Sound techniques used in thrillers- Miss Miller

Sound is adopted in many different ways in film to create all different types of effects. There are two different types of sound used, diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegetic sound refers to sound that is appropriate to what is being seen on screen and has originated from something that is happening in the films world, for example dialogue. Non-diegetic sound refers to sound that cannot be seen on screen or doesn't relate to what is happening. It is the sound that has not originated from any source in the film world; a common example of non-diegetic sound is narrator’s commentary. This type of non-diegetic sound is used famously in Frank Darabont's Shawshank redemption where Morgan Freeman (Red) narrates throughout the film.

1:09 - 1:16

The use of contrapuntal diegetic sound during the clip, conflicts with what we are seeing on screen. The character being murdered inside the truck in juxtaposition with the 'hip pop' music being played when the characters walk past creates an effect of inconsistency and loss of control of the situation, suggesting that the scream killer may be loosing control of his plan. The effect is relatable to the Thriller genre particularly as it builds tension in the storyline as the viewers start to feel as though the killer is perhaps beginning to 'loose control'.

1:04

At point 1:04 loud non-diegetic sound is used in the form of a suspenseful bang this is used to frighten the viewer as the killer jumps out to grab the victim. The silence that comes before the attack builds suspense making us feel that nothing is going to happen at that moment however the sound sounds shocks the viewer which as a result furthers the shock the audience have towards the killer jumping out of the truck. Shock, suspense and tension are relatable to the thriller genre as these are the main elements thrillers look to exploit. The use of suspense that fluctuates throughout the scene helps to scare and confuse the viewer into not knowing when and where the killer is going to attack from. The scene usually concludes when we think nothing is going to happen and the immediate sense of fear that the surprise implements on the viewer furthers tension and helps the viewer build a relationship with the victim on screen as they feel sympathy for them and want them to survive.

Parallel sound is prominent throughout the clip particularly at point 0:26- 0:30. This suspenseful non-diegetic addition to the clip increases the tension as the characters desperately search for the killer 'ghost face'. The fast paced music builds in volume as the characters close in on what they presume to be the killer on the phone before reaching a climax when the suspect is jumped on. This fools the viewers into believing that the suspect is in fact the killer, as although the music is parallel to the general situation it is not to what we are seeing at 0:26-0:30. Parallel sound is relatable to all movie genres not just thrillers as it helps build the effect that the director is hoping to convoy in the scene, for example, fast paced music is used allot in the action genre as it connotes an out of control scenario with lots going on. However thrillers will generally adopt a more subtle music style that builds in frequency and volume to suggest something is going to happen.

0:37- 0:38

During this time frame there is off screen sound of the women on the other end of the phone that the protagonists apprehended. The unnecessary use of off-screen sound makes the film more dynamic and relatable to real life. As you begin to feel as though the film is more believable you then begin to build a relationship with the characters in this case the man how was been tackled to the floor. From this we can see the desperation in the characters efforts to find the killer help building tension. Off screen sound is used in all movie genres however it is used more controversially in the thriller genre particularly as apposed to it being used as background noise e.g. traffic, television. It is used in a more constructive way to help build tension, as off screen noise particularly in the form of dialogue, such as on the phone gives a sense of mystery (a key convention of the thriller genre) this builds tension as we are unaware of the callers identity.

The research I have carried out today has made me aware that near all sound used within the thriller genre has been used for the particular reason to increase the tension or another effect within the scene. To enhance the fear that the scene will create and the effect that the fear will have on the audience. I now know what sound techniques to apply at different parts within my thriller opening to increase the desired effects of fear, tension and suspense and therefore make my thriller opening more professional, conventional and effective.

Research into the history of thriller films- Miss Georgiou

In the context of film a thriller is a genre along with others such as action, horror and drama in which suspense is a key aspect. Examples of a film belonging to the  thriller genre would be the popular Saw franchise, contrary to popular belief Saw is also categorised under the thriller genre as it features many of its conventions including, suspense,and a mystery antagonist (jigsaw).
However Thrillers have evolved throughout the years with the advancement of media technology making editing easier and scenes more believable allot more can now be done than was first anticipated.

One of the earliest Thriller directors was Alfred Hitchcock. Born on 13th August 1899, Alfred Hitchcock was a prominent director in the early years of the thriller genre, creating master pieces such as Psycho, Dial M for murder and Rebecca. Making the thriller genre what it is today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Hitchcock

The research that i have carried out today will help me in the planning of my own film as i am now aware of the conventions of modern thriller films as apposed to previous films in the thriller genre. 

I am now aware that in order to create a modern thriller opening sequence i need to adopt a more sincere, gory approach as well as sticking to the common thriller conventions of suspense, mystery ect.  

If a film is to have any hope of being successful its themes and context must be appropriate for the audience it is targeting it at, it also will need to reserve some previous thriller conventions. For example The Titanic grossed a total of $658,672,302 for its portrayal on the real life event. I would argue that its success was partly a result of it conforming to the generic thriller conventions such as a desperate, frantic scenario where a youthful female, portrayed to be a victim; again a thriller convention, is desperately hiding her affair, creating a tense atmosphere as the film reaches its climax. 

Bourne Identity's less popularity compared to that of 'Titanic's' is a result of the contrasting narratives and themes. Bourne Identity is a much more fast paced thriller with many more action conventions such as fight scenes and iconography in the form of weaponry, as apposed to Titanic. Where as Titanic features more of the generic thriller conventions including a female victim which as a result lead to it being more successful.     

Super 8's narrative focus's around hidden identity and mystery as the viewers are unaware of what the government is hiding. This key thriller convention is a focus of its success (as well as the prominent low key lighting) in the thriller genre however i would have no doubt that it would of ranked higher if it features many more of the thriller conventions used within the more successful films ranked on the list such as Titanic and the sixth sense.   

Conventions of thriller films- Miss Miller

Conventions; in the context of media, generally refers to a aspect of film with is particular within a certain area or genre. For example typical conventions of a action genre include explosions, lots of special effects and weapons (iconography).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LRQBTIo9o8

Firstly the main convention that we are immediately made aware of and our attentions are draw towards are the mystery antagonists. Their concealed identity helps to build mystery and tension as we, the viewers, are unaware of the killer, suggesting that to the viewers that anyone in there everyday life's has the potential to become a killer as long as their identity is concealed. The mysterious identity concept also creates an enigma; a common feature within the thriller genre as it is attractive to the audience and helps build tension and suspense within a narrative as the audience is scared of the unknown. The effect on hidden identity keeps the audience guessing as to whom the antagonist is keeping them engrossed in the narrative. This is relatable to the thriller genre as the feeling of mystery is what Thriller directors hope to achieve, making the film as relatable as possible to make it feel as though it could happen to the viewers is what really helps to build suspense and make a thriller film excellent. 

Next is low key lighting which is prominent in many, if not all Thriller films. Used in effect with a low angle in the screen shot above it creates a sinister, frightful effect as dark colors and lighting connote death and fear, the primary themes explored in the thriller genre as they help to build tension. This clever use of lighting subliminally makes the attacker appear more dangerous and scary to the audience making them feel more scared towards the antagonist and therefore increase the tension within the film. Low key lighting is used in many thriller films as it creates the effect that many thriller directions are looking to achieve, mystery being the primary one as the darkness that the low key lighting gives obscures the killers identity, which again promotes the earlier mentioned convention of hidden identity. 

The antagonist moves at a slow pace to present the idea that they are confident that they will kill the character in the end. The slow walking pace builds tension as the killer (in this case, the 'animal man' climbing through the window) gets closer to the victim. Tension is built as the viewers begin to question whether the killer will get the victim. The convention connotes a sense of insanity within our antagonist. He is so mentally deluded he believes he doesn't even need to run to catch the victim and remains confident that he will kill them if not now then eventually. This furthers the tension within the clip as if the audience believe the killer is more mentally unstable he is then more, dangerous and unpredictable, keeping them at the edge of their seats guessing what he will do next. The speed at which the antagonists move is a generic thriller concept that is more unique to the thriller genre particularly than any other, we see the effect used in many other thriller films including the opening of the Halloween clip which can be seen bellow.

25th - 30th second into the clip 

Sound is also a key aspect of thrillers however specific sounds used in my chosen clip are conventions of the thriller genre in particular. My clips choice of music is a common choice within most thrillers as it helps build tension. As the music frequency increases as to does the tension as the high frequency invokes a sense of excitement and panic which is exactly what thriller films are looking to do as amongst the 'shell shock' effect that the non diegetic music is creating tension is building. The tense, eerie music helps promote a sense of confusion and panic amongst the audience as well as they where completely unaware that that was about to happen as the sounds leading up to that clip where contrapuntal to the sound we hear in the 25-30th second. The music is relatable to what the audience is seeing on screen and so it helps to further the suspense as the antagonist makes his presence known. 

Although all modern films feature sound the effect that the sound creates, whether it be diegetic or non-diegetic varies between the different genres of film. While action will look to use more exciting, fast paced music soundtrack e.g. Monty Norman's iconic 'James Bond theme' in the James Bond films. Thriller films will look to use a more suspenseful piece with pauses such as "Ironsides" by Quincy Jones, which was in the Kill Bill films.

The research I have carried out today has helped in the future preparation of my thriller film as I am now able to correctly identify the conventions of a thriller film and take inspiration from what I have seen and learnt and apply these conventions effectively to my thriller opening, making it a more generic thriller opening and therefore achieve a higher mark.

Individual narrative ideas- Miss Georgiou

Opening.

Young boy (12 years) Boy walking through posh estate at night, face is shadowed and a seres of high angle shots of him waking his way down the path with eery music playing as he goes. The opening credits flash in and out of the screen, moving and flashing slightly to imitate the impression of mystery, suspense and fear, much like the opening credits in Seven which is seen bellow.

My inspiration for my draft thriller opening came from many different sources, one of which obviously being from Kyle Cooper's 'seven' where the classic thriller opening was inspiration for my opening credit text; Sevens credit opening can be seen above.

The general opening plot I partly drafted from drama tv seires '............ where a young boy goes missing. Although not a thriller the plot held potential to be one with the iminent mystery of the childs 'abduction'.

Research in editing- Miss Georgiou

Editing in media

 Editing process of putting a sequence together with the editing director deciding how and where to use  it in order to build emotions such as suspense which is a generic theme to be explored in a thriller.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-sonVtBtv8

The first piece of editing i will be analysing is the 'shot reverse shot'. it is used to build a sense of panic as we are aware of the characters emotions towards what is happening to them, in this case the Doctor experimenting on them. These emotions that we can see help the viewer to develop a relationship with the characters on screen as we feel sympathy for them as we wouldn't want to be in their situation. 'Shot reverse shots' are familiar within the thriller genre as emotions;   

particularly in the form of a reaction, are circumstantial in the building of a viewer/character relationship as we are truly able to see what they are going through.





The next shot on the left is a 'reaction shot' where
we see the Doctor go into a rage after one of his patients escaped. The reaction shot is used covey a characters emotion to a certain event or activity.This shot is conventional to the thriller genre as it helps to fuel the storyline in that we become more familiar with the characters there mannerisms and attitude towards certain things, these reactions help further what the director is attempting to make the character be like in this case his psychotic reaction to the patient escaping helps build his persona as a mentally unstable killer, the common characteristics we viewers frequently associate with the antagonists in thrillers.

Next is the long shot, in this scenario in the scene it is used to increase tension. With the long hallway providing to be as source for the tension in the scene, as the tension builds more and more as he walks closer to the patient, making the viewer feel as though the character is getting closer to getting caught. The speed at which the doctor is moving during the long shot again increases the tension during the scene. Building the affect that the antagonist does not need to run as they are confident that they will get the patient in the end.  The long shot is used within many Thrillers as the distance within them, in this case the doctor to the patient, is used to build tension as we are weary as to wether the doctor will find the patient.

Dialogue overlap is the next type of editing cut used. Similar to the 'reaction' shot , It allows the viewer to see the respective characters reactions to dialogue within the movie. During this scene it is used to convey the doctors anger for how she has escaped, which is visible in the picture to the left and how scared and frightened the patient is as she looks for a way out. This helps us see the relationship between the two characters and see how what i said has a effect on the juxapost character. This use of editing is used more commonly in the thriller genre as opposed to other options such as the shot reverse shot during narrative or dialogue as we see how what they characters say have a affect on characters.

My research into the editing of film will assist in the making of my own thriller opening as i will now be able to varie the shots used to enhance tension, fear and danger all themes i will need to convey to make it a effective and conventional thriller film.