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.