Sound Analysis in an OTS - Sound and dialogue
Woman In Black - 2012
The opening title sequence of Woman in Black has spooky yet simple music in the background. It only uses "old fashioned" instruments such as organs, music boxes and pianos which helps the watcher recognise what time the start of the film is set in. The backing music sounds similar to "If you go down to the woods today" which is a popular children's rhyme. This gives an essence of safety, but as this is a horror movie, we know they're play room won't be safe. This confirms Clover's theory that bad things happen in places that are considered of safety.
The music remains consistent with the occasional sound of a cup breaking or a doll's head being smashed. These subtle crashes shock the watcher, as they are unexpected in a child's play room. The music then crescendos as the girls get ready to step out of the window, creating a feeling of tension and making the audience aware that something's going to happen.
The music then softens and the scream of a woman can be heard. She also cries "My babies!" suggesting she is in panic which confirms to the audience that something dreadful has happened to the girls. The lack of talking from the girls reflects how they are like dolls, being controlled and having perfect facial features and hair, as dolls surprisingly don't talk.
We have decided to take a similar approach when choosing a soundtrack for our OTS, as we find the use of nursery rhymes in a horror film very effective, especially as our film will also feature mainly children.
The music remains consistent with the occasional sound of a cup breaking or a doll's head being smashed. These subtle crashes shock the watcher, as they are unexpected in a child's play room. The music then crescendos as the girls get ready to step out of the window, creating a feeling of tension and making the audience aware that something's going to happen.
The music then softens and the scream of a woman can be heard. She also cries "My babies!" suggesting she is in panic which confirms to the audience that something dreadful has happened to the girls. The lack of talking from the girls reflects how they are like dolls, being controlled and having perfect facial features and hair, as dolls surprisingly don't talk.
We have decided to take a similar approach when choosing a soundtrack for our OTS, as we find the use of nursery rhymes in a horror film very effective, especially as our film will also feature mainly children.
(SC)
Insidious - 2010
The opening title sequence of Insidious starts off very quiet with just a sound of wind almost echoing onwards with the titles. Its very simple music mainly only using violins to make such a nerve shivering sound effect for the listener, as if a cold wind has just leapt across you causing you to shiver.
They use the high pitch nerve shivering sound effect when the red blood like main title appears on the screen after the camera has panned over the mise-en-scene of the young boys bedroom and other important rooms of the house, where more paranormal things happen.
It purposely quiets down almost entirely after the title has been shown, where the sound actually matches the movement of the titles where they trail off into clouds of smoke. The opening title sequence continues to use the same sounds repeatedly, until more paranormal things start to happen. The sounds start to get louder and more high pitch after you see a 'strange' man looking through the window in the bedroom. It carries on in this simplistic order throughout the rest of the opening title sequence until it purposely becomes louder but in a low pitch this time when it reaches the picture of the grandfather clock "again" which makes it seem like an important prop all the way through the film, and almost sounds like a 'ding' if as it's just struck midnight, but also if it's time for something to happen.
We have stayed away from this soundtrack for our OTS as it doesn't really have a meaning too it, and we want to include a soundtrack involving children's nursery rhymes. We will use the same approach when using 'nerve-racking/shivering' sounds to scare the audience, but other than that, this will not be of much importance until a 'jumpy' scene.
They use the high pitch nerve shivering sound effect when the red blood like main title appears on the screen after the camera has panned over the mise-en-scene of the young boys bedroom and other important rooms of the house, where more paranormal things happen.
It purposely quiets down almost entirely after the title has been shown, where the sound actually matches the movement of the titles where they trail off into clouds of smoke. The opening title sequence continues to use the same sounds repeatedly, until more paranormal things start to happen. The sounds start to get louder and more high pitch after you see a 'strange' man looking through the window in the bedroom. It carries on in this simplistic order throughout the rest of the opening title sequence until it purposely becomes louder but in a low pitch this time when it reaches the picture of the grandfather clock "again" which makes it seem like an important prop all the way through the film, and almost sounds like a 'ding' if as it's just struck midnight, but also if it's time for something to happen.
We have stayed away from this soundtrack for our OTS as it doesn't really have a meaning too it, and we want to include a soundtrack involving children's nursery rhymes. We will use the same approach when using 'nerve-racking/shivering' sounds to scare the audience, but other than that, this will not be of much importance until a 'jumpy' scene.
(TA)
A Nightmare on elm street - 2010
The opening title sequence of A Nightmare On Elm Street has a quite fast-paced, non-diegetic backing track, which comes across as being quite scary, due to the speed of it. The backing track doesn't change speed throughout the sequence, only diegetic sound is added in.
The sound of child's laughter shows that children are one of the main aspects of this film. The laughter also makes it quite spine shivering, due to the use of children and their innocence in horror sequences.
There is also the diegetic sound of the actions being made during the opening sequence. For example, the metal saw and the chains on the swing. This is effective because it hooks the audience into wondering what is going on. The swing chain also represents a playground, which, in horror, is usually considered a safe place to be. In Clover's theories, most horror activities happen in safe places so the swing set is quite effective.
The backing sound stays the same all the way through the sequence, this makes it simple. However the added noises make it sophisticated. To add more sophistication, there is a sound as some of the clips change, this is effective because it creates curiosity in the audience and keeps them watching.
When the rocking horse comes on in the first part of the clip, there is a whooshing sound, almost like wind. This sound is effective as it sounds quite unusual in the sequence, as if it doesn't fit in the sequence properly. We used this idea in our horror, to make it more effective. Therefore to add this effect into our opening title sequence, we added the noise of a passing train into the background, we thought this would be effective as our sequence is set in the countryside. This means that the sound of a train would be considered strange to the audience, this fits in well with the idea of a young girl being cursed by a lullaby.
The sound of child's laughter shows that children are one of the main aspects of this film. The laughter also makes it quite spine shivering, due to the use of children and their innocence in horror sequences.
There is also the diegetic sound of the actions being made during the opening sequence. For example, the metal saw and the chains on the swing. This is effective because it hooks the audience into wondering what is going on. The swing chain also represents a playground, which, in horror, is usually considered a safe place to be. In Clover's theories, most horror activities happen in safe places so the swing set is quite effective.
The backing sound stays the same all the way through the sequence, this makes it simple. However the added noises make it sophisticated. To add more sophistication, there is a sound as some of the clips change, this is effective because it creates curiosity in the audience and keeps them watching.
When the rocking horse comes on in the first part of the clip, there is a whooshing sound, almost like wind. This sound is effective as it sounds quite unusual in the sequence, as if it doesn't fit in the sequence properly. We used this idea in our horror, to make it more effective. Therefore to add this effect into our opening title sequence, we added the noise of a passing train into the background, we thought this would be effective as our sequence is set in the countryside. This means that the sound of a train would be considered strange to the audience, this fits in well with the idea of a young girl being cursed by a lullaby.
(CT)
Drag me to hell - 2009
The opening title sequence to Drag Me To Hell, they use musical instruments like a violin as it makes screacing noises and it makes you feel nervous and anxious but then it calms down and is just the sound of a voilin. This is effective because you think something is going scary is going to happen but then it makes you calm down because the sound of a voilin is calming. The fact that it is a musical instrument and not any music or singing suggets that it was set in the olden days.
Then you can hear the sound of choir singers in the background of the violin which is effective because it's the type of music you would hear in serious situations for example funerals. The choir singers with the sound of the violin are quite old fashioned and calming which can make you feel sad and relaxed.
Then the violin gets sharper and the chior singers get louder which create tention and stops you from feeling too calm and rexaled about watching it.
From here on, the sound never goes back to being really calm like it was at the start. When the violin and the chior changes a bit, the titles change too. For example as the noise from the violin and the chior get louder, the titles move across the screen.
Because the music keeps changing pitch and tune, it keeps you on edge because you want to know if anything is going to happen and it stops you from getting bored.
Then you can hear the sound of choir singers in the background of the violin which is effective because it's the type of music you would hear in serious situations for example funerals. The choir singers with the sound of the violin are quite old fashioned and calming which can make you feel sad and relaxed.
Then the violin gets sharper and the chior singers get louder which create tention and stops you from feeling too calm and rexaled about watching it.
From here on, the sound never goes back to being really calm like it was at the start. When the violin and the chior changes a bit, the titles change too. For example as the noise from the violin and the chior get louder, the titles move across the screen.
Because the music keeps changing pitch and tune, it keeps you on edge because you want to know if anything is going to happen and it stops you from getting bored.
(ME)