Sound analysis

Strangers 2008 trailer George Hoy.

Sound is used in thriller films to inform the audience of the different situations that the characters are going through and it is also used to help the audience understand the narrative of the thriller film.

One of the sounds used in the Strangers trailer are diegetic sound. It is an off screen sound because the audiences do not know where it is coming from. The evidence for this sound is when the couple are hugging and they hear a ‘bang’ sound. This sound obviously frightens the couple because they both pause in the moment and look around at the door. The sound shows that someone or something has been around and something bad is probably going to happen. The audience would expect this to be found in a thriller because it makes the movie more interesting for the audience. Because the sound is diegetic and off screen, the sudden 'bang' shocks the audience and the sound relates to the film because it builds suspense in the film as it is makes the audience on edge and jumpy, which draws the audience in.

The second sound that was used in the Strangers trailer was a on screen sound, this was when the swing was making a noise like someone had been playing around with it. It could also be seen as a parallel sound because the swing is making a noise, which suggests that there is a unknown presence around the house.  It shows that the audience know that something is there are they are ready for something bad to happen to the couple. This is a conventional sound in the thriller because it would be a jumpy sound that would be used in a thriller. This makes the audience feel more tense, scared, jumpy and on edge because they know something is going to happen and that also makes them feel more involved in the thriller.

The third and final sound that I will be analysing is the non-diegetic sound, the evidence for this is when they are in the car trying to get away from the strangers and there is creepy music in the background which shows that something unnatural is going to happen (which is normal in a thriller film). It shows that the couple and the characters that are being attacked by the stranger are in some kind of danger because they are going to be trapped in between there car, the strangers car and the house. It relates because it shows the audience that the main characters are in trouble and are very scared with what the strangers are going to do with them. This also then makes the audience scared about what the strangers will do to the victims, so the audience is drawn into the film. This is a typical narrative because it shows that something bad is going to happen and the main characters that are being attacked are in danger, so this would be typically found in a thriller film.

This analysis has taught me where sounds can be introduced in the thriller film and where would use them in different situations. For example I know when a diegetic sound is used, when you want to use a sound that is off screen, this may be used to create suspense in the thriller film.