Sound in Thrillers

In Thriller films, music is used to create tension and suspense within the audience and make them feel scared and frightened. The music helps to build up a climax when approaching a scary bit of the film. Within Thriller movies the general sounds used are dark,eerie and mysterious. This is because they help coincide with whats going on in the scene and reinforce the mood that is being presented. The music usually begins slow paced whilst gradually speeding up helping create tension and lead to a climax. When music is played beneath a scene and used to help create mood, this is called underscoring.

In certain films sound is used to create tension and intrigue the audience. Of all the renowned directors and filmmakers who use sound in their films to create suspense, Alfred Hitchcock is at the top of the pile. One film of his that is particularly good at creating a gripping scene through the use of sound is in the famous 'Psycho'. At the beginning of the clip there is no music and we can just hear diegetic sounds, such as the door and shower. The lack of sound is on purpose, it is done to create a false sense of security as it just seems like an ordinary scene there is no quiet crescendo music, instead just the basic noises we see in the scene. Also, this lack of sound is also incorporated into the scene to catch us off guard as the audience are not expecting to witness a murder scene.


Later on in the scene we are given a high angle shot where the audience can see the shower curtain, at first it's just normal but slowly we see a shadow appear on the other side of the curtain. As the figures shadow becomes more prominent the camera zooms in on the curtain. Then suddenly the curtain is drawn back and we are faced with a figure holding a knife, however the sense of mystery is still maintained as we cannot see his face. Simultaneous to this a non diegetic violin screech is heard deafening the audience creating shock and nervousness to the viewer. In addition, as the violin is being played the lead role played by actress Vera Miles turns around violently as a piercing scream is heard. This combination of a non diegetic screech and a diegetic scream are used to create a fierce and panicking scene in which we experience the character being brutally stabbed to death. This sound conforms perfectly with the crime/psychological thriller genre conventions as it uses loud and high pitch sounds to create an intense sequence. These sounds are both reinforced by the use of jump cuts to add to the frantic feel of the scene. There is no ambient sound in the sequence and the only dialogue heard is the scream of the scared women.

Another thriller movie in which sound is used to create tension is in Skyfall, a typical action thriller. In this James Bond installment female character Eve is plunged into an extremely dramatic and tense scene where she must shoot a criminal whose in a fist fight with Bond and she must not hit James. Immediately when we are thrown into the scene there is a fast paced, loud and intense underscore which emphasizes the severity of whats going on in the scene. The sound in the sequence can be described as synchronous sound as it matches what is going on in the scene. Furthermore, the fast jump cuts and quick dialogue adds to the frantic atmosphere in the sequence. As the clip goes on the fight scene continues, the music speeds up and the dialogue intensifies building up tension and putting the audience on the edge of their seat eager to know the outcome. In addition, a new diegetic sound is introduced, the train's horn. This accompanied by the shot of the tunnel creates a sense of urgency as Eve must take the shot. As there are lots of different types of sound playing in this clip at the same time with the dialogue, the train, the fighting and the music the audience becomes captivated and the tension rises.

Later on in the scene when Eve takes the shot there is a moment of silence. The music stops and all we can hear is the echoing sound of a bullet, the camera turns and takes it's focus on the expression of Eve. The audience never actually see's the face of who is shot creating a sense of mystery, however the viewer makes an assumption that it was Bond due to the halt of the music and the silence of dialogue. The fast and loud crescendo underscore followed by the deafening silence and eeriness of a bullet being fired creates for an abrupt end to the scene.

Thriller Planning - Locations & Mise en Scene

LOCATIONS & MISE EN SCENE:

Throughout our thriller there will be several possible locations where we'll be filming, such as a bus stop, Ketts Hill and a dark, dead end street or alley.
The opening sequence of our thriller takes place in a location looking over Norwich with an establishing shot. The primary candidate
for where this scene will be filmed is Ketts hill, this is because you can see the whole of Norwich from here and in the winter it looks particularly dark,gloomy and isolated. The atmosphere created in this opening scene would be mysterious and chilling, these are both general conventions of a typical thriller.

The second potential location we have chosen to film in is a bus stop, this is because it gives general conventions of city life and an every day setting. Furthermore, we have a scene in our thriller in which a character is sleeping at a bus stop and the bus stop could be interpreted as the entrapment of his mind. This bus stop could essentially be anywhere, however a preferred location for it would be on a quite desolate road to show he's isolated and alone. When filming in this area we would have to pay careful attention to the lighting as it could be an issue because it is outside and very open. But, to combat this as we are filming in winter and at night there is going to be very little to no diegetic light, except from possibly the moon, allowing us to create our own non diegetic lighting with equipment.

For the chase scene in our thriller we are looking to film down an alleyway. This alley needs to be empty,rough and relatively long. This alley must connote how trapped the character is feeling and how vulnerable he is. As our thriller is a psychological thriller all of our locations, especially for this scene must connote this constant sense of isolation and paranoia. Also, our thriller is about a teenager fighting the concept of reality within his own mind, so the settings are vital in depicting this plot.


Written by Thor Forster

Thriller Planning - Initial Ideas

Group Contribution

Thriller Planning - Script

Thriller Script- Torpidity

Josh Masterson - Connor Southwell
Tom Rush - Thor Forster


JOSH MASTERSON seen overlooking Norwich, hood up. This cuts to JOSH MASTERSON standing under a lamppost, frantically checking his phone.

JOSH MASTERSON seen asleep at a bus stop after a frantic walking sequence, cut in focus’ on TOM, JOSH MASTERSON then receives a text reading ‘I see you Josh but you don’t see me’.

JOSH MASTERSON turns around to where TOM was standing, and nobody is there. JOSH MASTERSON breathes heavy and begins to run.

TOM chases JOSH MASTERSON down an alley, dead end, TOM seen walking towards him. As he reaches him, he swings to punch before a large intake of breath for JOSH MASTERSON before the screen goes black and we cut to JOSH MASTERSON sitting upright in bed before he receives the same text as previously.

Ends.


By Connor Southwell

Motifs in Film

In a film or story, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance, often there because it has a deeper meaning. Some examples of motifs include, a specific phrase,colour,prop or a soundtrack.

In several scenes, of the movie Skyfall from James Bond you can see a Royal Doulton china Bulldog on M's desk. At the beginning of the film on M's desk we see the small ceramic dog, to a casual watcher of the film this may seem completely irrelevant and insignificant, but this item reappears again and again throughout the movie. The bulldog is facing outward as if M is watching England at the start of the film, throughout the rest of the film the British bulldog is facing M, insinuating that England is watching M.

Also, in the first instance we see it, it is in a very quick reveal and we see it in the corner of our eyes on the desk. The symbolism of the dog is that its a British bulldog, which coincides with the general idea of the film being typically British. Furthermore, the British bulldog symbolizes the idea of 'for king and country' and with James Bond being a British spy it represents his promise to his country.

At the end of the film after M has passed away James Bond receives the same ceramic British bulldog as at the beginning of the film. This is a symbol as it represents Bond's duty to the country and that although M is gone the bulldog being passed along to James Bond could represent the passing of responsibility to the British spy.
This motif of a British bulldog represents pride and protection that James Bond provides the country with in his constant battle against the antagonist.

Opening Sequence

What's the purpose of a film's opening sequence?

The opening of a film is vital in the film making process, it sets the scene and shows where the movie is being based. Furthermore, it often introduces the audience to a main star in the film, this is done to immediately captivate the viewer and encourage them to keep on watching.

Examples of different thriller opening sequences

The Usual Suspects -

Bryan Singer's 'The Usual Suspects'  made in 1995 is a prime example of how the opening sequence is important. The audience immediately see a dead body which is significant as it makes the viewer ask questions, also a dead body gives connotations of violence and mystery. Due to the dead body being shown very early on in the film the audience instantly knows the movie is going to be dark and sinister.  Also the use of eerie music adds to the atmosphere of the situation by building up tension, this ties in with the conventions of a typical thriller film. In addition the use of shadows in the first two minutes builds up a sense of mystery as the audience cannot see who the man is talking to posing questions as to what happens next.

Batman - The Dark Knight -

In Christopher Nolan's incredible masterpiece the opening scene really engages the audience with the theme and intensity of the film. The quiet music crescendos adding to the  tense bank robbery scene also the clown masks show how sinister and dark the film is. Furthermore, how casually the killing is in the opening two minutes really shocks the audience as the viewer tries to understand why they are killing one another.

Fast and Furious 7 -

The seventh installment of Fast and Furious opens with a captivating one continuous take showing actor Jason Statham performing a monologue whilst standing over his hospitalized brother. This is extremely effective as it immediately presents us with the antagonist of the movie and his motive. Also the staggering amount of dead bodies in the shot adds to the idea that he will stop at nothing to avenge his brother.

Mad Max Fury Road opens with a monologue from the main character, this immediately imposes feelings of anguish and hatred as he talks about his world being made of fire and blood. His rough and beaten voice adds to this idea of a post apocalyptic land. Through his monologue you can hear gunshots and death suggesting the cruel world he lives in and gives a background to the film very early on. All the audience see for the first thirty seconds of the film is a black screen, this is extremely effective as it makes the viewer focus on the emotional speech by star actor Tom Hardy making the viewer anticipate and create a mental image of the world he lives in.

The first scene is an establishing, wide shot in which a staggering and incredible landscape is shown displaying the vast,baron wasteland described by Max in his monologue. The seemingly bright and orange setting is almost interrupted by a dark looming cloud foreshadowing danger which occurs a few moments later. Furthermore, the way the man stands tall looking out across and into the distance could symbolize that he is a beacon of hope for the destroyed world.

When the monologue picks up again the focus turns to a small lizard which the character stamps on and eats, this symbolizes the harsh, cruel and brutal world the film is set in. Also, the importance of this is too show the current situation the character is in as he looks scarred,bruised and beaten. The characters monologue talks about the voices in his head, displaying to the audience his weakness very early on and showing how he is mildly schizophrenic and mentally unstable.

The voices of young children suggests he has lost people close to him or that he feels guilty for something. This again gives us an incite on the kind of man he is, that although he seems tough and resilient he is still human. Also when he kills the lizard the voices stop which signifies he is shutting them out and that they haunt him.

The use of the extreme close up on the characters face shows he is beaten and cut but also makes the audience feel more connected as his face is revealed and his identity is released. The scene then shows the character being chased by five or six other cars as we hear the loud engines roar and the shouts and screams of the pursuers. These screams rather than being of fear are ones of happiness and eagerness and makes the chasers seem animalistic. Instantly we see a difference between the main character and the ones in pursuit, as the audience establish the antagonist and protagonist roles.

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