Sound Homework

Sound

Sound effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films. In motion picture production, a sound effect is a sound recorded and presented to make a specific story telling or creative point without the use of dialogue or music. The term often refers to a process applied to a recording, without necessarily referring to the recording itself. In professional motion picture and television production, dialogue music and sound effects recording are all treated as separate elements. Dialogue and music recordings are never referred to as sound effects, even though the processes applied to them, such as reverberation or flanging effects, often are called “sound effects”.

In a thriller film the convention of sound effects are usually very slow and quiet or quick and loud. The slow music is used when something is about to happen to make the audience more frightened. The music then creeps up to a loud noise when the incident has happened. This give the audience a fright because following the conventions of a thriller film the result happens a minute after the first clue of something going to happen. Most of the scary noises are non diagetic which means they have been added in to make the film scarier. This was only introduced to films in the 1920's.

im analysising what lies beneath. 

there first is non diagetic sound when she enters the door frame to go to the bedroom this means she cant see it, this gives the audience an idea that something might be happening soon. we also see her turning her head after the sound has gone on for a while, as she makes her way to the bathroom the sound isnt playing as loud, this is trying to make us focus on how scared she is, as the door is closed we dont know whats going to happen, when she opens the door the music then starts this is when we see whats happend in the bathroom and makes us think theres someone waiting for her in the bathroom. the music acts as her hearbeat, when she panics the music gets faster and louder. this also effects the audience as when its faster we prepare for something to happen.
when we see the bath is filled with water a very deep groan is made which the audience relate as something is about to happen. we then hear some diagetic noises from her, this shows shes scared. and when we see the reflection of the man in the mirror. with a creaky noise to go with it, we become shocked that there is someone else in there. as she wipes her handon the mirror this makes a diagetic noise which we hear as a smear. as she looks into the bath we hear a small groaning noise. she then reacts to it by asking the 'antagonist' what he wants. as we can hear the noise, we presume she can which is why she reacted. every time thereis something that comes onto the mirror we hear the same creaky noise which isnt very appealing this makes us scared as we dont know whats going to happen. this time round the non diagetic noise is so much louder and goes on for longer. we interpret that the climax should be arriving soon as were getting more prepared for it. 
As shes running downstairs we hear the diagetic noise other footsteps and her heavily breathing and the non diagetic noise of the loud deep noise which we know connotes fear and that somethings happening as it gets louder.
The noise stays loud until the end of the clip and has diagetic noise aswell from the typing of keys although this could be non diagetic aswell as no one is actually typing on the keys. This makes audience and the lady scared as we dont know where its coming from. This clip is a good one to use while analysing sound as it has lots of different diagetic and non diagetic sounds which add to the clip and create tension and makes the audience feel in the same place as the lady. This makes the fim extra good and makes us want to watch it more if we feel like were in the actual clip.

Thriller genre

A thriller film is a type of film to promote intense excitement, suspense and a high level of anticipation. A genuine thriller is a film, that restlessly pursues a single-minded goal, to provide thrills and keep the audience cliff-hanging at the 'edge of their seats' as the plots builds towards a climax.

Tension is the most important ingredient, tensions arises when the main characters is placed in a frightening situation or mystery where escape seems impossible. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other of with outside forces.

Generic stereotypical characters:
Convicts
Criminals
Stackers
Assassins
Hit men
Private eye
Fugitive
Terrorists
Drug addicts


Themes:
Greed
Envy
Jealousy
Terrorism
Pursuit
Romantic triangles leading to murder

Generic locations:
Dimly lit often wet narrow urban streets or alleyways
Lifts, staircases, basements
Phone booths
Scrap yards, derelict buildings tunnels, graveyards.

Codes and conventions of thriller genres:
None or low key lighting
Spooky slow music
Often women is the victim
Shadows
Villains have weapons on them and are more numbered then the victim/s.

Alfred Hitchcock
"The purpose of a thriller is to put their 'audiences' totally in the cold water of fear to see what it's like"

learning about all of the themes and the generic characters, made me realise how many thriller films there are, as there are so many themes and characters used. this shocked me as i thought thriller was quite a new genre whereas romance has been around for a long time, this also shocked me knowing that alfred hitchcock was making thrillers in the 1930's. this also gave me alot more ideas for the video i would be making after half term, and made me understand films more rather than just a film i was picking it apart and trying to find out the theme and the characters used.

Mise en Scene

 Mise-en-scene refers to everything that appears before the camera settings, costumes, actors, lighting, body language, and the positioning of the characters and iconography. This all adds together to make the audience feel tension and not knowing what is going to happen next, in the thriller genre. These points let the audience know what genre it is without purposely saying.

The first part of the human centipede when 2 American girls are in their car after breaking down. The use of low key lighting while there in the forest makes you feel scared for them as although its pitch black outside there is some sort of light coming from somewhere, this is a sense of happiness and when they find the light coming from the house they are relieved, the use of connotation suggests some sort of hope, however the segregated location of the desolate forest reinforces the sense of tension that the audience are feeling. this is a key thriller convention.

While carrying little props with them through the forest the only things they have when they get out are their shoes, this shows a sense  of urgency as they have taken their high heels of to run faster to find safety in the rain. While wearing little clothing in a massive rain storm, as girls take pride in their appearance they don’t like the thought of them getting soaking wet when they was hoping to go out clubbing. This could also show how unaware they are that their life is never going to be the same again.

As the first appearance of the man comes, as hes wearing a long white coat, this initially identifies the reader that he could be someone from the medical profession, ie. a doctor or surgeon. the use of the colour white so contradicts the audiences expectation of what a villain should wear. he appears very strange and scary. This is off putting for the girls since they want to get help but came to the wrong house.
The close up door of him locking the door is a very important moment as where we first find him scary it shows that he’s got something going on for him to lock the front door. This makes us weary of what’s going to happen during the film. Also when he looks out the window after, he’s making sure that no one is around to know what he is doing.
The house connotes to the audience the fear intention that they are expecting, this is due to the isolating setting of the enviroment where these brutal and sick events are taking place. the house is also a white which shows purity. this is the opposite of the reaity which confuses the audience, but which is a convention in the thriler genre. 

The first time we see his house, he seems very clean and a well put together man, as there isn’t any mess around and the decorating is white, this shows purity which isn’t a convention in thriller films which could try and trip us up into thinking he’s a nice man when really he isn’t.

The painting which he has on the wall which is of 2 babies merged together by their stomach, could show that this is his inspiration for what he is planning on doing to the two girls. Although this remark is suttle and not something the girls would notice and pick up on, the way the camera is set as they first enter the living room the picture above the sofa is on full view. Whether they planned  for this to happen I’m not sure but people who have already seen the film can relate to it and can understand that something a bit like that is going to happen to them.

The lighting in the household becomes more high key when they get inside, this also is not a convention of a thriller film but could be done to give us a different idea of what may happen and make us think  that they are in ‘safe hands’.

When they first look at the picture together this makes us know that they think something weird is happening. They both give each other a look and the camera zooms in to the girls face to show her talking to her friend, this then makes us feel uncomfortable as we think that something is going to happen.

As the antagonist is foreign, the messages which they receive and give to him are visual messages and what they see, so when he’s pretending talking on the phone, they don’t realize he’s really not because he’s lying about it and not on the phone at all. This again shows how he really has something going on but we don’t know what yet. The zoom into the two cups of water he has just filled for the girls and the tablet which is fizzing in there, makes you feel sorry for the girls as you know that was for them and he’s probably trying to knock them out.

As the girls make up has smudged from the rain outside this could also show how they look quiet evil as there untidy. This is again not a convention of a thriller film as we see the man as tidy and neat, the victim and the girls who there are more than one of, looking messy, spooky and like their the villains.

The flickering flame from the fire also connotes fear as fire isn’t something you want to come across especially in a house with someone who’s scaring you and you don’t know who he is. When she’s spills her drink the camera on him shows how high up he is, this makes him in charge and makes us feel scared for her as he looks really big and his deep voice makes us feel that he could do damage and we don’t want that to happen.

The shadow of him going down the stairs scares us as we he looks bigger than what he does in real life. When he goes through the corridor theirs a blue light which we notice and that shows that it could be quiet cold and scary.

All of our thoughts of them being killed get us even more scared when we see a close up of feet and when there not moving we presume they are dead. In the background you can see the villain washing his hands, he is paying no attention and is obliviously not bothered that he has a dead person infront of him. This shows the damage he could do to the girls especially when no one knows where they are.