Planning: Sound in my thriller Ms Begum

Planning: Sound in my thriller

Sound Planning

Sound is important in films because it is a micro element that provides atmosphere within a scene, and can cause a desired audience response. I believe it is important to think about the sound, especially in thriller films because it can help to build tension within the film, and provide the audience with an understanding of what is going on in the scene, or what to expect.

Some of the conventional uses of sound in thrillers are:

·         Non-diegetic soundtracks: these are used to help create and build tension and suspense within that scene. For example in jaws non-diegetic sound is used to tell the audience that something bad is going to happen and that the shark is getting closer.

·         Diegetic sound: they are used to make the audience be able to follow the plot but they can also have the same effect as non-diegetic sounds. For example someone running through a forest could build tension because it signifies the antagonist chasing her

·         Off-screen sound: again used create tension maybe more so than diegetic sound as you don’t know what is happening and where the sound is coming from. For example someone could be banging on the walls in a completely different room to where you are.

The sound I plan to use in my thriller consists of the following:

1. Non- diegetic sound will be used when the victim comes into contact with the antagonist. I have chosen to use this because in the audiences mind it can create a lot of different scenarios. The victim could get away or in our case she gets killed. This is conventional to the thriller genre because when the antagonist comes into contact with the victim, it always gets a reaction from the audience, especially when a soundtrack is added to create more tension.

2. Diegetic sound will be used when the protagonist is screaming after the protagonist has her.   I have chosen to use this because it makes the audience feel terrified for the character safety. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it is typical for the protagonist to scream when she is in danger.

3. Off-screen sound will be used when the protagonist screams when she sees the knife. I have chosen to use this because it’s very effective of when the protagonist screams because she knows that her life is in danger and it gets the audience to react in a scared way too. This is conventional to the thriller genre because a protagonist screaming is something the audience expects to see in a thriller film to add that extra intensity to the scene.

4. On-screen sound will be used when the victims friends leave the house and closes the front door. I have chosen to use this because it helps to slowly build up the tension of the scene. This is conventional to the thriller genre because as soon as the victim’s friend leaves it gains a reaction from the audience because they know that at that point it signals danger.

5. Non-Diegetic sound will be used throughout the whole sequence to set the mood of the scene. I have chosen to use this because it sets the mood of the scene and if chosen correctly can really complement the film. This is conventional to the thriller genre because all trailers have non-diegetic sound to help portray their film.

6. Diegetic sound will be used when the antagonist is dropping his bag full of equipment down on the table to show what kind of a person he is and he is cleaning the evidence. I have chosen to use this because it tells the audience that in any scene that if they see him then they know trouble is brewing. This is conventional to the thriller genre because every murderer has a way of murdering their victims. This scene shows that he likes to use tools.

7. On-Screen sound will be used when the tap is running in the sink I have chosen to use this because it will symbolise the time the victim has and the sink filling up is to show that her time is running out.  This is conventional to the thriller genre because it shouldn’t be as clear for the audience to understand which keeps them intrigued in the film.