Sound/Music Research

Sound/Music Research 

My thriller is a mix of a psychological and typical action thriller genre movie, and for that, it needs appropriate music during the right times. My narrative focuses predominantly on tension building sequences, with not much fast paced action going on in the movie at all. However, I do believe that by having some fairly fast and high intensity music playing in the background during sequences may help improve and generate some type of suspense for the viewer. The intensity could gradually become more and more intense over time, in time with the shots and actions of the movie becoming more tense. 

Below is one example of a piece of music that is used in order to up the suspense levels and to generate more tension in a scene. This score is from the film 'SAW' a psychological/horror thriller. The score at times is quick and loud which can suit certain moments of the movie for when action may pick up, but it also has moments where the volume comes down a significant amour, and it's just violins playing and distortion sounds in the background of the violins which adds to the odd sound. Furthermore the start of the score is quiet but yet also fairly quick, and this could be good for picking up the suspense and tension for when something is about to happen in a shot. 

Another example of a thriller score that i like is that from the film 'Requiem for a Dream'. The sound in general of the score is extremely peculiar and strange, with what seems to be intimidating opera moans on the vague background in which a high pitched violin plays at a fairly slow pace which gradually gets quicker over time. Also, a distorted like 'swish' or 'squelch' sound can be heard, further adding to the extremely scary and odd sound that this score projects. It does a fantastic job in building up tension in the areas of the score where it gets loud and the choir can be heard, violins are playing quickly, everything is happening at once, and it does well in making the audience feel captivated and immersed with the massive sound that it creates.

This final example is a copyright free piece of music which is more along the lines of what I may be going with for the opening score for my sequence. The score sounds ominous in sound, with it being very low in sound, not much going on at all. But by doing this and having very limited amounts of sounds happening, it creates an eerie tone amongst listeners. It's basic in concept, but it does a fantastic job in creating a very open, unclear and uncertain sound for listeners, meaning that they are completely unaware for if anything scary or ambiguous comes onto the screen, which is what I want for my music, as my thriller is based around the audience not knowing completely what's happening, and  begin fairly surprised in certain aspects .

Audience Research

Audience Research 

I asked 20 different people about different aspects about thrillers, such as what their favourite sub-genre of thriller is, what they would prefer to be the opening sequence for a thriller, and what they as an audience look for when it comes to what interests them in a thriller. 

Q1) What would interest you the most for an opening sequence?

1. Suspicious/abnormal character and camera shots
2. A chase scene where action is already taking place
3. A plot driven, dialogue focused sequence  

The results to the right clearly show that 50%, which is the vast majority of people I used in my primary research preferred to have choice 1 as part of the opening sequence to my thriller. They gave their reasons behind picking choice one, and they believed it's because they believe thrillers to not be too focused on action, but more about build up and ambiguity of the characters and plot in general.

Q2) What type of thriller is your preferred sub-genre of thriller? 

1. Horror
2. Action
3. Psychological 
4. Science Fiction

The second bit of primary research results show that the most popular sub-genre is the psychological thriller, such as Seven, Silence of The Lambs or The Shining. It was close between psychological and horror, and in reality, they are both quite similar sub-genres, just horror are completely focused on scaring the viewer, with no real attention to plot or character development

Q3) What key aspects do you associate with any normal, conventional thriller?

1.  Suspense/Ambiguity
2. Action
3. Tense build-up
4. Having antagonists and protagonist 

 

The final question I asked and it's results are shown to the right, where the results conclude that the people i questioned have a preference towards associating thrillers with suspense and a sense of question, as well as tension throughout it's entirety and build up. From this. I know understand what it is people may look for and like in any thriller.

 

In conclusion, I have learnt from my gathered primary research that a thriller audience typically likes there thrillers to be mainly focused on suspense, with a hint of psychological thriller included, in order to keep the viewers attention, to keep them intrigued and guessing about the thriller, and also to engross them into the movie as by generating suspense and ambiguity, they as a viewer can't take their eyes off the screen. 

AS Thriller Evaluation (2)

The opening 10 seconds of the sequence starts off good and well done, with a professional look to it, with the developer and distributing company logos being displayed at the start of the sequence. It adds that bit more of legitimacy to it making it come across as more believable and more like an actual film. 

The music also sounds good and appropriate to the bright contrast the video has, and also with the all round look of the overall sequence. Dark, heavy and tense music isn't needed or even appropriate for this video as the concept of it and visual aesthetic of the video isn't that of any other typical thriller, as it is bright in it's look and isn't focused mostly on dark contrast and colours, and the music fits in very well with the visuals with the soft yet also relaxing piano being played non-diegetically. The music doesn't end throughout the whole sequence, and continues to play no matter what is happening in the sequence in terms of what's being acted. However, there is no actual diegetic sound at all throughout the whole sequence, all sound being produced is from non-diegetic music, which I see as a slight negative about the sequence as it can be maybe confused with a trailer instead of the opening to an actual film. Also, the established shot of the landscape at 19 seconds is a beautifully executed shot and it works very well with opening titles and music, giving off the impression of a open and wide spanning landscape and possibly narrative.

The text is also very well done, with smooth transitions being made between each new group of text on screen displaying the actors/actresses, as well as who created the music for the sequence. The font used for the text is also appropriate, with it not being too fancy, big, bold or just out of place in terms of how the sequence is looking. For example, you wouldn't use a typical western font for the opening titles as it will look out of place and just look wrong in the video. 

The shots throughout the whole sequence, even though quite basic, with no actual shots creating any real sort of tension or curiosity, the last 45 seconds however does create a curious and strange end to the sequence with the established and mid shots showing the main character being followed someone that very similar to what she looks like. This creates a sense of uncertainty, with the final shots showing the main character turning around as she senses someone following her, but no one is there. And with the final shot, she walks of shot and the girl following her is the main character herself, and with the title of the thriller being called 'Inner Evil' It's hinting at maybe she as the main character has a dual personality, or schizophrenia where her demons or darker side of her mental consciousness, is following her and tormenting her constantly though out the film. 

AS Thriller Evaluation (1)

Well, the opening minute of the opening sequence is actually a Kesha song, a pop song. Considering the video is named a 'Thriller' and not a 'Music Video' I have no idea why the opening minute of the sequence opens with a Kesha song, as it in now way creates any suspense or ambiguity in any way. The opening 15 seconds of the song even go in time with the music and the match up with what the lyrics are describing; waking up, brushing teeth, getting ready etc. Therefore creating absolute no relevant visuals or audio that correlate to a thrilling opening sequence, but more of the of an awful music video for A2 Media. So even if the opening 20 seconds of the sequence even had any camera shot that had the potential to create and tension or curiosity, it would be made void by the fact Kesha is playing. Kesha.  The GIF above to the right is actually from the video, and it PERFECTLY matches in time with the music, creating absolutely no tension at all, more of a music video vibe than that of a thrilling film opening. 

Following the opening 20 seconds of this girl just getting out of bed listening to Kesha, Kesha continues to play for another 30 seconds as we are taken outside, looking at the front door being opened by the girl as she walks off the side of the camera. A simple shot, but the camera shaking at the end of the shot is a let down for it as it just shows that it's not being handled correctly with not much effort being made in the shot. The sequence continues with Kesha still playing for some unknown reason, with the girl walking to a local corner shop, watching her walk into the store. It then cuts quickly to her opening a fridge door, where it somehow is managed to be ruined in legitimacy and being taken serious. In the reflection, the person on the camera can be seen in the reflection of the door, which completely kills any viewing it has, as now it looks sloppy with not much care being made in terms of its shots. 

There is a positive however, as at 47 seconds, the girl walks up to the camera and then it cuts from her walking into the camera, going to black for a split second, to it then cutting to her walking away from the camera down a alley, as if shes walked straight through the camera. this also creates the impression time has passed with the now new location and the way in which the shot was executed. 

Back to the negatives again, as Kesha out of nowhere cuts out (not like the music stopping is a bad thing) with no indication it needed to stop, and then the shots goes into slow motion watching this girl trip and her bags drop. Then it cuts to black and white, to the girl picking up the stuff, where she was seen perfectly upright and still recovering her balance a bit in the previous shot. 

The girl says 'thanks' to the masked character who helped her, and I was only just about to hear her say that as the music is cut out, then comes back in absolutely booming my headphones as she speaks, making it so difficult to hear what she said.   

Fast forward a bit, and she gets home, gets a phone call of this character, and then out of nowhere music is playing, AGAIN, that is so cheerful and completely contradicts and goes against what the thriller seems to be going for, it seriously makes no logical sense at all. The music lasts 20 seconds before it's just randomly cut off again, and then that masked character knocks on her door, in an actually fairly decent established shot which zooms into a mid shot of the black figure at the door. It shows a menacing figure, and matched with the sound of a sudden loud noise, it creates an int of surprise and tension. 

In the final shots, 'tense' music is played as she tries to ring the phone, but it's dead, and the masked character meets here in the hallway, with a knife, and they both look at each other still, for some reason, for 5 seconds. It then ends on an awful scream. 

In general, the video was awful, the shots where never still, mistakes and continuity errors all across the video and irrelevant pop songs were playing at the start and end of the sequence. they had a couple decent shots and ideas, but in general, it was awful.

What Defines a Thriller?

What is Defines a Thrillers?

A thriller is categorised by a few specific and and appropriate conventions which make thriller movies stand out compared to any other genre of film. Any typical thriller film follows the generic and typical conventions that have been set for the genre. 

These conventions consist of;

•  Action - A typical thriller must consist of action sequences within and throughout the film in which will entice and bring in viewer attention to the film, in order to keep their attention

• Suspense - Suspense is arguably the genre's most important convention, as suspense creates a unnerving, curious and unknowing atmosphere for the audience, and by having these emotions in the audience, they as viewers are being 'thrilled' so to speak, and continue to be immersed and watch the film to watch what's unfolding

• Unnerving/Tense Music - Thrillers have to include ambiguous, tension building diegetic music in order to further help improve and build on the convention of suspense in the film. Suspense and the appropriate music work hand in hand if done well, and can expertly create tension within scenes

Thrillers also include antagonists and protagonists in order to create a story line and plot for the movie to have and for the audience to follow, and witness their characters develop over the course of the film, in order for the audience to be connected with the film and it's characters who are important to the film's plot

Lost Highway Opening Credits

In the opening credits, the dark, shallow sky ahead of character suggests

that he character is unable to see far ahead of him in his life, he
cant see where his life is heading and has no idea where the road/life
is taking him. Also, the viewer is unable to se what is ahead, this
suggests that the plot of the film is a mystery, and it's hard to
predict as the road is a long, dark and unpredictable road.


Opening Titles:

Bill Pullman - Actor
Patricia Arguette - Actress
Balthazar Getty - Actor
Lost Highway - Movie Title
Robert Blake - Actor
Natasha Gregson Wagner - Actress
Richard Pryor - Actor
Lucy Butler - Actress
Michael Massee - Actor
Jack Nance -Actor
Jack Kehler - Actor
Henry Rollins - Actor
Giovanni Ribisi - Actor
Scott Coffey - Actor
With: Gary Busey -Actor
And: Robert Loggia - Actor
Casting by: Johanna Ray, C.S.A, And: Elaine J. Huzzar
Music condcuted and composed by: Angelo Badalamenti
Editor: Mary Sweeney
Production Designer/Costume Designer: Patricia Norris
Director of Photography: Peter Deming
Produced by: Deepak Nayar, Tom Sternberg and Mary Sweeney
Written by: David Lynch and Barry Gifford

Jaws Opening Scene

In the opening of the clip, the colour an brightness of the location is that of a dark and sinister vibe. The location is a juxtaposition to the feeling and situation that the people on the beach are having, as they are enjoying themselves. However the location and its environment suggest otherwise as it has a more sinister and gloomy look to it.
From 1:25 to 1:35, a POV is used from the from the sharks perspective to build up curiosity and tension within the scene, as looking form the sharks point of view, with the viewer not aware that they are looking from the sharks POV, so the scene is building up to a climactic encounter as the music which also coincides with the shot, builds up the dramatic effect in the scene as the music has low pitched sounds which gradually grow in pitch and pace as the clip goes on to increase the tension in the shot.
Furthermore, the shot at 2:35 shows the baron view of the sea, and that the viewer nor the man laying on the beach, no longer know where the girl has been taken into the see, creating a errie and uneasy atmosphere as both the man in the clip nor the audience are aware of where she is.
At 1:50 in the clip, high pitched noises are made by a string instrument like a violin. This is done to create panic withing the scene as the girl is being pulled by an unknown creature (Shark). A tense and uncomfortable feeling is created as the high pitched sounds are unpleasant on the viewers ears, making the whole scene an uncomfortable viewing as no one knows what is really happening in the scene apart from the girl fighting for her life

Questionnaire

The images that are on the blog show four questions that I asked five random people about thrillers in general in order to gain a good understanding of the public's view and opinions on thrillers. I asked how old the 5 people are that I questioned and from the ages that are given, I got a good variety of ages with different opinions on thrillers, so there was no age bias involved. 
The green filled blocks indicate which option the person answering the question answered.

What is your preferred title out of the ones shown below?
Oink	Oink Oink	Piggie	Raging Pig

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The first table above shows that we asked 5 randomly selected people which title was their favorite, and results show that 'Oink' was the preferred title out of the 5 to choose from. So because of these results, we choose to go with 'Oink' as our film title.

What is your favorite movie genre?
Thriller	Sci-Fi	Horror	Action

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We asked people what their favorite movie genres were as we wanted to gauge how we should base our film around. When the results shown that thriller and horror were both tied, we came up with the idea as a a group to try and incorporate them both and make a horror thriller, and that is what we have tried to do in our final film, as that seems to be what the majority might be interested.

What is your age?
<16	17-29	30-39	40+

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We choose to ask what our samplers ages were in order to gain a good, broad range of people to answer the questions, as asking people around the same age of each other gives slightly bias results.

What is the main aspect of thrillers that you like?
Suspense	Action	Story/Setting/Plot	Other

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The final question we asked our samplers was what they like the most about thrillers, whether or not they choose it as they're favorite genre in the previous question. It concluded that plot/story was the preferred aspect of thrillers, however we aren't able to put in a detailed story as we only have 2 minutes for our film. So what we aimed to do was to try and get across within those first minutes, was what the rest of the film is based around (Which is piggie and his actions) and that the viewers would be able to have a basic understanding of that.

The Dark Knight Bank Robbery Scene

The opening titles of the clip are in a dark blue/black colour, which match the vibe and look of batman the character, as he is seen as  being a dark and gloomy character in the films. This suggests that the film will also have a dark and mature undertone within the movie which works with the batman films, and batman as a character. As the opening titles end, the clip begins to show the build up towards the bank robbery which is about to incur. A slow, string instrument is being played, which gradually gets quicker and louder as the clip continues.  In collaboration with the slow paced music, drums and bass start to play once the robbers go down the zip line, and also go into the car. The music shows the gradual build up in suspense, as the viewer waits in anticipation as to what is happening.

Once the banker gets his shotgun and approaches the two robbers, drums are being played which quicken in pace up to when he fires his last shell, this creates build up to when the banker confronts the robbers up to when he gets shot.

The use of drums, string etc. help create dramatic tension, which gives the scene become a more suspenseful and anxious tone as the music that is used is able to keep the viewer intrigued and curious.

Mise on scene is used in the clip to show to the viewer that the robbers in the clip are not friendly or sociable individuals. Instead, the masks that are used give the impression that they are a more intimidating and unfriendly group, as the masks faces give a negative vibe, as they are clown masks, which even though used to be related to positivity, are now related to horror or nightmares. So this suggests that the robbers are using the masks in a way to both hide their identity, but to also intimidate their opposition. 

At 1:40 in the clip, the high angle/established shot that is used, produces a tense viewing as the camera shows the extent of what the two robbers is doing, and how dangerous and risky it is to be going on a zip wire where there is a 200+ foot drop which lays below them.

From 3:30 to 3:40 fast paced jump cuts are used to emphasis the situation that is happening, where the two robbers are being pursued by the banker. The fast jump cuts show the banker shooting, then to the robber as he is the target, trying to maneuver out of the way of his fire. This continues for about 7 cuts bouncing between the two, which shows the tension in the scene as once the banker shots, its cuts to the robber to show if he has/has not been shot, creating a sense of curiosity and anxiousness.

Production Company - Legendary Pictures 

Distrubution Company - Warner Bros. Pictures 

 

Se7en Summary

Se7en Summary

Taking place in a city with no name, Se7en is a crime/thriller which follows two homicide detectives, Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) as he gets transferred from a small town into the city in attempt to reach bigger things, and Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), a hardened and experienced cop who is a week from retiring but for his last case, gets partnered up with Mills. 

The two are put on a gruesome yet curious case where a killer is committing numerous murders who's victims replicate that of the seven deadly sins. The pair must trace all of the killers fine details that they have planned for the pair, witnessing every gruesome and horrific murder the killer has committed, all in rapid succession in that of a week. The pairs discoveries bring them ever close to a unexpected and spine tingling fate that neither of the pair would have expected.

How is Se7en a thriller?

What makes Se7en a thriller?

A thriller is identidied in many different variants as there are many didferent genres of thriller which seperates the genres from each other. Jaws for example, is an action/horror thriller as it uses tension in it's scenes in prder to build up the suspense and then hit a climax of when the shark (Jaws) is revealed. This makes Jaws an action/horror thriller as the use of such techniques like suspense, and not knowing what Jaws looks like, brings in curiosity and a slight hint of caution as the audience don't want to see Jaws as they've seen what it's done.

As Se7en is a crime/psychological thriller, techinques such as suspense, action, lighting is used to create dark tones within the film following the dark manner of the film. Suspense is used to give a dramatic tension once the scene is building up to who the killer is, and when the audience see who the killer is. The fight/chase scenes give the film an action vibe as the use of fast paced music and and fighting shows the action withing the film.

Se7en also follows the plot of two detectives who are trying to slove a crime. This also means that Se7en is also a crime thriller. The film follows certain instructions that make it a crime thriller: 

•  A compelling and interseting story, that keep the viewers inrigued with the plot and keeps the viewers attention.
• A lot of action. The films needs to have intense and fast paced action. This is used to give the name of thriller for the films genre as its a tense and interesting film.
•  The film has a plot twist at the very end to shock and surprise the audience
• The lighting and tone of the film has to be dark and  have low key lighting. This is to darken the film and make in more of a tense 'thriller' and keep the audience intrigued.

Websites used for concepts of a thriller and what makes a thriller:
http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-conferencesevents/qp7-migration-maui/10-basic-ingredients-of-a-successful-thriller
http://flavorwire.com/75289/how-to-make-a-su ccessful-crime-thriller-film 
http://www.thrillerpress.com/whatmakesathriller.html

Se7en Opening Credits

Se7en Opening Credits

In the opening credits of Se7en shows John Doe (Kevin Spacey) preparing for his murders and setting himself for them. Doe is shown doing such things as removing his skin off of his finger tips, which foreshadow what later on in the film and why that has some relevance to the film. Doe is shot writing down onto a notepad, which is later discovered in the film to be about  his fellings and that he believes these murders are cleaning the world of sin and evil people. The fact that Doe's face is never shown in the opening credits, suggests that his identity is to be kept a secret, which adds to the suspense and emphasises the eerie atmosphere of the opening credits.

The scene is also partnered by distorted, non-diagetic background music which is used  to create suspense  amongst the audience. Everytime the visual credits stutter, the music stutters in correlation with the music as they both start to 'glitch out', creating a more dark and sinister tone for the rest of the film.

Opening Titles
New Line Cinema Presents:
An Arnold Kopesoln Production
A film by David Fincher
Brad Pitt - Actor
Morgan Freeman - Actor
Se7en - Movie Title
Gwyneth Paltrow - Actress
Richard Roundtree - Actor
R. Lee Ermey - Actor
John C. Mcginley - Actor
Julie Araskog - Actress
Mark Boone Junior - Actor
John Cassini - Actor
Reginald E.Cathey -Actor
Peter Crombie - Actor
Hawthorne James -Actor
Michael James - Actor
Leland Orser -Actor
Richard Portnow - Actor
Richard Schiff - Actor
Pamala Tyson - Actress
Casting by -Billy Hopkins, Suzanne Smith and Kerry Borden
Music by - Howard Shore
Costumes Designed by Michael Kaplan
Edited by - Richard Francis-Bruce
Prodcution designed by - Arthur Max
Director of Photography - Darius Khondji
Co-Producers; Stephen Brown, Nana GreenWald and Sanford Panitch
Co-Executive Producers - Lynn Harris and Richard Saperstein
Executive Producers - Gianni Nunnari, Dan Kolsrud and Anne Kopelsun
Produced by - Arnold Kopelson and Phyllis Carlyle
Directed by - David Fincher