Sounds in Thrillers

Thrillers often use a combination of fast paced compositions combined with sharp music that sends shivers down the spine. For example, the iconic "JAWS" soundtrack is comprised of only two notes alternating very quickly to build suspense and generate a sense of uncertainty. We feel this style of music would benefit our production greatly, as it has proved successful in building suspense. Therein, it is clear that non-diegetic sounds are effective in adhering to the codes and conventions of a thriller: we will be using a combination of short sharp sounds with sounds that seem quite at first, but become faster and louder in conjunction with the events in the scene, eventually culminating.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960's thriller "Psycho" also manifests why sound effects are so important in contributing to what is on screen: in an iconic shower scene, no music is deployed until seconds before the murder takes place, a series of short sharp high pitched sounds are played in conjunction with the rhythm/pace at which the victim is stabbed. We have employed this technique in our production, as we feel that if we can keep the audience in suspense until the scene climaxes, it more likely the audience will invest a sustained interest in the feature.

Non-Diegetic Sounds are essential in thriller films, it is these sounds that create the ambience required to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. We intend to omit the use of ambient sound, as this refers to sounds in the background such as traffic in a scene filmed on the pavement, whereas we want the audience to assume that the location is obscure and free from interference.

We have obtained our music from a source that provides non copyrighted sounds/audio effects for an array of different genres/topics.