Analysing Sound in Thrillers; Se7en

Thriller Opening Analysis

Shutter Island

     - Camera techniques in Shutter Island

A medium shot of one of the patients is shown where she is holding her index finger to her lips in an action that could suggests she is telling someone that they needs to be quiet or not talk. However, it could be that she is mentally damaged and does random things that could seem odd to others/new comers of the
asylum.

There are a few establishing shots of different places in which the characters in the film are likely to visitor where some events may take place, it also shows that there are 2 men arriving to the asylum, a pan is also used to show them walking through the gate to a courtyard where there are some patients being supervised by staff.

     - Mise-en-scene in Shutter Island

An establishing shot shows it also a somewhat dimmed room with a spot-light on a man sitting at a desk in the back of the room. There are 3 other men as well in this shot who are closer to the camera than the man in the back of the room. The dimmed lighting suggests the connotation of the room being a mysterious place as the man at the desk is on his own and seems to have his head down, which could mean that he is at work, but why would he need such a large room to work in? The man could be hiding something as to why he works in a small section of such a vast amount of space. A worm’s eye view shot shows the interior of a patients room, the room itself only a wardrobe, a bed parallel to the wall and a window above the bed with gridded wire on the inside of the room, connoting that the patient could be dangerous and was once able to escape the room; hence the addition of the gridded wires on the windows.

- Sound techniques in Shutter Island

The non-diegetic sound if fast-paced at some points as it has been carefully synchronised with the pace of cross-cutting and other editing techniques between scenes as this is to symbolise the pulse rate of the audience or yourself in hopes to make your heart beat faster and thus creating the effect of you being on the edge of your seat when watching. Voice-overs are used to tell you some of the story line or to forebode/foreshadow what could happen. It is also another example of non-diegetic sound as it has been edited in over some scenes in the film.

 
- Editing techniques in Shutter Island

The transition of fade to black/white is used to indicate that time is passing by. This is critical and important to a thriller as events need to be spread out over a substantial period of time whether it’s a few days or weeks to a couple months. If all the events in the film happened within a single day or a week then the audience would become bored.

The addition of fast-paced editing is used in this film to show danger, or that something is happening so quickly that it could suggests that something is going to happen and will constantly keep audience members waiting for quite literally anything to happen. It also keeps the audience interested and entertained.

Jaws

     - Camera techniques in Jaws

A low-angle shot is shown of a woman with only her shoulders and below submerged into the water and appears to be calmly swimming. This is also a point of view shot as the camera is moving slowly toward the female; this is the POV of the well known shark called Jaws who is the antagonist of the film. Another low angle shot is used, yet this time of 2 men who seem to be in a boat which is hinted at by the subtle swaying of both the men. Usually a low angle shot is supposed to connote an individual’s power or dominance which would be adhering to this stereotypical view. Yet this particular shot subverts as both men’s facial expression show them to be either scared or worried.

 -  Mise-en-scene in Jaws

The use of fake blood in this thriller film is to portray the danger of the shark and his viscous attacks on the people who enter the water on the beach.  As the blood is red, the colour symbolises that the shark is to be feared as the shark species itself is known to be a hazard and should be kept away from.

At some points you can see the shark appear in as well as out of the water when it surfaces, the shark of course is the antagonist which is presented to the audience through the use of the fake blood and viscous attacks. However, the shark also subverts to the stereotype of a conventional antagonist. Yet Jaws also subverts in some ways as he has what could be seen as weapons are his multiple layers of teeth.

- Sound in Jaws

The classical orchestral piece of music is used when the shark is near, it implicates that something bad is going to happen to someone. This piece of music is used a lot in the film. It foreshadows clearly that a bad event is going to happen next as it is quite a familiar tune and is played mostly when an event that is linked around the idea of danger.

This particular tune is slow at the beginning and gradually becomes faster as the shark approaches whoever or whatever it is aiming toward going. Once Jaws reaches where it’s trying to get to the song becomes more and more blood-curdling and keeps to audience in the midst of the action. Thus presenting the film to be a thriller as it keeps the audience second guessing what is going to happen next when the music is played.

     -  Editing in Jaws

Within the opening scene the editing is quite to a minimum which works extremely well with the genre of a Thriller. The opening credits are edited so that they fade in and out again, following the common thriller conventions as it adds suspense and tension. Thus creating a build up for the following events in the movie. This gradual rise in suspense helps to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, as if they’re waiting for the action to take place. The speed of the credits fading onto and off the screen synchronises to the speed of the music used. It is a fast cut with no complex transitions is used when the scene switches from an underwater reef to a campfire. This is used to show the contrast between the two scenes, the colour symbolising temperature. The coldness of the opening credits being the blue water tones and the warmth of the campfire with red tones.

Black Swan

     - Camera techniques in Black Swan

There’s a considerably low low-angle shot at the end of the trailer when she has transformed into what we call the ‘Black Swan’, connoting that it’s consumed her. A common convention in thrillers to demonstrate the point of focus is submissive. There is a number of medium close ups that incorporate ballerinas feet, which shows them spinning and how ballerinas stand on the tips of their toes, stressing their commitment to ballet as it appears they’re in pain. The pace of the transitions between shots gets faster, turning into jump cuts that 

- Mise-en-scene in Black Swan

Mainly black and white colours are used; this includes the costumes and decoration in the dance studio. It also illustrates that the place has a more intense and threatening place. The main setting of the thriller is within a ballet studio which gives the audience an idea of what the film is about, the mirrors in the studio is a convention of a thriller as the reflection in the mirrors signify a personal reflection. We some shots of a woman’s room of which is pink, connoting that this may be her safe place where she doesn’t have to put her body through so much discipline to please others.

- Sound in Black Swan

The eerie non-diegetic music is played in the beginning and is accompanied by a voice over of a woman talking us through her story of the Black Swan. Once she says “then it dies” the music abruptly stops, emphasising the ending of her story. The music starts off somewhat slow and low in volume so the voice over is heard easily as what the woman is saying is thought of as important. This slowly builds throughout the trailer. Hooking the audience into the narrative even more.

     - Editing in Black Swan

The scene in which there is a spotlight on a ballerina in white and a black background, it creates a sinister atmosphere, it dulls out any happiness. The spot light on the ballerina wearing white emphasises that the film is clearly about ballerinas and signifying that ballet is the only happiness. 

Thriller Textual Analysis - Psycho

Thriller Textual Analysis - Psycho

The shower scene in ‘Psycho’ is the most traditionally analysed sequence to record. The scene has a wide variety of conventions that links with the genre of a thriller. The extensive use of close-up shots is to generate an illusion to make us think we are there with her and the usually long introduction is to build on tension for the climax in this scene. This leaves us wondering when the inevitable will take place, however when it comes to the point of it happening the audience is taken back a little even though we knew what was going to happen. Whilst the introduction is still going on the camera does not move in any way; shape or form. Hitchcock does this so the audience itself focus on what the director wants us to see, which is so they don’t get confused with the tracking of the characters. There is very bright lighting on the woman in the shower and is so to manipulate us into thinking that it is a positive atmosphere instead of us being accustomed to a dimmed mysterious setting. The audience would assume that the bathroom should be dimly lighted, connoting an eerie ambiance so that someone or something would strike from the darkness. However this isn’t the case as the scenes lighting is bright which means that the murderer would have nowhere to hide from view.

The raw tension in this scene is created by the lack in background music from the first few shots so we know what is inevitable. Yet that is until we get a glance of a scene where we see her and the somewhat transparent shower curtain at the same exact time and the audience now knows this is where the attacker shall strike from. This is some ways is an inter-textual reference of other thrillers where we are only able to see the very few vague features of the killer. Whilst the camera pans with a slow zoom toward the left we see the killer’s silhouette with the reduction of the diegetic sound from the shower, this creates a split second of silence before the killer pulls back the curtain; the sudden increase in volume from this action is to make us jump. The violin screeches in the soundtrack are played to make the murder seem more intense and the intention of this is to send shivers down the viewer’s spine.

This most important part of this scene is the lighting of which concerns the attacker’s face as his/hers face is not visible and only the outline of their body is. This contrasts to what we had seen initially as everything was clear. This further suggests a surreal quality as the bathroom has changed with the presence as what we recognise as a ‘villain’. As the killer starts to stab at the woman in the shower, followed by violin screeches synchronise with the actions it is something that we now see as a thriller genre stereotype and is commonly used nowadays.

During the event of the murder there are multiple close ups as well as extreme close up shots which are used to hide the knife piercing into the woman but to also maximise the effect of her struggling against the killer. Another inter-textual reference of a creature being slaughtered and is justified by the lack in clothing.  The blood that is spilt onto the pure white bath acts as an unforgettable prospect in the mise-en-scene as it connotes the obvious; danger and in the awaiting of her death and yet we can also think of it in a literal sense that suggests her life is draining away. 

The sound effects of the knife are very unrealistic and over the top, the lack of a shot being included to detail the action of the stabbing we as the audience are left to visualize the event and the imagination is always worse than what would actually be happening. Pathetic fallacy of clouds is used to an extent where we are lead to believe that they are reflecting the mood which is one of evil. Typically we associate clouds with the taking of sunlight; the killer is effectively doing this by taking away the existence of a character and only to depart with the guarantee of rain and desolation.

 

The woman is left struggling for life after the murder’s attack and is something that she fails in doing. Her hand clutches to the shower curtain and signifies a feeble attempt to cling on to what is left of her whilst the other hand slides down the tiles which creates the opposing impression of her descending into the afterlife as once the curtain rings drop to the floor we know her to be dead.