Sound - Miss Georgiou

What Lies Beneath Sound Analysis

In Thriller films sounds are used to create understanding for the audience so that they know what each scene is specifically about. They are also used to evoke the meaning about each character and their emotions upon the audience to get the correct response from them. Some examples of different sounds are; diegetic sound, non-diegetic sound, on screen sound, off screen sound and parallel sounds.

 

At the beginning of the scene non-diegetic sounds are used when she believes there is someone lurking in her bathroom. The sounds are ambient which raises the audiences suspense levels as they are experiencing the nervousness of the character. The soundtrack which is edited on top of the scene is extremely eerie and spooky and almost sounds as though someone is talking or making some sort of sounds. This also increases the suspense within the viewer as they are already cautious that there may be someone in the bathroom. Therefore the music allows them to believe there really is as it is used at a crucial point in the film, when she is slowly edging her way towards the bathroom to see if there really is someone there.

 

Once the woman enters the bathroom, diegetic sounds are used as the audience hear her switch the light on and her footsteps as she progresses into the room. The use of these diegetic sounds make the whole scene feel realistic to the audience and they react as if they are in the bathroom themselves. This also allows the viewers to relate to the character and they become frightened as they believe this could also happen to them to. The sound of the light switch is employed to break the sound of the music and bring a sense of relief upon the audience, as at this point they can only see white, which represents innocence and goodness and therefore evokes the sense that there's no one there. This means the viewers feel relaxed for a split second before the scene progresses.

As the woman slowly edges her way into the bathroom and looks around, natural sounds are conveyed where the audience are able to hear that she is breathing very deeply. This allows the viewers to feel that the woman is panic stricken and nervous about what she may come across. This evokes a sense of fear and anticipation upon the viewers as well as they are experiencing the emotions of the character as if it was them. It also means the audience are on edge and curious as to whether something is really there or not and prepares them for a shock that may occur. 

 

Non-diegetic sounds are also continued as she enters the bathroom when wind like sounds are used. This makes the viewers feel as though they are in an unusual, spooky place, or as if they are outside in a cold, forest as you can also hear the sound of birds within the wind effects. This also conveys the fact that the woman is alone, helpless and frightened. The sound is also eerie and creates a mysterious feel upon the audience resulting in them to become scared and on edge as well, as they can fully put themselves in the characters position.

The use of the diegetic and non-diegetic sounds in the film allows the audience to experience more of the emotions of the character and they feel as though they are there with her. The sounds create the correct response from the audience as it makes them feel frightened and therefore I believe these sounds would be relevant for my thriller opening so that the audience are aware of what is happening and a great impact is brought upon them.