SOUNDTRACK ANALYSIS

By Sophie Dewberry

My Chosen Genre

■I have chosen to make a film opening with the psychological thriller genre applied.

■I have decided to do this because I feel that it will be interesting to explore further and it is incredibly gripping and tense for the audience which could therefore prove to be more popular than another genre, such as action adventure, which may not have as large of an impact as I am wishing for.

Gone Girl■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Q7yEfCbvQ■ 0:00 to 1:30■ The first image that appears is the 20th century fox and regency logo but they don’t have their usual trademark music with it.

Instead there is non-diegetic music layered over the top which is eerie and reminds me of a metallic sound. It is slightly echoing which could suggest that the film has an element of surprise to it.

■ The credits for the producer (etc) begin to appear and the music continues but there is a non-diegetic voice over layered upon that which is of a man narrating his thoughts about his wife. By saying ‘my wife’ it indicates that they are important roles in the film and it is made personal by having him talk in first person.

■ He has a gruff, low voice and his pace is slow which adds tension. His tone seems gentle but it has hints of being sinister as his voice has a kind of growl to it. He says about smashing his wife's head open which confirms that he may not be as gentle as we first expected. He doesn’t say pleasant things which connotes that he is the bad guy in the film and te audience wonders if he is a threat to the woman mentioned.

■ The ‘shing’ sound dips in and out and it is most prominent when a piece of text appears.■ There are several quick takes of the setting which is still accompanied by this ominous music. Most of the shots are based

outside which leads to there being a certain amount of ambient sound from the birds tweeting in the trees and the sound of wind brushing through the neighbourhood.

■ Piano keys are played non-diegetically which adds to the initial idea of fear and suspense. It creates the atmosphere of dread and anticipation.

■ Right at the end of the sequence there is a shot of a man which the audience assumes is the one talking in the voice over.■ The theme of a psychological thriller is conveyed well because the audience are left with a huge amount of unanswered

questions. The opening soundtrack builds suspense because it doesn’t have a pleasant sound to it and rather makes us anxious because the sound feels as if there may be a sudden loud note to shock us.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo■ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0bD4ts8eWY■ The non-diegetic music within the sequence is Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’.■ There is a build up of sound at start which is accompanied by a blank black screen. Drums and a kind of screeching sound that

is muffled are introduced as it goes into the song.■ There is a large amount of drumming – every 4th beats there is a new image appearing on screen which makes the music a

form of parallel sound because the clip is dark and questioning and the drum beats seem quite mysterious and disjointed.■ The non-diegetic music gives an impression that we are about to watch an action film because it is fast paced right from the

very beginning.■ When the title of the film appears there is the iconic tuned screaming of ‘aah aaaaaaaah ah’. This is repeated twice (1 a = one

beat). It reminds me of a cowboy fight sequence because it is fast paced, has a steady beat and has a lot of energy to it as if the character’s are preparing themselves

■ It then goes into the lyrics of the song - after one repeat of the ‘ahs’ the lyrics are nature related which contrasts with the harsh rock music. After a couple of seconds the song reduces its volume and tone to seem quite soft and endearing before returning back to the hard rock music which sounds like a clash of sounds that fits the images given.

■ Parallel sound is present because the music gets more intense when fire is shown on screen. This conveys that there is a sense of panic or confusion and the music matches this ideology.

■ At the end the music heightens its intensity and becomes the loudest it has been overall and then drifts out as the audience are engulfed into the mouth of the animation.

■ A guitar drone ends the sequence which connotes mystery because it is a withheld sound that provides no conclusion and therefore is left unsolved.

■ The opening soundtrack creates tension because of its alternative sound and it gives the audience an insight to the film – it is full of drama and twists which could indicate that the story goes from good to bad.