Research Into Sound - Miss Miller

Open Water 2003

In any type of film, sound is key to understanding the pictures on the screen. The sound in films helps to add to the feeling and emotions behind the scenes and the characters themselves. Sound is so important in films as it creates a relationship with the audience and can create many emotions with them making the scene more dramatic and effective. The sound is used to create a relationship with the audience, making them feel more on edge whilst he tension and suspense builds within the film.

Sound media

A film that has many different sounds effects in the film is called Open Water created in 2003. The film is based on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat has left. Many different sounds techniques are used in the film including Parallel sound, On-Screen sound, a Off-Screen sound, Diegetic and Non-Diegetic sound and finally Silence.

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At the beginning of the scene the sound technique used is Parallel sound. The technique is used here to create a feeling of happiness for the characters as they have been experiencing a traumatic time. The first sight of safety is shown and the sound matches their relief of the sighting. Although the sound matches what is happening on screen, we couldn't see it; this therefore creates the Non-Diegetic sound as well as the Parallel sound. However, although the sound makes the audience create a relationship with the characters, in a sense we are happy for them that they have seen safety in the horizon, we are yet to be convinced that all tragedy  is over. Due to the Non-Diegetic sound, we are expecting things to take a drastic turn for the worse, and this sound technique makes the audience more tense and suspicious about what could possibly happen next. These techniques are conventional to a thriller as it puts the audience in suspense, and even though we cannot see the sound happening in the scene, it matches the feelings and emotions of the characters giving us a good sense of what is going on.

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On-Screen sound is used all through this particular scene of Open Water. It is used through the constant movement of water, and also through the swimming of the couple. This particular technique emphasises on the reality of their situation as it makes the scene more believable for the audience. The technique shows what is actually going on through the characters actions whilst conversing their emotions through the use of sound. This therefore creates a sense of empathy between the audience and the characters as the sound we hear is the water, showing that they are alone and have to fight through together all the way until the end. This technique is conventional to a thriller film, as it makes the audience feel on edge, due to suspense and tension being created, and it making us as the audience feel there is a realistic approach to the film through the music which makes everything that little bit more thrilling.

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Silence is another sound technique used in the thriller clip. Immediately there is constant silence through the film, but in this particular clip the silence creates a tension like no other as it makes the audiences mind think lots of different things about the plot, whilst still creating e tension needed. In Open Water, silence is used throughout, but in this scene it is used when the wife has to go under the shark infested waters to help stop the bleeding of her husbands shark bitten leg. This technique is used to emphasise the reality of their situation and show how emotional and desperate the wife is to help save her husbands life. The sound technique helps us as the audience create a relationship with the audience, as it makes the scene more dramatic and crucial to the story line as at this point you see the true dedication of loves vowels and you can see the true love behind the couple.  The characters at this point we empathise with, as the silence helps us focus on her desperation to help her husband and the things people do for their loved ones, as she endangers her on life for him. As it becomes more dramatised the silence is prolonged so we feel helpless and worried for the characters and scared about what's going to happen next.
The sound technique is conventional to a thriller film, as it makes the audience focus on the characters and the images on the screen which makes them more tense and creating the suspense which continuously grows throughout .