Planning Sound - Miss Miller

Sound is the most important element within films as it is able to manipulate and control during production and post-production. Sound is one of the key elements that immediately engages the audience and enables them to create a specific emotion and feelings, with the help of other key elements such as cinematography and mise-en-scene. Sound is seen to be one of the key elements of a thriller as it has many different features which create many different feelings and emotions. For example, slow paced sound would keep the atmosphere calm and relaxed, but also creating suspense as when someone is alone and nothing upbeat is happening in the scene this could create a feeling of tension and make the audience feel on edge. Also, another example could be when someone is being chased by an antagonist - the music would be typically fast paced creating uncertainty for the audience. All of these types of elements are seen to be very conventional within a thriller film. Within my thriller, the use of sound can create a relationship between the female character and my target audience, considering how effective it is.  

In addition planning is required in order for me to produce an excellent sequence, as it would help to guide me in the right direction when producing my own thriller. The use of planning is also used for a guide as it directs me in the way how I want to create my own thriller and it also allows me to make changes where necessary - for me to produce a successful thriller and target the correct audience, most of my elements need to be conventional to the thriller genre for the audience to be able to relate in a thriller genre.

Moreover, within my thriller I am going to use various sound techniques to help the audience relate to the characters, creating feelings and emotions enabling a strong bond to be formed. Firstly, I am going to use a non-diegetic sound - a heartbeat when Lucy is running downstairs it would create tension like a life and death situation, making the audience be on edge. I would also use non-diegetic sound for a high pitched sound when there is tension and uncertainty being portrayed within the opening, this use of sound is added on after the filming to add effect. Non-diegetic sound is very conventional within the thriller genre as it adds effect to the connotations to the sound and also would be on the way of building a mutal relationship with the audience.

Secondly, in my thriller I would use a sound bridge sound where there is a flow of when the opening sequence begins to the start up of action, this would maintain continuity within my sequence by running a soundtrack over my filming to link them together. At the beginning of the sequence the sound would be slow, calm and low which could suggest curiosity and suspense at the same time which builds a sense of confusion for the audience of what to feel and think. Sound-bridge is another key feature of sound which is conventional within the thriller genre as its main purpose is to produce a flow which connotes suspense keeping the audience engaged. The use of the audience being doubtful builds their relationship or makes it stronger with the characters within the frame.

Another sound that I would use is silence for where its main purpose is to create and maintain the suspenseful atmosphere. The use of silence would be used only a couple of times within my sequence to add effect when needed to entice the audience into the scene. Silence is very conventional within the thriller genre as it creates a specific feeling and emotion such as tension and curiosity that allows them to create a relationship with the audience.

On screen/ diegetic sound is another sound which would be used within my own thriller. For example when Lucy is running down the stairs the use of her heavy breathing would be heavily expressed within the screen. The audience would be able to relate to Lucy as they would see and hear where the heavy breathing is coming from. This would portray the main character as vulnerable and innocent at the same time as she is running downstairs unaware of her surroundings. Therefore, engaging the audience in further into the scene building a strong bond.

Furthermore, through the use of sound I believe that my sequence would be more effective in creating certain emotions and reactions from the audience. Sound plays a key role within films to help directors portray their characters emotions, feelings and the atmospheres connotations successfully to the audience. Within the thriller genre many features of sound are conventional within the thriller genre as it provides the audience to create an attachment to the characters within the scene, making a strong bond throughout the film. If the relationship of the audience and characters are robust from the beginning then it would carry on until the end, the opening sequence is therefore seen as the crucial sequence, especially within a thriller film.

Overall, throughout the planning I have found it helpful for preparing my own thriller, as it has given me an idea of what would be good and bad of putting each specific sound within my thriller film. Through the use of sound a lot can be conveyed - which is therefore seen as vital to help create and add effect. The use of specific sounds would create specific feelings and emotions which would allow the audience understand and feel the characters within a particular scene.