Post-production: Soundtrack of the thriller production: 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. 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 vigilante 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.

In order to know what the conventional soundtrack is within a thriller film, we also have to think about what that thriller may be; for example, it could be a thriller opening, a trailer or an actual film. This is why I would need to describe all the different sounds that could be used within a thriller film to make it conventional. Firstly, there are Non-diegetic sounds such as voice-overs. These can be used to explain an event within the scene that wasn't shown to the audience. This is used to give the audience a better understanding of what happened/ what is happening within the scene. 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.

Secondly, there are Diegetic sounds such as the sounds from the TV or a radio which allows the audience to understand what is going on in the scene clearer; this is because the audience are subject to realistic sounds which makes the scene intriguing for the audience to watch.

Finally, there are off-screen sounds such as footsteps which are used to build suspense and tension e.g. creaking floor boards or a window smashing etc. All of the different types of conventional sounds used within a thriller film make it conventional to the thriller genre whether they are placed in the same film or they are used throughout.

In order to create the soundtrack to our thriller, my group used the programme entitled ‘Garage Band’; this program was used due to its wide selection of instruments that it allowed us to use and dissect sounds from. The program was simple to use which was why it allowed us to create a successful and conventional soundtrack that merged perfectly with our thriller film.

 

(image of where sound was used effectively within my own thriller to go here)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The soundtrack we created was somewhat eerie for the audience to listen to, this was done by using garage band in order to find other spectral-like sounds that could be merged together in order to have a desired impact and effect on the audience. The reason why we decided to create a thriller that had an unearthly feel to it was because we was inspired by the soundtrack used within the film ‘Sinister’, within this, the soundtrack makes the audience feel a heightened sense of suspense and tension throughout the film. Furthermore, because my group felt that the soundtrack used in ‘Sinister’ we decided to imitate and utilize some of the sounds they used within the film. My group’s soundtrack sounds as though a super natural being has been recorded during a haunting as the audience hear a low murmuring sound throughout until the film reaches certain climaxes where the sounds heard burst into a fleet of screams and sharp noises. This was done because we thought that the low murmuring sound would help to build tension and suspense while the sharp and louder noises would help to add surprise and shock among the audience.

My group thought that the most effective thing with my thriller was its ability to make the audience feel surprise/shock, suspense or tension at any given time within our thriller. This was due to the way we created our thriller; firstly we used a low murmuring sound throughout until the film reaches certain climaxes where the sounds burst into a fleet of screams and sharp noises. This was done because we knew that the low murmuring sound would help to build tension and suspense while the sharp and louder noises would help to add surprise and shock among the audience. This was the most effective thing about our soundtrack.

Conclusion:

Conclusively, the soundtrack that my group created has helped our overall production to create a suspense/tension filled atmosphere that surprises and shocks the audience at many times. Without our soundtrack, our film by itself would not have the same desired impact/effect on the audience. The impact our soundtrack has had on the audience is that they feel as though they have watched a successful and conventional thriller film, our overall production, along with the audience has been able to create a heightened feeling of suspense and tension among the audience. Lastly, I believe that my group’s thriller film was conventional to the thriller genre due to us following our target audience’s feedback on what type of thriller films they like to watch and feel the most affected by. Furthermore, we have merged the soundtrack with the film in a way that lets them both work in coherence with one another in order to inflict our desired impact on the audience, in turn making our thriller film conventional to the thriller genre.