Planning Sound - Miss Miller

Sound is very important within films as without sound, the story would not make sense. Furthermore, sound is used in thrillers to create an intense or frightening atmosphere - this can be through use of creepy music. Music and sound adds context to the images on screen, therefore the audience can make sense of the story. In order for our opening sequence to be at its best, we must carefully plan what sounds we are going to use at every point in the scene. Our thriller sequence will include many different types of sound techniques.

At the beginning of the sequence, during the panning shot of the entire wedding-decoration-filled room, there will be complete silence. This will build a lot of tension and the audience will anticipate a shock (the scary-looking woman sitting on the bed). This also engages the audience with the story, as they wish to know what is happening in the scene. Silence is a common technique within the thriller genre as it is an effective way to increase the tension in the atmosphere.

The same piece of music will be used throughout the flashbacks of getting ready for the wedding and a couple of the shots of the ex-bride. This sound technique is a sound bridge. It maintains continuity by linking the series of images together. The audience then understands that the images are related, and can infer that the getting-ready-for-the-wedding scenes are indeed flashbacks. This builds a relationship between the audience and the characters in the scene, as the plot is made more clear, which further engages the audience. Sound bridges are used often in films, and sometimes in the thriller genre, to link scenes together, or create a montage effect.

Non-diegetic sound in the scene will include the creepy and intense music during the shots that imply the murders of the groom's best man and friend. The music is non-diegetic as it will be added during the editing stage, and the origin of the sound cannot be seen in the frame. The music will build the relationship between the audience and the victim, as it will help them sympathise with the characters. Using this kind of music is very common in thriller films, as the music is mostly laid over action/killing shots/scenes, which are dominant in the thriller genre.

Also, at various points throughout the opening sequence, there will be non-diegetic contrapuntal sound - The Police - Every Breath You Take will play at points throughout. The seemingly positive tones of this song, but the actual negative tones of the song, reflect the same tones of our thriller sequence in general. It is conventional for thrillers to use music and sound that relates to and reflects the general story and tones of the sequences/scenes themselves. Furthermore, the audience can build their relationship with the 'bride' by using the music to identify with and understand the character(s).

Our sequence will be effective in creating tension and frightened emotions (for the audience) via the use of sound techniques and music. This will be achieved by tense music, and loud sound effects. In relation to the thriller genre, our sound choices are quite conventional. It is typical of thrillers to include tense/scary music, and also silence in places, which also creates tension. Planning our use of sound has been extremely helpful as we know which sounds and music we want to include in our sequence, and where in the sequence they will appear.