Planning: Sound planning- Miss Begum

Sound is one of those most important elements within the creation of films. This is because it sets the whole mood and atmosphere of the film. I believe it is very important to plan out the sounds we will use simply because the sounds cause the audience to either be connected to the film or be vidilante in knowing that what their watching is a film with actors. For example if the audience see a gun being fired but hear an alien zapper sound they will become disconnected from the film, realising that it is make- believe where as if they hear a gunshot they will develop a relationship between the characters thinking the situation is a real one.   

Some of the conventional uses of sound in thrillers are:

·         Non-diegetic soundtracks such as voice-overs can be used to explain an event within the scene that wasn't shown to the audience, this in turn gives the audience a better understanding of what happened/ what is happening. Also it helps to create a suspense filled feeling as the audience are then able to determine what will happen next in the scene e.g. someone is going to die etc.

·         Diegetic sounds such as the sounds from the TV or a radio allow the audience to understand what is going on in the scene clearer; as it is based upon realistic sounds it makes the scene a lot more intriguing for the audience to watch.

·         Off-screen sounds such as footsteps are used to build suspense and tension e.g creaking floor boards or a window smashing etc.

The sounds I plan to use in my thriller consist of the following:

1. Non- diegetic sound will be used at the start of our film and when we decide that tension/ suspense needs to be built, to do this we will add a soundtrack. We chose to use this because it will help build tension and suspense This is conventional to the thriller genre as it will also build a relationship with the audience and get them to put themselves in our characters shoes.

2. Diegetic sounds will be used when the audience see the characters watching TV or popping a christmas cracker. We chose to use this as it will make our thriller seem more realistic and intriguing for the audience to watch. This is conventional to the thriller genre as most thrillers strive to be realistic so the audience feel the complete impact and not just think that they are watching a make-believe film.

3. On screen sounds will be used when the characters are talking or making a noise. We chose to use this so the audeince can determine the personality of each character from the way they talk. This is conventional to the thriller genre as it will also make the thriller seem more realistic.

4. Off screen sounds will be used when someone is running up the stairs etc. We chose to use this as it will help to build tension and suspense e.g. Creaking floor boards/ windows smashing etc. This is conventional to a thriller because the audience start to guess what is going on making tension and suspense build.

5. Parallel sounds will be used when the audience actually see a window smashing etc. We chose to use this as it creates a sense of reality within a film as the audience understand what is going on in the film and it helps to build and create a humanized atmosphere. This is conventional within the thriller genre as a relationship will be able to be built between the audience and the characters.

Conclusion:
Being able to plan out the sound we will use in our thriller, we have been able to save a lot of time when creating our thriller soundtracks etc. Furthermore we now understand how the sounds will effect the audience and in what ways they will be conventional to the thriller genre.