Thriller Opening Sound Analysis

All but one of the sound effects in our thriller opening are diegetic and
ambient. We kept the sound in all of the woods scenes because we felt
it would sound a lot better if the original ambience was kept. Because it
is all diegetic its all synchronous with the shots, which makes it look
more realistic. We used the sound bridge technique near the end where
Leona is being hit by the hammer so that the noise would extend over
three quick burst shots. By doing this it made the whole scene a lot
more effective, and it enhances the thrill and makes the audience lose
sense of whats going on.

Music analysis: Shadowmoon Valley

Walking By Matt Uelmen and Cold By
Aqualung & Lucy Schwartz
The first soundtrack that we used was Shadowmoon Walking 1 which
then fades into Shadowmoon Walking 5, both of which are non
diegetic sound. These pieces of music were composed by Matt Uelmen
and have a very eerie sound to them, which is synchronous with the
scene. The primary instruments are wind, maybe bassoon or oboe.
There is also a considerable amount of chanting and moaning in the
background, which sounds like cries of agony. We felt that this was quite
effective, as it makes the opening sequence seem a lot more tense.
Shadowmoon Walking 1 comes to a crescendo with loud drums and
and screams, heightening the fear and tension. This then fades into
Shadowmoon Walking 5. Walking 5 is similar to Walking 1 but its a
lot more tense and builds at a quicker pace which makes the thriller
more enthralling. The music starts very quiet though and gets louder
gradually, to compensate for this we had to start the music about 10
seconds in, to make sure it was loud enough to hear. Thats why we had
to use two of the Shadowmoon Walking tracks, because after we cut
one it wasnt long enough to fade into Cold without a gap.
The second track we used was Cold by Aqualung and Lucy Schwartz.
Its a vocal song, with a piano playing in the background. This is

asynchronous music, because it doesnt fit whats going on in the scene

but we felt that it provided a good mood. Its quite a slow song, and the
lyrics talk of heaven, hell and the chorus has long drawn out vocals
singing cold. This turned out to be incidental music as we inadvertently
placed the chorus as Leona was being hit which made it much more
dramatic, it continues through the title and then fades off as the screen
goes black. We decided that this was appropriate as it could symbolise
that Leonas life is fading away. Its not a typical soundtrack for a thriller
as its not fast paced and racy and it doesnt keep you on the edge of
your seat, but because of the brutality of the scene and the calm of the
song, it makes all of it feel more violent and disgusting.