Research into sound - Miss Miller

In this blog i will be talking about how Steven Spielberg uses sound in his 1995 film, Jaws. Directors use sound in thrillers to create suspense and tension throughout their film. Sound is key to understanding the picture on the screen and the message that the director is trying to put across to the audience. It is also uses to add emotion and feelings behind the scenes and the characters themselves. 

We first see some on-screen sound of when the man is on the boat with his friend and they are talking to each other. This is on-screen sound as we can see and hear the source of where the sound is coming from. This is effective as it sets the scene in a normal tone and as if the two men are just out on a boat trip together. This is conventional to the thriller genre as many thriller films start of a scene with dialogue to create that normal everyday atmosphere which is then ruined by a villain or in this case, a huge great white shark. This creates a relationship between the characters and the audience as they can put themselves into the mans position. This will lead them into a full sense of security. We then hear some diegetic sounds, this is when the shark emerges out of the water we can hear the water moving which shocks the audience as they do not expect the shark to come out of the water. 

We then hear non-diegetic sound of which is the soundtrack, this happens when the shark emerges from the water and gets close to the man on the edge of the boat. This is non-diegetic as its not off-screen  because the soundtrack is added on in the editing stage. The sound used happens from the moment the shark emerges and shocks the audience as they did not expect the shark to come out. It also creates tension as we do not know whether the shark is going to kill the man on the boat or attack the boat. This creates a relationship between the character and the audience as the sound creates tension for the audience which makes them realise how bad the situation is and makes them empathise with the character. 

We then hear a diegetic of which is the hammock in the cabin which is swaying in the wind. This is diegetic as we can see the source of which the sound is coming from. This creates suspense, tension and shock. it creates suspense as we have just seen a shark appear from the water and the man is backing away from it which shows his terror, we are waiting for the shark to attack and shows the silence of the other crew members on the boat. It also creates tension as the men on the boat are tense and it allows the audience to put themselves in their shoes. This is because they are about to be attacked by a shark. This creates a relationship with the audience and the characters as the audience can see how scared the men are and can feel sorry for them. 

The last sound we hear is when the three men turn their attention to the shark slowly swimming towards their boat. The soundtrack then fades out and another starts, although this soundtrack is more dramatic and creates suspense as we are led to believe that the shark is about to attack the boat. As Jaws gets closer and closer the soundtrack gets louder and louder, this is used to climax the point when the shark is next to the boat and may attack it and kill the men. This creates a relationship between the audience and the characters as the audience can sympathise with the fact that they are millimeters away from a 25ft deadly shark.

Having researched into the use of sound in thriller films, I have learnt of the different ways it can be used to create an effect. I believe that sound is the most effective method of creating suspesne, shock and surpirse as if there was no sound we wouldn't have a clue what was going on and when to expect the unexpected. I will also use this clip as the sound in this sets the mood and creates an eerie atmosphere and that is exactly what i would like to do in my thriller clip. It helps the audience to connect with certain characters by putting them into the mindset of that character, which helps the audience to respond emotionally. Finally from this clip I have learnt that characters can be portryed in differant ways, for example a shark is frowned upon as its very dangerous but is only killing people as its hungry whereas the men in the clip are portrayed as good guys although they are the ones trying to kill an animal. This is something I will look at in further detail when deciding on how to portray my characters when creating my own thriller clip.