Research into Sound - Miss Miller

Sound's are normally used in a film to allow the audience to have a better understanding of the film as it sets the mood or tone of a particular scene. Thriller films include sounds and soundtracks into their films in order to build the suspense, shock and surprise. The sounds are used to represent the characters feelings and emotions in order to influence the audience and get a particular reaction. Sounds used are also able to symbolise both the protagonists and the antagonists movements or feelings in a scene. By using certain types of sound it will create a conventional atmosphere in context to the thriller genre. There are many different sound techniques that directors use within a scene in order to create a mood perfect for that section of the film.

In the Black Swan the hallucination scene is where the most conventional sound is used. Parallel sound is a sound expected to be heard by the audience the sound matches the shot in front of them. In this particular scene at (0.21) we hear a scratching sound which matches the image of the woman scratching her shoulder. Parallel sounds are conventional as this is what the audience would expect to hear. It creates a sense of reality within the film even through it is her refection in the mirror doing it. It helps the audience understand what is going on which helps build and create a humanized atmosphere. Further the scratching noise is quite nerving as it is not the woman who is doing it but her reflection in the mirror this makes it parallel. This conveys to the audience that she is beginning to imagine things happening In her head which leads the audience to question her mental state and her psychological status. Not only does the audience now realize that she may be mentally unstable but this also creates a mood with I the scene which shows her as crazy. This engages the audience as they become interested in what she is capable of doing which follows the story line of he film.

Non dietetic sound is part of the sequence that is not visible on screen and has been edited in. At (0.34) non dietetic soundtrack has been edited in after the film was created. Further the piano music is used to give deeper meaning to the event taking place. Piano music creates a suspense filled feeling as the audience are unable to determine what will happen next yet they know that it is not positive as the music makes the mood of the sequence dark. The non dietetic sound track starts off slow and gradually speeds up I believe this is symbolic of her heart rate increasing as she fears she is being watched or followed. The music has a hidden sense of innocence about it as if it is pat of a ballet sequence which relates to the theme of the thriller. The fact that the non dietetic sound is low it represents a hidden message behind the innocence which is a conventional as sound in thriller films usually has a deeper meaning.

The pace of the music them becomes much slower then stops as the scene moves location(0.58).This silence makes the scene more dramatic. We hear her heavy breathing s she believes her mirror imagine is no longer copying her, the audience can almost immediately tell that she Is frightened as her breathing becomes shaky and heavier. The pace of the low pitched breathing increases to build suspense as the audience are left to question her mental state as she seems to be hallucinating and imagining that her mirror image is out of sync. Her heavy breathing stops for a brief second then immediately goes back to breathing heavily this reinforces the fear that she feels as the tries to find out if someone is watching her. As her breathing becomes more intense it makes the scene more dramatic and alarming creating a fearful atmosphere for the audience.

Dialogue is also used when the girl says 'hey.., im still working in here'. This dietetic sound is a form of on screen sound this is because the audience can see where the sound is coming from. The use of this dialogue simply informs the audience that she thinks someone is watching her.  This plays with the audience's relationship with the girl as they feel sympathetic towards her as she is clearly unstable and is potentially dangerous to herself. By this point the audience already knows she is mentally yet for the audience this creates suspense as they wait for a response from the unknown. The fact that the dancer is seeing all of these things makes the audience question if they really are happening and the audience start to feel sorry for her.

In conclusion learning about the different sounds in the thriller genre have helped me to thin about my own thriller and what sounds I will decide to use. I have been able to identify why sounds are conventional to this particular genre also sounds like contrapuntal sound simply because confusing the audience would build up tension, in turn this will would prevent the audience from determining what is going  to happen next.