Research into sound - Miss Miller

In the thriller genre, sound is often referred to as one of the most important aspects, it is used to set the scene, create suspense, tension and also to portray certain emotions across to the audience. There are many different sound techniques that are used in thriller films, in this blog I am going to analyse the sound techniques used in the following clip:

The use of dialogue in this scene is used to create an affect. The dialogue used by the man on the phone (Scream) is somewhat calm and relaxed compared to the victim. This is called non diegetic sound as it is from out of the film. The effect of this use of non diegetic sound is that it makes the antagonist look superior compared to the victim, as he is so calm and not phased by the fact he is about to murder someone, this tells the audience that he may be a stone cold killer. Also the non diegetic sound used in this scene is hidden behind a phone (we cant see the source of the voice) this creates a sense of mystery amongst the audience as they are curious as to whom the voice belongs to, thus then relates back to the thriller genre as an enigma has been created.

There is further non diegetic sound used in this clip, this is when the antagonist tells the victim to turn on the patio lights, here the audience hears a loud and sudden sound repeated. This piece of non diegetic sound is used to represent the fear that has just struck the victim and also to represent her heartbeat, this non diegetic sound has also been used to shock the audience as they are not expecting it. The effect on the audience is that their attention is drawn to the screen because the sound is so sudden and loud and it also strikes fear into them aswell as the character. This non diegetic sound is relatable to the thriller genre as it builds suspense amongst the audience as it shocks them.

Parallel sound is used in this clip when the victim is rushing to lock her doors. The parallel sound used here is very fast, loud and chaotic. This sound is parallel to the scene as it is what the audience would expect to hear; the victim is in a state of panic as she rushes to lock her doors, and this sudden chaotic sound is representing her emotions. This parallel sound also allows a relationship to be made between the audience and the victim as it strikes a sense of panic into the audience and they can now relate to how the victim is feeling. Parallel sound is a strong feature of the thriller genre as it makes the sequence seem much more realistic to the audience, this makes it seem more scary to them.

Diegetic sound is used in this clip, we hear this through the victims dialogue, when she is on the phone to the antagonist. This sound technique is used here to engage the audience with the character, as they can hear her voice and therefore relate to her more easily. This is also used to show how scared the victim is, her voice is the main way in which the audience can tell that she is in a state of distress. Diegetic sound is one of the main sound techniques used in the thriller genre as it involves dialogue, and that is one of the main ways of connecting characters with the audience.

Another sound technique that is used throughout this opening scene is silence, this is when there is absolutely no sound used. We see this technique used during the phone call and when the victim is looking for the killer. The absence of sound is used to create tension as the audience are allowed to focus on what is happening visually and they are anticipating the appearance of the killer. The contrast of silence and the non diegetic sound that is used when the killer appears shocks the audience and puts them in a similar position to the characters. Silence is often used in the thriller genre as it is a way of building tension and drawing the audience to the visual elements of the scene.

The way in which sound has been used throughout this clip has highlighted how important it is in the thriller genre and how effective it is in terms of engaging the audience to what is happening. I have noticed that diegetic and non diegetic sounds are the most prominent in the thriller genre as they include tense music and dialogue. I have also seen that the absence of sound is an important feature of the thriller genre and is also an alternative way of building tension. This research has helped me to understand what types of sound I will need to consider to use in my thriller clip.