Soundtrack Analysis
In order to create a good
thriller film opening it is key to have a good soundtrack behind it,
contemplating our genre. The music for our thriller opening must include a
sense of suspense and tension in order to be successful. The opening soundtrack
must be able to be relatable and connect with our thriller film; a way it does
this is by the music emphasizing the actions on screen.
Here are a few film
soundtracks that do exactly that…
Catch Me If You Can
The soundtrack in the opening scene for this
drama thriller film is very fast paced; the saxophone and bass create this
sound almost as if they are chasing each other in pursuit. This has links to
the film as that is also very fast paced as Frank is moving from place to place
very quickly in order to hide from the police. The sound track includes a lot
of jazz notes and is very much orchestrated. I believe they have used this
because jazz is seen as very classy and quite a posh genre of music, this
relating to the film as Frank (who now has become very rich) is very classy in
what he buys and how he acts.
Also at the start of the soundtrack it says
‘shh’. I believe they have done this because as Frank is in hiding and trying
to keep a low profile from the police it is stereotypically said that people
normally say ‘shh’ when they want to keep something quiet which is what
they are trying perceive.
Also the music creates a strange sense of
mystery I believe they have also done this because the film is a big mystery
for the detective who is trying to find the whereabouts of Frank Abagnale. The mystery sound is getting the audience guessing
from the start about the plot and also it keeps the viewer in suspense about
the whole film.
Psycho
The
soundtrack for the thriller film Psycho is extremely orchestrated. Containing a wide range of low and extremely
high sharp string notes to add emphasis on what is occurring during the film
and also creating a lot of suspense and tension. Bernard Hermann who wrote the
piece insisted that a whole string orchestra composed it all. The wide range of
string instruments can create various sounds, tone and dynamics. For the shower scene in this film the piece
includes very sharp high notes almost creating a screeching or screaming sound.
It is almost as if these sounds are coming from the lady in the shower however
it is only the soundtrack.
As the lady
is slowly dying in the shower falling to the ground the music slowly grinds to
a halt and becomes very dim and almost death like. The sound of the strings
gradually becomes lower and lower as the lady gets closer to her last dying
breath.
BY LAUREN
ReplyDelete