Blog Post #43 Sound (The Dream)

     

      During the dream portion of my opening sequence, many sound techniques were utilized. The film technique known as a score, was used throughout the dream portions of the sequence. This score creates extreme tension and mystery due to the lack of words. This music is extremely slow including many white noise sounds. This helps the audience understand the concept that the character is to be feared.  

     When the horrifying character is seen on the swing, there is a squeaky swing set noise as if the swing has been old and abandoned. The usage of old squeaky swing sets is a typical horror convention in film. It helps create added suspense and familiarity due to the sound effects commonality. To create this sound, I extracted the sound from previous footage that did not make it into the film. The footage this sound is extracted from took place on a swing set at Crews Lake Park.

*This is the footage that the swing noises were extracted from* 

     In the shot showing Alyssa running from the character, her footsteps are heard. This is because it creates a sense of realism which allows the viewers to engage in the shot and further connect to the characters. 

     The loud scream that leaves Alyssa's mouth when the lights turn off is a form of dialogue. This scream allows viewers to hear what she is feeling through her scream. The scream is very intense and high pitch which tells the audience that she is in fear. These high pitch screams are heard throughout the sequence. The one present when Alyssa opens the closet is an example of diegetic sound. This means that the actors on set were able to hear the sound. This allows the characters to connect with each other as well as their parts, which then allows the audience to connect with the scenes due to the realism. 

     The use of non-diegetic sound is in shot fifteen when the words "la la la la" are said in a soft creepy tone. This is non-diegetic because it was edited into the film meaning the characters on set could not hear the sound. This is because the sound was screen recorded and extracted into the film to ensure pristine sound quality. The words spoken instill an intense fear into the audiences because up until that shot the scary character has not spoken.