.Research into sound in Thrillers- Mrs Miller

I will be researching in to sounds and find whether
 they are diegetis: a sound which is made by or head by the characters. E.g. dialogue, sound effects: such as explosions that appears are related to the action on screen.

Non-diegetic; the opposite of diegetic - a sound which is added for the audience  e.g music or a voice over.
  I have chosen to use a clip from final destination 3.
Final destination 3 clip. Roller-coaster

1) 0.06
 An sinister laugh is used to emphasise the idea that the ride is scary and to believe that it will lead to something bad. The audience can relate as they have heard the menacing laughter before but in cartoons mostly. The evil laughter is used after the dialogue has ended and starts after the sign shows up, in red lights. This creates a disturbing, unsettling atmosphere, which makes the audience think twice.
It is conventional to thrillers as the laughter in putted is confident and sounds quite dominant . This gives the effect of the villain becoming more stronger than the victims, which is often shown by the way the killer usually walks e.g. slowly whilst the victims are running. The sound just portrays the dominant status of the killer in a different way but delivers the same effect/ impression to the audience.

The sinister laughter is a non- diegetic sound, the laughter is only added for the audience; for the atmosphere. We do not see where the laugh is coming from, but it makes sense to the audience as they know it emphasises evil.
2)0.13
Suspense music slowly starts to play, it starts of quiet but eventually builds up as the victims sit on the roller-coaster and pulls the belts down. This is to symbolise that it is to late for the victims but can also symbolise their excitement and nervousness.
The suspenseful music starts of slowly which makes the audience become aware that something is about to happen, the music however then makes the audience wait and feel nervous which then the audience will feel empathy towards the victims unknowingly.
This is conventional to the thriller, as suspense music is normally played to create a sense of nervousness and danger. The music helps create a stronger atmosphere along with the music which allows the audience to focus more on the film.
This is non-diegetic, because we do not see where it comes from but we understand the purpose of the suspense music fading in.

3)
The sound of the chains are used and are faintly heard at some times and exaggerated louder at others. This informs the audience that something will happen on the ride involving the chain. The sound of the chain's screeching is an uncomfortable and unpleasant emotion, this is something the audience can relate to as they have experienced this feeling before, for example a metal chair screeching against the floor or a ruler scraping against the table etc... There're are many objects that create the same sound, which stir up the same emotion within people. These sound often create the skin to shiver or develop goosebumps - which makes effects of the sound more effective.
The sound of the chain is conventional to the thriller genre because is thriller films there are usually sounds that are heard through the clip to encourage the same emotion to dwell within the audience. However it has been done differently, for example thrillers have the sound of a heart beat played throughout a certain scenes which allows the audience to almost feel the same motion and have the same heart beat. The sound of the chains have almost the same effect as it is the same sound throughout until it reaches the climax the chains start to screech and the sound becomes louder, this makes the audience find the sound frightening but makes them focus even more on to the film - the effects are the same but the sound is different.
This sound can be parallel because it is a sound you would expect to hear.

4)

The screams of the victims are used when they are on the ride and the ride starts to move. The anticipated yells of excitement can be related to the audience, as they have experienced the emotion from their past events of going to theme parks and other exciting activities. However the yells and screams are then changed into screams of terror when the ride stops upside down, the victims are surprised and frightened. The sound shows how the emotion of the riders have changed in an instant. The screams which are heard are exactly what you can hear in reality: it is known as parallel sound, nothing has been changed about the sound, which makes it more believable and realistic. The audience will begin to feel fear and believe that events like those can happen to them.It is conventional to the thriller as, the screams are produced by victims in thrillers the screams shows the victims fear and their cry for help and desperation. The screams are also a representation of their status and weakness. The sound allows the audience to feel empathy, because they have probably have felt a similar emotion to produce the sounds.

The sound is diegetic because it is a sound made by the victims. This can also be parallel
 because it is what you hear. There has been no effects added it's natural.


The purpose of the sound in films, are to help us understand the film further. Without any sound, we would see movements and hand gestures. This will be confusing and difficult to understand. The sounds help us the audience to get interested in the films and build relationships with the characters. One of the main important factors are sounds e.g. music creates a strong eerie atmosphere, which influences fear and thrill in the audience, without the sound the audience wouldn't find the films scary, which makes the film lose its purpose.  Sound is a key factor that makes films look and feel  appealing:trailers.