Title Sequence Analysis- TV Series

Title Sequence Analysis- Se7en

One key element which helps to give this title sequence a very eary atmosphere is the use of the dark lighting. Not only does the dark lighting create feelings of fear and danger, but it also leads to us not knowing the location in which the opening sequence is situated in, therefore the darkness also helps to build plenty of suspense and tension.

The sound used within the title sequence is relatively slow paced but also includes various sound effects which are similar to that of a machine making something, this use of parallel sound helps to link in with what we are seeing on screen which is someone making or putting together an information file about various people. The soundtrack on its own is also extremely eary and gives the audience a sense that the person creating the file is perhaps using it for an illegal cause.

We also see that the editing used is in the form of a montage, with a compilation of short clips put together in no particular order, which is a typical feature of thriller title sequences.

All of the camera shots used are close ups which also help to give the audience clear idea that somebody is putting together an information file about someone and show us some of the potential key objects within the film. The close ups are also effective as they help to leave the audience asking even more questions as they don't know whereabouts this person making the file is (due to the close ups not allowing us to see) and have no idea who or why they are making it.

Deception First Draft

Use of Sound Within Our Thriller Film

These are the some of the key sound effects/ soundtracks that we will be using within our film along with the reasons why:

Heartbeat- We decided to use the sound of a heartbeat during the scene in which Adam has been kidnapped and wakes up being drip fed poison in the boot of a car as we felt the pounding sound of a heart was extremely effective at emphasising to the audience that Adams life is on the line and therefore increasing the suspense created within the film.
Non diegetic dialogue- We also decided to implement a reading of the letter that Adam finds on the floor just before he is kidnapped, which will be read over the film from when he wakes up until the climax of the chase scene within the warehouse. This is going to be an effective piece of dialogue as it will give the audience most of the backbone of the plot whilst ensuring there is enough ambiguity to leave them asking questions of both the antagonists and protagonists past events. We also wanted to make the sound of the reading gradually become more aggressive and sinister just so the tension rapidly increases and so the antagonists anger and brutality can be portrayed to the audience with more ease.
We have also decided to keep in a lot of background noise that was picked up within the factory during the chase scene as the sound of footsteps on the floor and factory machines going on in the background won't interfere with the plot as whilst they are not only very quiet there is minimal direct dialogue in this scene anyway so the background noise will not detrimentally effect the sound quality of our film.
Chase scene soundtrack- For the chase scene soundtrack we have managed to secure a copyright free piece of suspense building music with a slightly dark and sinister tone which will work as parallel sound to combine with the dark and ruthless character who is hunting Adam in the warehouse known as Vincent.
Sonically exaggerated sounds- We are also using some sonically enhanced sound effects, most notably to show the aggression of Vincent when the factory door nearly shuts him out and to make the gun shot at the end of the film feel even more realistic for the audience and emphasise the power that the single gun shot has.

Script for Letter Found in Scene 1

This is the script for the letter that Adam will find on the floor just before he gets kidnapped, written by Tyler and Vincent. The main reason I wanted to include this within our film was so that whilst the audience would be given enough information which would explain why James and Adam are being hunted by their ex gang members, but it would still leave them intrigued and asking questions (as is typical of a Thriller film) such as what happened to them two years ago, therefore ensuring that the audience remain intrigued even when the film is finished as some answers will not be revealed at all. I also needed to take into account the maximum length of the film when writing this, as we wanted it to run from when the kidnapping happens to the end of the chase scene, therefore we needed to make it short enough so it would fit in but also with enough key information for the audience to be able to get a grasp of the plot, whilst also making sure there is plenty of ambiguity and hatred portrayed within the letter to add to the tension.

Adam, 

It was on this day two years ago that you and James thought you left us for dead, how wrong you were. You both seemed to think it would be a good idea to start a new life free of gang crime in the country, well it wasn't. After all the successful heists and robberies that we did, you and James turned your backs on us, thinking that we'd just be left to rot whilst you go about your daily business like we never existed, well now its time we got some much needed vengeance on you assholes. James has now been missing for one year exactly, I couldn't possibly wonder what happened to him, could you Adam? Now you're probably wondering at this stage what will happen to you, I could tell you, but I guarantee you wouldn't want to know, 

Yours truly

Analysis of Sound in Inception

One of the first sound effects that we come across is the use of sonically enhanced sounds, most notably used during the collapse of the dream world and when one of the protagonists gets shot in the foot. Sonically exaggerated sounds help to create a more believable experience from the audiences perspective, but also help to emphasise that the characters are in genuine danger as the dream world begins to collapse.
We also see non diegetic sound at the start of the clip whilst the protagonist is stealing information from the safe. this sound is used to not only build tension within the audience but also foreshadow the immediate danger that follows and in that sense the threatening music works well with the threatening situation that follows for the protagonist. The pace of the non diegetic music is also fast and gives a sense of how little time is left for them to escape before the dream world collapses, the soundtrack which is heard most notably in the dream world is also a sound bridge as it manages to link lots of quick shots together.
The level of sound also fluctuates as the clip switches from the dream world back to the real world. Whilst in the real world, the soundtrack is reasonably quiet and calm with little or no movement, however in comparison the sound within the dream world is very discordant with lots of crescendos and dramatics, this helps to emphasise to the audience that whilst the characters may appear safe to an extent in the real world, their livelihood in the dream world is being threatened and the crescendos in the dramatic soundtrack only help to emphasise this.
We also hear the use of direct sound during the first exchange of dialouge which was recorded at the time filming took place, we can tell this as we hear a slight echo in their voices and this helps to create a subtle serious tone to the conversation that they are having and gives more of an atmosphere than post synchronised sound would in this situation.

The Use of Sound in Media - Charlie

The Use of Sound in Media

Sound is the second most important element in any form of media, next to video of course. The sound used in a piece for media does more than enable the audience to understand what has happened a bit easier. It creates whole atmospheres, moods, emotions and can even tell a story. For example, using slow, deep non diegetic music in a film can make us feel sad, lonely, depressed etc. without even having to show us anything. As soon as a bright, fast, happy song starts playing as the opening sequence of a film begins, we know that the beginning will start off happy and jolly. 

Sound also creates an atmosphere, even the simple use of light wind or quiet crickets can make a clip go from very flat and boring, to textured and interesting. If you had a clip with dialogue recorded post-filming, then the scene would sound very unnatural as there is no background sound. Adding some wind in the background can make the scene feel alive. 

Continuity editing does not only apply to video, the use of continuity editing with sound is very effective as it makes the scenes flow smoother with no obvious jumps in the sound. Visual continuity errors, while still easy to point out, are less obvious as audio continuity errors. A sudden jolt in the visual editing can easily go unnoticed but a jolt in the audio editing is very obvious as it stands out. Upon editing you find that although you have filmed all shots in a scene on the same day at the same time, the background noises etc will be completely different in each shot. This could be due to the position of the camera. These changes in sound are obvious when jump cutting between shots during a film, which makes it very unbelievable and fake. It is a good idea to film one long continuous shot of each scene you do just to make sure you have a long clip of background noises which you can put behind each shot to create better continuity

Key Use of Sound In Jaws

  

One key element of sound used within the scene above is the use of parallel sound, as soon as the shark starts to approach the swimmers legs the intense, dramatic and threatening music begins to play in sync, therefore the frightening image of the shark attack is complemented by the frightening soundtrack. There is also lots of diegetic sound such as all of the dialogue and the screaming. Some of the screaming whilst still diegetic is also classed as off screen sound as at one point we here it whilst the person screaming isn't in shot. An example of non-diegetic sound within the clip would be the dramatic soundtrack when Jaws appears as the characters within the film cannot hear it, the sudden onset of the sound also helps to emphasise how Jaws can appear out of nowhere at any time within the film. We also see sound that contrasts the image that we see on screen, known as contrapuntal sound. At the end of the clip we see a washed up surfboard which has been torn with clear stains of blood being washed up in the waves, but the sound is nothing but that of the waves calmly washing up on shore, perhaps trying to portray the crueller side of nature, this creates an almost eary atmosphere and is a sound that works well as the calm sound of the waves and silent beach opposes the emotion that is running through those who have just realised what has happened on shore and helps to signify the events importance and that the beach has now become deserted.