Analysis of sound

Sound effects in any movie can change the mood of the audience by having tension.  

Silence creates tension by the viewer being able to hear the diegetic sound in the background. The genre which uses this the most is thrillers and horrors. The no backing track makes the diegetic sound scary, for example if the film is ‘Jaws’ then the tense music at the start builds up in a crescendo and suddenly stops. This creates tension because the audience thinks that something has happened but they can’t see what, this could leave them in a distressed and wondering state. The slow build-up of woodwind instruments may have an effect on the film by if there are sudden stabs on the instruments then there might be portrayed in the film as someone stabbing something. 

The other ways that sound can change a movie is by being loud or quiet, this makes the audience think that something big or small is coming. The way that the sound changes the movie is large because if you watch something without any sound or volume then the sound cannot give that tense feel. Altogether sound makes the film be more thrilling and it tell the viewer’s when something is about to happen by suddenly stopping and starting.

The sounds of violins are typical of a thriller genre because they show evil and create dramatic tension; this means that the audience will be made to this that that something evil is happening. When the sound stops in thrillers it is typical of the genre to suddenly stop. This would be after the crescendo leading up to the scene. Typically string instruments are used in thrillers for a build-up of tension.

When it comes to background music and sound fillers the main based instrument in woodwind or normally a single flute. They sometimes leave the open pipe open letting the air vibrate through the air hole giving it a scratchy sound. The flute is normally played in a minor key as well as the violins; this gives it more of a creepy sound. The slow build up from a single solo violin to a full string ensemble makes the audience feel like action is happening; if you took the sound away from the film then you would be left with an empty un-tense film. The music adds the affect and the tension to the film.

When the opening titles come in there is normally a catchy tune / polyrhythm, this makes the film seem more intense as there are two different rhythms playing at the same time. This adds tension because the audio is one of the most important starts to a film. Without the audio there will be little or no tension.

The added effect of the music to the opening title starts the film off on a good foot. Altogether the main objective in sound in thrillers makes the audience feel in suspense.