Research into sounds in a thriller film - Miss Miller

In this section of my project I will researching sounds and the techniques that are being used in thriller genres and research how they create different effects. I will do my research by using the clip from the movie "Halloween H20 20 years later". This includes various different sound effects throughout the clip which all create different atmospheres and levels of tension and suspense. Furthermore the clip includes a number of different sound techniques in which are able to research about. Sound is the noise that is created  by either voice or technology to create different atmospheres which is dependent on what the genre of the film is. There are different types of sounds such as diagetic, non-diagetic, off-screen, on-screen, parallel and contrapuntal sounds. Sound is important within films because certain sounds need to match the genre of the film that it has been set e.g horror, mysterious music needs to go with a thriller film/scene. If the correct sound does not match the genre then the scene will not have an impact on the audience making it a poor quality so films need to include the sounds that match the genre so that the effects on the audience are positive and will keep them on the edge of their seat.

 Clip from "Halloween H20: 20 years later"

Non Diegetic Sound

In this particular part of the clip, non-diegetic sound is being used (0.57). This is evident from where a loud shocking sound effect is being used when the female character discovers the first death where an ice skating boot is stabbed into another characters face which also displays blood all over his face at the same time. The purpose of this sound being used is to emphasise the death which has just taken place. Furthermore, the purpose of this is to create an enigma as no one knows who was behind the cause of this death. Also, it will alert the audience that there an attacker in a nearby region which then will keep the audience on the edge of their seats. This gives the audience a sudden shock as the loud noise has alerted the audience and keeps them on edge. This sound is conventional towards a thriller genre as it creates a sudden shock which is a vital convention as it is a key element within a thriller genre. Furthermore, this is conventional towards a thriller genre as this creates an immediate rise in the level of tension as it immediatley alerts the audiece that there is danger within the setting. By this, a sympathetic relationship is built towards the character as the audience are worried and fear that they are in danger and that the female is going to be the next victim of this mysterious plot. Also. it helps to create a better relationship between the audience and the characters as the audience feel more engaged within the sequence as they are more eager to know who the antagonist is.

Diegetic/On screen Sound

The next sound technique that is to be identified within the sequence is the diegetic sound that is being shown on screen to create a thrilling effect (1.19). This can be identified at the point where the mysterious unknown murder is picking the knife out of the knife rack and at this point a knife sound effect is emphasized and played over this movement. The purpose of this sound effect is to exaggerate the use of the knife in which they make this particular sound effect louder than the music that is being played in the background so that it draws automatic attention from the audience as they suspect the worst to happen. Furthermore, due to the fact that this sound effect is emphasised at it is played louder, it will suggest to the audience that this is the iconography that is going to be used to murder any victims. This is conventional to a thriller because it's a typical iconography with regards to a thriller film and is used for a death of a character. From the sound effect, the audience can link this with any attacks that take place within the sequence. Furthermore, this is conventional towards a thriller genre as the use of exaggertation is a key convention within this type of genre as it makes the sequence more dramatic and engages more with the audience. With this in mind, the audience build a sympathetic relationship with the victim as we can instantly state that she is in danger which makes us concerned because she vulnerable which makes us paranoid as we know she is going to be killed by the exaggeration of the knife sound effect. Also, this makes the audience fear more of this unknown antagonist as their hidden identity and their mysterious movements make the audience more aggitated as they fear more of this character.  

Parallel Sound Effect

In this clip a parallel sound can be identified within this sequence (1.08). This was identified every time the clip presented a murdered body with a screeching, screaming sound effect being overlapped on the scene. The purpose was to build up the intensity as this sound was being repeated numerous times within the sequence. Furthermore, it exaggerates the death activities as it immediatley attracts the audience attentions and puts all the focus on the death of the character. Following from this, this helps the audience to become more engaged within the sequence as the sequence is becoming more mysterious and the audience want to know who's behind the mysterious activites. This sound effect captures the audience's attention as it sounds like someone is dying and was only played whenever someone died which makes the audience more paranoid and engaged. The fact that this sound effect was being repeated made the audence more worried that something bad was going to happen as the scene starts to exaggerate and become more dramatic. This sound effect is conventional towards a thriller genre because it represents someone dying which is ideal for a thriller film. Furthermore, the sound effects sounds like someone is dying which increases the level of tension and suspense and the killer has an unknown identity. It also creates a better relationship  between the audience and the characters, particularly with the victim as it keeps the audience on edge as we sense that the sound effect is a sign and has a hidden meaning that the number of murders is going to increase. Furthermore, it makes the audience feel more sympathetic for the characters as the number of deaths is increasing so they feel sympathy that something is going to happen to the remaining characters.

Parallel/Non-Diegetic Sound

There is an paralell/non digetic sound which has been identified in the sequence (0.36). The sound changes speeds depending on the atmosphere that is being created within the sequence. The sound would be played whenever the victim starts to panic and when she is being chased by the murderer which would immediatley make the audience more engaged within the sequence as they become more eager to know whether the victim will escape. The sound that is being played is representing the characters heart beat, as she is becoming more scared her beat is beating faster. Furthermore, when her panicking reduces the sound slows down then when the intensity increases the sounds would be played faster to increase the tension. At the end when she dies the sounds being played completely stop which suggest that her heart beat has completely stopped and that she is dead. The purpose of this is to build up the intensity and suspense to keep the audience interested and excited the whole time so that they do not lose interest. Also, this sound technique is loud so will give the audience a better focus on the sequence and what activities are taking place. This is conventional to a thriller because the sounds are exciting and thrilling while being mysterious at the same time which is ideal for this genre as it will keep the audience focus. Furthermore, this is conventional as it creates a high level of tension as the audiece are worried about what's going to happen to her. The intensity of the sounds makes the audience more sympathetic and paranoid as the audience feel that something bad is going to happen as this would be typical within a thriller.

From this clip I have learned many different things. For example I have learned that this simple sequence has created tension, surprise and suspense successfully. Surprises were included where we see the first dead body as that shocked the audience as we did not expect that. The tension was being built up as the sounds in the background were changing speeds constantly throughout the film which kept the audience on edge. The suspense was successful at the start of the film were it was silent and the door was mysteriously opening and a spooky wind sound was being created building up the suspense as we did not know what to expect. Furthermore this also occurred in the middle of the clip, where the victim was hiding behind an object to attack the murderer however at this point we did not know where she was until she revealed herself which built up a suspense atmosphere. This has helped me with my research as it taught me different moments and ways that I could include tension, surprise and suspense and how I could build them up into a short clip just by adding small details. 

I will add a wide range of different sound techniques so that I have a variety of mixtures of sounds so that the sequence itself would be thrilling and would contribute to the thriller genre. In my own sequence I may add the different speed rates of the sounds in the background as that builds up a lot of tension towards the audience and keeps them on edge. In addition I may add the small pauses in between in which it creates a mysterious atmosphere which then builds up the suspense. I then could add short, loud non diegetic sounds to create a shock and surprise towards the audience so that they do not lose interest and are constantly kept on the edge of their seats. For example, I could include sound techniques such as non diegetic sounds as I find that these are more effective towards the audience as it engages them more and creates an increase in terms of key elements e.g tension. Also, I could add sounds such as on screen sound as I find that they engage the audience more as the audience can see for themselves where the sound is coming from so it makes it more thrilling for them.