The document analyzes sound techniques used in the opening sequence of a typical scary movie. It describes how ambient sounds of crickets are used to set the rural setting. Non-diegetic mysterious music builds tension as the girl on the phone gets more scared. Her heavy breathing is a diegetic motif to show her fear. As she runs in a panic, the non-diegetic music parallels her increasing fear level. When dialogue occurs, the music stops to focus attention. A diegetic doorbell is followed by the expected girl scream, fulfilling audience conventions.

1. Scary movie opening
sequence
Sound Analysis

2. Dialogue
‘You making popcorn?’. When the girl has picked up the phone a voice
answers in a creepy voice the question above. This is very typical for a thriller
fil as it is trying to create that very creepy and mysterious atmosphere where
the audience don’t know what is going to happen however there
imagination takes hold and allows them to become more involved with what
is taking place on screen.
‘Its just a scary movie’. By having the female says this it is starting to set up
the story line, this is also very conventional and also involves the audience.
The reason for this is because it is playing on the idea of the ‘dumb blond’
this starts to get the audience thinking why would she say that and starts to
make the audience wonder more and more what is going to happen.
Also by having the conversation over the phone it is making this more
realistic and helps it to connect to the current times and allows the audience
to place the time period that they are setting this film in.

3. While the Dialogue Is taking place there is not ambient noise, this
makes the audience take notice of what is being said within the
dialogue and stops them from getting distracted from any background
sounds. This also shows of how the conversation that is taking place
over the phone is of significance.

4. Ambient sound
At the very start of the opening sequence there is the ambient sound
of crickets playing. The reason for this is because it allows the audience
to place themselves at the scene, the reason for using the crickets
specifically is because you are only usually able to hear them in places
that aren’t busy suggesting that the location is far away from a mass
amount of people; could possibly be in the middle of nowhere or out in
the country side.

5. Non-digetic
As the person on the other end of the phone starts to scare the girl
some non-digetic background music starts. The sound is very low key
and mysterious and starts to build tension for the audience. As the girl
hangs up and then the mysterious person on the end of the phone calls
again the Non-digetic sound becomes louder, as if that by hanging up
the phone the girl has made the person more angry.
The music also helps to suggest to the audience that something bad is
about to take place.

6. Diegetic sound motif
As the girl starts to become scared you are able to here her breathing
become shorter. This has been put in to make the audience feel how
scared the girl is feeling in order to create a scary atmosphere.

7. Non-digetic & Parallel.
As soon as the girls starts to run in a panic due to being scared the
background sound becomes louder and louder as if it matching how
scared the girl is making the sound parallel. The back ground sound
helps to create the atmosphere for the audience that makes them feel
more involved with the action that is taking place on screen.
As the Dialogue from the character on the other side of the phone
starts the Non-digetic sound comes to a stop the reason for this is
because they want the audiences concentration to be on the dialogue.

8. Diegetic
As the diegetic sound of the door bell goes off the very stereotypical
sound of the girl screaming soon follows. Even though It is something
that all Thriller films have it is a convention that they almost have to
follow due to the audience waiting for it to happen.