Research into sound - Miss Miller

Sound is very crucial in films as it gives a variety of effects and certain impacts on the viewer. It is used to create an understanding for the audience and give more meanings about the characters and their emotions. Sound engages the audience and creates a response from them whilst their watching. There are 3 types of sounds ill be researching: Diegetic , Non-Diegetic and Parallel sound

Diegetic Sound- This is when the sound in the film is visible on the screen, or whose source is implied to be present by the action e.g music playing out from a radio, dialogue 

Non-Diegetic Sound - unlike Diegetic sound this is sound which is not visible on the screen nor has been implied to present in the action e.g soundtracks, theme music and background music.

Parallel sound - Is sound that you expect to hear in the film e.g scene with children at the beach you expect laughter, talking and the sea.

Contrapuntal Sound - This is sound that doesn't easily doesn't match what the audience expect to be in the image e.g tip toeing through the tulips in Insidious 

Silence - Even though there is no sound, this can create an impact in the scene 

In this post i will be exploring and researching different sounds techniques that are used in my chosen thriller clip 'The Shining' scene - Here's Johnny!

Jack walking up the stairs

Firstly, at the beginning of the clip its starts off with a non-diegetic screechy sound when jack is walking up the stairs, this creates curiosity and tension making the audience think he is the antagonist as he is carrying an axe with him. The screechy sound quietens when the antagonist gets closer to his protagonists hiding destination, this creates suspense as he is approaching to his victims area making the audience feel unease. Moreover, the screechy sound is quite startling and unsettling to listen to,this could represent jack himself as he is not in his normal state and he is holding a weapon which makes the audience feel uncomfortable and suspicious on what he's going to do with it. Through out the scene the screechy sound gets quicker and higher than normal, which represents the antagonist getting closer to the protagonist like it was a cat and mouse chase. This increases the woman's and audiences fear as he is getting closer to hurt her, making the audience build a sympathetic relationship and pity the woman as she's in a terrible situation with her husband. This type of sound used in this particular scene is conventional to a thriller as they often help build up the tension when the antagonist is chasing its victim which is a key element within the thriller genre. 

Antagonist walking towards bathroom door

From 0:15-0:18 the antagonist says " come out,come out! where ever you are", this is an on-screen diegetic sound as it is dialogue. The dialogue is said in a playful, sarcastic way as he walks towards the door. The sentence jack says is supposedly used when children are playing hide and seek. This suggests to the audience that he thinks its a game creating more of a distant relationship with him because the audience may find it disturbing that he is using a childrens' phrase in a murder plot which they can relate to if they had children. Furthermore this is conventional to a thriller as the antagonists often do use dark humour that juxtaposes the situation making the protagonist fear even more because it is not a 'playful game'.

Jack trying to open the door

From 0:31 - 0:35 , the non-diegetic sound ( screechy noise ) suddenly stops as he reaches the bathroom door where the protagonist is hiding in. This moment of silence has a huge impact on the audience as it makes them feel apprehensive and creates an awkward, tensed atmosphere making them engage more to the scene. After jack tries to open the door we hear a click which is a diegetic off screen sound as we actually don't see the lock or handle its self but we know he's trying to open the door. The click that is heard when the hands is being turned, gives the a sense of normality in the audience as that's what you expect to hear from the object. The click symbolises that time has run out and gives the protagonist inside the bathroom no hope and the antagonist assured that he has reach his goal because she is now trapped. This makes the audience feel concerned and uneasy because they don't know whats going to happen to the woman now that she's trapped which creates a closer relationship with her as they feel sympathy for her. Also the antagonist cannot get in as its locked which makes the audience and protagonist question how he is going to enter the bathroom and how she will defend her self, creating anxiety and making the audience feel on edge as they carry on watching.

Jack banging on the door with axe

When Jack starts banging the door with his axe it is a parallel, diegetic on screen sound. Each time Jack bangs the axe through the door, he gets closer to the protagonist creating suspense and tension between them. As he keeps on chopping through the door, the loud sound effect of the axe gradually dominates the whole sound effects, blocking out the screechy background music. This shows that the chase is over and the antagonist has won which creates tension for the audience as he has become more superior in the situation. Even though the audience have already seen his axe, when he actually uses it, it produces shock and terror which may make the audience jump like the protagonist because it has a thundering and threatening impact. The use of this sound gives a sense of foreboding as it suggests that something bad might occur later on the scene which is conventional to the thriller genre. 



Antagonist attacks protagonist 

Another Parallel sound we hear is when they woman slices the antagonist's hand with a knife. This creates a sense of realism for the audience as you would expect to hear that noise when somethings been slices. The sound made is what we expected even though it may be artificial, but this creates suspense and tension because the protagonist has assaulted him which may make the antagonist furious and want to attack her even more. The sharp sound also makes the audience jump as its quite alerting and quick making them feel on edge.This makes the audience support and build a closer relationship with the wife as they see that she has fought back for her safety showing her braveness in a difficult situation. This is conventional in a thriller because the protagonists usually try and defend themselves but sadly, they fail to and end up getting killed which makes the audience loath the antagonist even more.


To conclude, I have successfully found out research into sound which I will think would be beneficial when it comes to my thriller. I have learnt that sound is very essential in thriller films because it helps to build the 3 main S's ( Shock, Suspense and Surprise. Also it helps create an understanding for the audience and connect with the different types of characters variously helping the audience respond emotionally. Sounds in thrillers is what grabs the audiences attention and gets a response out of them. When I start my own thriller piece I will look into my sounds research so I can gather what would be significant and meaningful to be used e.g like in the shining, I will use silence to create suspense in the audience which will make them engage more and wonder what is going to happen next. I will make sure I use a variety of sounds to give the audience an understanding of my opening scene and engage them to carry on watching. Furthermore I will use different types of speed sounds so it builds up tension and makes the audience feel on edge. Also ill include a small silent part so that it makes the audience feel unease and weary on whats going to happen next. Overall, this post has given me a more understanding on how sounds are used an effective to give a huge impact on whats happening in the film and on the audiences feelings towards the characters.