bestows such great power can create suspense as the audience know what damage it can do. The parallel sound which complements the gun shots are the cracking and crumbling of objects for example at 0.50 of the clip we hear the sound of the window being smashed by the gun this creates shock and surprise amongst the audience as we knew that the guns were firing at each other but when the bullet hits it takes the audience by surprise. It is a parallel sound because the audience would expect to hear the result of the gun shots and therefore the smashing of the window complements the sound of the gun. This would relate to the typical conventions of a thriller as they make the audience feel shock and suspense which occurs within thriller films a lot.

Finally off screen sound is used at the end of the clip when the car if edited in slow motion to make it more dramatic and also a quiet sound is played when the car is about to crash. This would make the whole scene seem more dramatic as they are more shocked when they hear the sound of the car crashing against the ground. The off screen sound can make it more dramatic as the audience also anticipates the storyline more, it also makes sense as the car wouldn't make any noise when in the air so therefore it adds a sense of excitement and anticipation. This once again would relate to a thriller film because it would suspend the audience a they're waiting for something to happen next.

In conclusion I think that the research into sound will help me when I produce my own clip because it can be used to create different emotions and feelings to the audience. A sound technique that wasn't used in the clip which I want to use in my own clip would be 'silence' mainly because I think effective when trying to create tension and suspense amongst the audience.