2. Pace
The soundtrack of a Thriller film must always match the pace of the film
itself. Thriller films are classically known for their fast paced action and
willingness to toy with the audiences emotions, and one of the ways it can
do this is through the pace of the soundtrack. In a cinema, when the noise
is loud the soundtrack to a film can truly encapsulate and audience and
make their heart beat increasingly faster, when you collaborate this with
the action of the film then you guarantee that the audience stay
entertained. A clear example of this is in Batman The Dark Knight
Rises, as seen as the tension builds to coincide with the movie itself. I
myself feel that the pace we were able to keep in our opening sequence
made the film twice as good and improved the visual quality as well as the
sound.
3. Tension
Sound is ultimately the bearer of tension in virtually every single thriller
film, the sound itself if used correctly can draw the audience in to a film until a
point where the director can truly play with their audience, increasing their
enjoyment levels and empathy in to the film. A prime example of how tension
via a soundtrack is used in a thriller film is Jaws, the constant rhythm of the
soundtrack keeps the audience guessing and so when and if the shark will
strike. I feel that I made sure tension built increasingly in my final opening title
sequence, Ultimatum. The final showdown scene itself is electrified by the
sheer tension created by the immensity of the soundtrack, and I feel if the
soundtrack was not present the audience wouldn't’t be drawn in at all.
4. Mood Created
I feel that a soundtrack can control the overall portrayal of a film to an
audience. For example if a soundtrack features a lot of heavy, dark sounds
it can suggest anger coming from either antagonist or protagonist, whereas
if the soundtrack is slower paced and opera based this could suggest one of
the characters is sad or possibly someone has died in the film. I feel that
our opening sequence uses sound to brilliantly demonstrate the emotions of
the characters at the time. For example, at the start of the final opening
sequence the sound is quite jumpy and vibrant suggesting a level of work is
being done, or to show that time is passing by fast in the film.
However, once Jack receives the highly emotional call that if he does not
see through the murder then his son will die the beat begins to turn like the
weather. All of a sudden the atmosphere becomes very dark and loud, the
audience begin to see a much more serious and focused look on Jack’s
face telling them that action is about to occur and the new equilibrium has
begun.
