Practice Editing: Sound

   
To gain experience in filming and editing i took a series of short slips simply following the 'victim' walking down a stairs. I decided to create a thriller genre tone and the aim was to build tension through the music so that at the end of the short sequence it made it seem someone had been following her. I made the short sequence on final cut pro and used sound clips in the sound bank and some of you tube that were available for download.

Sound:
I decided to mute all diegetic sound from the clips to get rid of ambient sounds. Instead i decided to practice using sound effects and soundtracks by layering them to build tension. I began by using the non diegetic pleonastic sound, synchronously with some of the actions like putting her hood up, taking her first step, appearing around a corner. I used this specific sound as it sounded computer generated but also as if something was brushing past her at speed. I did this on purpose to make it seem like their was an inhuman presence adding to the feeling she was being followed. I also tried to add this sound effect when there was a camera transition to create a sense of urgency between shots.

Furthermore, i added a non diegetic heart beat in post production towards the end of the sequence and in the final frame reading '...the woods' this is a typical sound effect used to build tension and represent the heartbeat of the character herself speeding up.

Layered on top of the soundtrack that is continuous throughout the whole sequence i added a sound crescendo clip at around 0;25 that also built tension as it got louder suggesting there was going to be a climax. Therefore, the audience feel tense as they are waiting for something bad to happen but aren't sure exactly when it will take place.

The non diegetic scream effect i faded in and faded out at the very end of the sequence when all other sound stopped. This added dramatic effect as the audience didn't get to see what the 'victim' saw and it suggested the narrative in the way that a scream signifies violence and fear. Therefore, the audience confirmed to themselves that she was being followed. The fact that they hear the scream but don't get to see what was so scary is effective as it creates an enigma.

Filming:
Shot types: i tried to incorporate a range of shot types when filming the sequence. I used a long shot, an over the shoulder shot, a mid shot, a point of view shot and a head and shoulders shot. I did this to firstly include the setting in the shots to represent her being isolated and vulnerable and also to see which shot types were more effective. Within the shots i also tried to keep the identification of the character to a minimum again to create mystery and intrigue.

Camera movements and transitions: I used a hand held shot, a whip pan and a track. I used the hand held shot to make the audience feel as if they were gaining an insight of her fear and horror to allow them to emphasise with her character. The track was a stationary track to create the impression someone was watching her from a far and the whip pan was used within the hand held shot to make the fact that she had seen something behind her more realistic and believable.

Audience feedback:
I asked a boy and a girl in my year at school to watch my sequence and give me brief feedback. I chose these two as they are in the target audience for my final product. Therefore, any feedback gained would effect what decision i make for the final product.

When asked specifically how the sound effects created tension and suspense the feedback was:

• 'I was the most scared when the music got louder and loads of things were happening at once'
• 'The scream at the end and the bit where the camera turns round really quick is what makes me want to watch what happens next the most'
• 'Watching her walk from all different places (meaning camera angles) made me feel confused which made me even more scared because i wanted to know what was going on'

When asked what i could include to make it scarier the main feedback i got was:

• 'I think hearing children's or someones voice whispering words over the top of the music would make it even creepier.'

How will this help me:

The fact i know that the layering of sound effects is effective along with the match of action, complemented by quicker cuts between shots as the sound effects get louder gives me something i can refer to when editing the sound used in my final product, again to create tension. I also have confirmation that is achieves what i intended it to and my target audience liked it. I also know that if i did this again the addition of whispers and voices layered on top of the sound effects would be even more effective.

Inception Opening Sequence Analysis

To help me decide on what I need to include when we create our own opening sequence we have decided to watch existing films opening sequences and title sequences. This will be useful as it gives us an insight into the codes and conventions of title and opening sequences and also gives us an opportunity to explore further existing films already existing in the thriller genre.

Inception opening sequence:


The opening sequence of 'Inception' uses the immediate close-up of the actor Leonardo DiCaprio to generate instant credibility to the audience. not only can the pre-existing mass audience of people with psychopathic of Leonardo DiCaprio films but his presence also instantly suggests an action narrative. This is appealing to the primary target audience of males aged between 15 and 25 years old. They may have interests in typical thriller genres that contain violence, chase sequences and confrontation, all of which are later denoted in the opening sequence. This also appeals to the narrative theory that the audience appeal to what they know and can predict.

Furthermore, the cut to the room in which we meet the villain in terms of Props character theory appeals to the audience. He is presented as a villain though the use of high low angled shots of him sat at the table suggesting his power and the long shots used to connote that the audience don't have an intimate insight into his real personality and should therefore stay away. The villain is sat at a mirrored table, consistent with the rest of the mirrored surfaced props. This denotation of the blurred reflected image of him therefore connotes that what we see might not necessarily be a true reflection of his personality. This links to the narrative plot suggesting that he will be the villain that leo, the hero, will have to fight so reveal his intentions. As well as this, the fact the villain is surrounded by body guards, whose faces aren't revealed suggesting inferiority, suggests he has something to hide. Exploring the minds motif suggests a vulnerability. This is backed up through the fast paced transitions between the next shot symbolising moving through depths of this mans subconscious.

This theme of secrecy is also continued through the diegetic dialogue. The villain says 'I will consider your proposal'; however, this is shown through a long shot suggesting you cant trust him. This is followed by him turning his back on the camera having a symbolic connotation of lack of loyalty, as he leaves into a bustling room. This suggests he is disappearing into the unknown and makes the audience question his intentions and also see how vulnerable the other characters are as they are in a location of unfamiliarity.

On the other hand; Leonardo decaprio, appeals to the audience as he appeals to the stereotype of 'tall dark and handsome' of which women appeal to. His confidence adds to his attraction shown through the forwards posture.This creates a secondary target audience of female aspirers who aim to have a handsome and rich husband (connoted by the tuxedo and luxurious locations).  However, this could also create the alternate view from women that they deem it offensive for the hero to be played by a strong male as it suggests women are materialistic, appealing o the dominant hegemony.

The ct to the scene of the car on fire continues to appeal to the audience. The denotation of the explosion connotes there will be danger and and violence throughout the narrative. This is appealing to aspirers as we have already been introduced to the male hero so they appeal to the male representation as an honourable hero. This means they can infer the hero will 'save the day'.

The further use of the costume continues to appeal to the audience. The introduction of the female princess (as suggested by props character theory) is important.the fact she is wearing a black cloaked hood can connote mystery and death. This is continued by the dialogue. 'if i jump will i die?'. This suggests she is not to be trusted and is a danger to the mission and to Leo himself. However, in the next scene she removes her cloak to reveal her shoulders and a more revealed side to her. This suggests he knows her on an intimate level. He continues to say 'i don't trust you Mal.' The use of the nickname suggest they have a history and there is love between them. Symbolically she seems to represent his inner desires and needs. This can infer the narrative suggesting she is the object withing his own subconscious he will have to overcome. this appeals to the members of the audience who enjoy a romance sub plot.

Finally the use of props appeals to the audience. The use of the envelope and the reference to the 'safe' have a symbolic meaning creating a motif of secrecy. This suggests to the audience there are secrets and aspects of the characters and previous narrative that they don't yet know but will slowly be unopened. Furthermore, the use of the guns and weapons introduced in parallel to the non diegetic sound track appeals to the young male audience who enjoy the thrill of a chase. The fact he is running up a flight of stairs and the camera is tracking him can also symbolise his own personal journey through his subconscious. It suggests he is navigating through it as if he has a final mission of his own. However, this can also create the representational issue that gun crime and chases are considered 'cool' and are being represented as something that is socially acceptable as it is shown in a positive way that celebrates Leos bravery. This conforms to the hypodermic syringe theory, encouraging the target audience to conform to gun crime.

How will this help me?
This research is useful to me to use in my final product. From this opening sequence i have specifically learnt the importance of semiotics for foreshadowing narratives. Also the initial representation of characters when creating first opinions as the way they are represented and portrayed can alter the audiences relationship with them from the outset. For example if you represent a hero with a negative undertone or negative suspicion towards them, you have created unwanted doubt towards them when that is not your intention. This could potentially alter the audiences expectations of the narrative and characters which will therefore leave them disappointed when they are not fulfilled as you incorrectly represented a character.

Practice Shots

To practice for filming i decided to practice capturing different shot types and angles specific to the thriller genre, including within it the typical villain makeup i learnt from my makeup research.

Extreme close up:
Extreme close ups are often used to create dramatic effect by creating a reaction shot. They often show a characters eyes (typically the hero/victim) looking at something beyond the camera that they are clearly scared of. This builds tension to the audience as they are apprehensive to see what it is that is causing the characters fear.

Close up:

Close ups can be similar to an extreme close up but allow the viewer to see more than just the eyes. It means they can see their whole facial expression so is often used for happier emotions as the mouth can also be seen.

Head and shoulder:

A head and shoulder shot allows the audience not only to see the characters facial expression but aspects of the miss en scene around them and their stance. Therefore, this shot is often used to show a characters emotions in relations to their surroundings. 

Mid shot:

A mid shot can be used to create emphasis on a certain part of a frame depending on its position within it. It can also be used to show a lack of trust between the audience and a character as they are not close enough to them to know them intimately.

Long shots:

Long shots can consist of one person or more (a two shot etc) to show the audience the location and what the miss en scene around them consists of.

Low angle:

A low angle shot is typically used on the villain in the thriller genre to represent them as being more powerful and threatening. This highlights to the audience that the character in the shot is usually the villain as they are the bigger and more prominent presence.

High angle:

This shot is usually used on the hero or the victim as it represents them as being small and powerless. It highlights to the viewer how vulnerable they are as they have a smaller influence at that moment.

Birds eye view:

A birds eye view shot is often used when a character, usually the hero or victim, is in an isolated location. It shows the viewer how small they are in comparison to their surroundings and can highlight how helpless they are. 

Shallow focus:

This can be used to show the viewer what is in the foreground of a shot whilst also creating an enigma around what is in the background. This shot will often be  used to put the victim out of focus in the foreground but the villain in focus behind the victim in the background to show the villain is stalking or creeping up on the victim.

Deep focus:

This shot is often used to show the villains perspective whilst stalking or creeping up on on a hero or villain. The villain will often be out of focus in the foreground and the hero or victim in focus in the background.

Establishing shots:

Establishing shots are often used to set the scene and location of a thriller film. They often consist of abandoned looking houses and isolated locations that foreshadow there will be typical narrative events taking place here (eg. murder/stalking) meaning no one is around to witness them.

How this has helped me:
Researching the representation behind different shot types has helped me think about the shot types I will include in my section of the opening sequence. For example, it has made me consider how the audience should relate to each character. I could use close ups to represent that the audience think they know a character well. However,er I could then gradually introduce more long shots to create enigma around the fact that the audience originally thought they knew the characters well but now more is being revealed, its not what they originally expected. It has also given me more experience in framing and composition within a shot and how to position a character to make them seem more threatening or vulnerable.

Thriller Makeup Practice

After conducting research into typical thriller makeup i decided to practice doing it myself. I tried three three different wounds, a heroes typical makeup and a villains. I did this to try and gain first hand experience in applying the makeup as i know i will eventually have to incorporate it into my opening sequence. Also to see which is easiest to recreate as i know that there are aspects of the opening sequence we may have to re film if the footage isn't adequate enough. Therefore, i tried to see which look would be easiest to recreate to make it easier to keep continuity in the footage.

The wounds:

The wounds were fun to create and whilst doing them i realised they could be adapted easily to any situation we needed to adapt them to.However, i think the biggest problem would be time and how difficult they would be to recreate accurately. Also, i considered the difficulties in editing the wound into a sequence as you would have to make it very believable and use a lot of special effects which could complicate things. However, they do look good when done properly and last a long time so we could potentially use them in our opening sequence if we wanted to.

The hero:

The heroes make up was very easy to reply. I used no foundation, concealer or eye liner to try and keep the look as natural as possible.I used a pale pink on her eyes and a pale pink lip gloss to conform to my research as i learnt that pale pinks are a convention in a thriller hero as it connotes innocence. The makeup would also be very easy to recreate as there are only three components and they're very subtle. As a replacement if we decided not to do this hero look on a female we could go for the option of wearing no makeup at all as this again connotes youthfulness and innocence.

The villain:

The makeup for the villain was more difficult to create than i originally thought. It is very difficult to evenly apply a foundation that is too pale for someones skin whilst still making it look pale. The eyes are easier to recreate however i didn't have a black eyeliner so i had to use blue. Also i think a black lipstick would make the look more effective and use a black contour palette rather then brown to make it seem more severe and highlight bone structure.

Thriller Makeup Research

To help with my character research i have decided to look at existing characters from different thriller genres to see what the typical makeup styles are.

Princess:
the princess is quite generic across all thriller genre sub genres and is typically as natural as possible for any gender. Often nudes and pale pinks are used on female princesses to show innocence and their youthfulness. However, there is normally a lack of thick foundation and eye shadow etc that takes away from the natural fresh faced look. Males normally don't wear any makeup whatsoever as the aim is normally to make them look as normal and typical is possible to allow the audience to relate to them.

Villain:
The villain, weather male or female, usually wears very pale foundation or power to instantly set them apart from the usual every day character. They also often wear very dark colours eg black lip/eye shadow and very heavy contour to emphasise bone structure.

However, you often come across villains that wear a lot more special effects makeup or pace paint to make them seem more irrational and deranged. This makeup style is found more often in the horror sub genre of thriller.

Other typical makeup:
Within the horror-thriller sub genre there is often a female within the narrative that has very sexual connotations surrounding her. She is usually the first female to be killed off throughout the course of a film. Therefore, often a red lip and eye shadow, rosy cheeks, big eyeliner and big eyelashes are used to conform to the stereotype.

Within many thriller sub genres there is often some sort of injury, typically seen more in the horror thriller sub genre. To create this eg a zombie, wound, knife in the body etc media makeup is used. This is the most varied type of makeup used in the genre as you can experiment as much as your narrative allows and can be adapted to any event.











How will this help me:

This research will help me as i now know what stereotypical makeup is used on specific characters. Therefore, I can focus mainly on the princesses and villains makeup as they are the characters that are featured in my opening sequence. It also has helped me to thin about the representation behind the makeup in relation to the character. For example, I could use nudes and pale pinks for the princess to show her innocence and make her seem more vulnerable.
Also, although the makeup for the villain is typically pale with emphasised bone structure, as our villain inst a typical villain I could challenge this. I could make the villain seem perfectly kept and normal to create a creepier tone around him as the audience can relate to a character that appears to be 'normal'. That means when they become aware that he isn't a 'normal' person it makes them relate the character to people they know again making the opening sequence more psychological.

Sound Analysis

Reservoir Dogs, By Tarantino. (0.00-2.13)

How is sound used to communicate to the audience?

The fact that the monologue is used when the person talking knows he can’t get a response as he has taped his mouth, communicates to the audience. They know from this that his intentions aren't good and foreshadows that the victim is in danger as his mental state is questionable. As a result, the worry for his safety.

Furthermore, the soundtrack 'stuck in the middle with you' is an-empathetic within the scene. This makes the audience feel uneasy and uncomfortable as it shows he is getting pleasure out of cutting his ear off. The monologue, 'did you enjoy that as much as I did, can you hear me?' uses satirical humour to communicate with the audience. This highlight the fact that he thinks it is a joke and is finding it satisfying for his own personal gain. This is insulting to the audience and confirm their predictions that he will be the villain in terms of props character theory.

Finally, the use of the sound bridge between him leaving and the ambient background noise creates an uneasy tone. The omniscient audience is watching a man enter from a scary and volatile situation to a peaceful sunny day. The background noise of cars and birds tweeting creates a juxtaposition to the previous diegetic screams but also lets the viewer relate them to familiar every day situation of walking down a road. This makes them question and feel uneasy towards the people they see every day who come across as normal but could potentially be hiding something.

How will this help me:

Challenging stereotypes: This research will help me as I have never thought of using a happy toned song within a thriller film to be an-empathetic as it is not stereo typically used. This was very effective to watch as I still now relate the uncomfortable feeling I had when watching the clip to the song. The contrast of the peaceful everyday diegetic sounds to the uncomfortable song and events taking place inside the house was also effective as the audience feel disorientated and left disgusted trying to adjust from the two different situations.

Target Audience Profile

After conducting a survey into the thriller genre, we, as a group, have specified our target audience. We have used the survey results and related them to our initial plan to come up with our target audience.

Gender:
The results of our survey showed us that the majority of people that filled it in were female. This means that the majority of feedback gained from the survey was from the female prospective. Also,considering the victim, in terms of Prop, within the opening sequence is female, females are more likely to sympathize with her than males. However, that doesn't mean that males will not enjoy it as there is a male villain and it could conform to the idea of the male gaze theory. Therefore, the secondary target audience is male.

Age:
Considering that from the survey we created, around 50% of the responses were from people aged 16 and we relied on our survey results a lot to help us create our initial plan, 16 years olds are definitely our target audience. However, 17 and 18 year olds were responsible for around 20% of responses each which is also significant. Baring this in mind we have a range of ages for our primary target audience from 16-18 years old. This also means that we can suggest violence and adult themes eg. torture within our opening sequence as it conforms to the BBFC age certificate guidelines. Therefore, our secondary audience will be young adults aged between 20 and 25 again based on who filled out our survey.

Ethnicity:
As we are not planning to include any religious themes and we don't have the opportunity to use actors of specific ethnicity, our opening sequence can appeal to any ethnicity. Because non of our actors will be portraying and specific cultural routines or opinions it means it will not be offensive or stereotypical to any particular ethnicity.

Class:
As our opening sequence will not show any representation in class or include anything that addresses issues within social class etc, it will not be aimed towards any specific class.

Psycho-graphics:
Based on our initial plan there are some narrative events and themes that we are planning to include which could target people with specific psycho-graphics:
Kidnapping/hostages- as we are planning to have a young female within the opening sequence that has been obstructed.
People who enjoy being scared- because we are filming within the thriller genre, no matter which sub genre we eventually decide to film within, there will be an aspect of tension and suspense.
People who enjoy complex narratives- as we are not planning to reveal everything to the audience straight away in our opening sequence but using semiotics to subtly hint that somethings wrong, it is not a simple narrative. Also the fact that we don't want to use a narrative where it is constant but possibly have twp different narratives means that it might not necessarily be chronological.

Overall  our target audience profile is the following:
Primary: 16-18 year old females of any ethnicity or class who have psychographics of enjoying suspense and tension, abduction and hostages and complex narratives.
Secondary: The secondary audience will be targeted mainly at males aged between 16 and 18 but also young teenagers of both genders between 20 and 25. They don't have to be of any specific class or ethnicity and have the same psycographics.

Initial Plan

Together in our group we came up with our first plan for our opening sequence. This is brief as we need our research to help us develop our plan but it gives us something we can show to our target audience if we are asking for feedback as it gives them an idea of the overall plot.

Our Survey

As part of our research into the genre we have chosen we made a survey on survey monkey in order to gain qualitative data around general concepts over all films people enjoy. We made the questions open and not specific to the thriller genre we hope to film in. This is so we could gain unbiased results and to have confirmation that our target audience do genuinely enjoy thriller films.

Survey link ( https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GGRK6PD )

The first question on the survey was what is you gender as we wanted to make sure that from the response we received we gained a good mix of female and male so we could see what appeals to people as a whole when it comes to films. The results showed us that 61.76% were females, 35.29% were male and 2.94% were other. This was a percentage from the total 63 responses we received. Although the distribution of male to female was not as even as we hoped, the information we would gather is still useful as initially, our primary audience will be females.

The second question was how old are you. We had responses ranging from people ages 14-21 and 31 years and over. Although our primary audience is 15-18 year olds, the other information is still useful as we have not yet established our secondary audience. Also we can filter our results to only view the data from certain ages. This will be helpful to let us spot trends from certain ages and their psychographics.

 

The third question was concerning what their favourite genre was. The survey revealed that the popular trend seemed to be within the comedy genre with 27.94% choosing this option. However, when we spoke about this as a group, we decided that we did not want to conform to the responses as we do not feel comfortable with filming in that genre. Within the group the comedy genre is no one’s favourite and none of us watch comedies consistently enough to know enough about it. However, we felt comforted and reassured by the fact the thriller genre was the second most popular choice receiving 17.65% of the Reponses.

The fifth and sixth question were about generic hero and villain characters’ genders. the overall response was that Females were the preferred hero gender with 51.47% of the responses and males being the most popular villain choice receiving 67.16% of the responses. This is what we expected as a group and will use this information when we are creating the characters for our final product as our original predictions were confirmed.

When asked about whether they preferred chronological or non-chronological narratives 74.63% said they preferred chronological narratives. This is good because at the moment our plan for the opening sequence is that it will be in chronological order but with two parallel scenes running next to each other. This conforms to the research. Also When asked if they enjoy complex or simple narratives more 59.7% said they enjoys complex more which also conforms to our initial idea as having two parallel scenes intertwines is classes as a complex narrative.

Finally, when asked what their favourite plot events are, 26.47% of the responses were for spy. Although this is not what we were expecting and are not planning on including this in the opening sequence as it is outside of the thriller genre, we decided we could include the spy aspect in the rest of the films narrative. 19.12 % chose kidnap and 13.23% chose stalker which is useful as it shows people enjoy the narratives we have chosen.

How this has helped us:

Overall the survey is useful in our research as it has confirmed our predictions. We now know that our target audience do enjoy thriller films and the characters we had already considered including. The biggest shock to us was that comedy was more popular than the thriller genre. However, this could be due to personal preference. However, with thriller being the second most popular we are still confident that the thriller genre is the genre we should continue within. The research will help us when finalising the plans on particular aspects eg, narrative events, narrative order etc. To help us further we could even conduct a survey that is specific to the thriller genre now we know that people do enjoy the thriller genre.

Thriller Genre History

Research into Thriller Genre History: