In this post I am going to be analyzing different sound techniques used within a clip from 2004 remake thriller film 'The Grudge' starring 'scream queen' Sarah Michelle Gellar.
The scene begins with a weird rustlingly sound, it sounds both creepy and supernatural, hence adding to the fear factor of our antagonist this would be non diegetic sound. The effect of this makes the audience curious as to what is going on and who/what exactly is in their with the victim hence building further intrest from the audience and keeping them more engaged with the film by doing so they are more able to enjoy it as they are keeping up with the events of the film and won't become lost and therefore bored as they are unable to follow the plot.
We hear the protagonist gasping in fear, this would be diegetic sound hearing her make these noises instantly enforces the idea of how panicking this situation must be for her, the audience is shown how vulnerable she is and how frightening the situation is for her this makes the audience feel sorrow for her building a stronger reletionship between the two as the audience grows to like her more as they begin to sympthiase with her they find themselves on her side hoping for the best outcome for her and really routing for her this is another factor which keeps the audience engaged in the film as they contiune to remain focused as they wish to witness the survial of the victim hoping that this will be the way. From this the audience is also able to grow greater fear for her, they become anxious as they hope that she will be able to make it out alive, hearing a young female protagonist or victim scream or make other terrified noises is often used within a thriller hence 'The Grudge' is conventional to one as it displays many elements such as this which are used within the genre so to have the effect needed to be created within a thriller for it to forfill its job of being one. Often within the thriller genre audiences are shown young attractive girls as victims or protagonists in great danger, as often girls similar to those used within these types of films can be stereotyped as being unindependent, weak, stupid, generally being portrayed as people who need protecting by others. Female protagonists are often shown this way within thrillers to make the audience feel more sorry for them and feel further anxious about whether they shall survive, this also provides more power onto the antagonist.
There is very intense music playing in the background of the scene this would also be non diegetic sound as the music itself is not apart of the actual film, it would also be classed as off screen sound as you can hear it but cannot see it on the screen, the music builds up the tensity of the film and leaves the audience feeling further suspense this keeps the audience feeling sense as they await the upcoming events of the film.
Another diegetic sound displayed within the film would be the sound of the door banging, this grabs the audiences attention and takes it to the door, it keeps members guessing as they don't know who or what is banging at the door are they trying to get in or just frighten her? It also highlights that essentially she is locked within this room yet even in there she is unsafe this will be quite a scary thought for some viewers espeically those who have a phobia of being in tight or confinded spaces as they picture their selves in her postion and begin to feel worse for her.
A lot of the sound within the scene is exaggerated, for instance items smashing onto the floor and breaking, this would still be diegetic sound however, this technique is used to draw further attention to what is happening and make it more dramatic.
As you can see sound makes a big difference telling the story within a thriller film, without sound it could often be hard for viewers to even work out what was going on, or be as frighten they may miss main events in the film because of it. Without sound we wouldn't be able to hear things such as a character screaming far away, the sound of a gun going off, etc often sound is used to make people jump without sound many thriller films would have the shock effect or even simply be as scary.
Looking at sound within the thriller genre has made me more aware of how important it really is to the genre hence I will be making sure I use plenty of sound when creating my own thriller.
The sound of the lighter is diegetic on screen sound which was exaggerated for dramatic effect.
You have provided a basic analysis of the sound techniques used within this sequence, mentioning what sound is used and explaining to an extent what it creates for the audience.
ReplyDeleteYou need to:
1) Relate all points back to the audience and how they are able to build a relationship with the audience
2) Relate all points back to the thriller genre and whether it is conventional and how/why
3) Give times of examples referred to from the clip
4) Be more specific with your examples e.g. describe how the soundtrack sounds, what type of noise is it
5) Elaborate on your points - more like the first paragraph
6) Conclusion - how has this helped you , what ideas might you take on board and why
7) Non-diegetic sound is NOT off screen sound!
8) Intro - what is the purpose of sound within films and why have you chosen this clip to analyse