How is sound used in thriller movies to create tension?

In thriller movies, sound is an important aspect of emotions being created to portray to the audience, arguably, at times, has a higher influence on the portrayal of emotions than that of the narrative. In certain films, tension is created through the use of sound and sound is an important aspect of the film production process. For example, in Skyfall, the chase scene exchanged between James Bond and Raoul Silva is fantastic in terms of creating tension through the use of sound.




The volume, pace and tone of the soundtrack are very calm and quiet when Bond isn’t chasing Silva, or when he is looking around for him. But, when Bond is (for example) chasing him the volume/pace dramatically increase and the tone becomes a lot more dramatic and threatening. For example, when Bond is unsure of whether to get onto the train or not, the soundtrack’s pace is slower and more quiet. Where as, when Bond is ordered to get onto the train the volume and pace dramatically increase, to create suspense, and to make the audience ask themselves.. “will he make it or not?”.

During the sequence the audience become aware of when things are becoming intense.
By this we mean that as the pace and volume
of the soundtrack increases, the action becomes more intense and as the volume
goes from low to high the audience become aware something major is about to happen. The sound conforms with action-thriller conventions. In all action –thrillers there are always intense chases/pursuits between protagonist and antagonist. And the sound in this sequence conforms with this as like the action, the sound is fast-paced and intense. The sound from this sequence can be described as synchronous sound because it matches what is going on in the scene. Both the action on screen, and the sound are both very intense and suspenseful, combining to make a very intense sequence. The only sort of sound effect is the emphasis of the volume of the train. The sound of the train is emphasised to let the audience know that Bond is in trouble and as it gets louder, obviously, the train is getting closer. Although the audience know Bond will not die, there is still a feeling that he could.

In this final sequence of The Amazing Spider-Man directed by Marc Webb, an underscore is used to create tension. The underscore is played over a wide shot of Spider-Man standing precariously on top of a building overlooking Electro's circuit, an underscore is used as it compliments the camera movement and slight zoom on the shot which presents the connotation that something big is about to take place, and the desaturation of the shot conveys the thoughts that something significant is about to unfold and this is very much the calm before the store. The underscore is used to create tension and suspense for the audience to absorb and engross. The underscore helps the film to a climax, and is often used in the scene that is most significant and this is why an underscore is used. The underscore is a bleak and slow tune, which is quite dull and scary, it commends the colours of the scene beautifully to create this gloomy feel to the film. In conventions of thriller films, dark and eerie sounds are used to create atmosphere and feeling, this use of underscore is no different.

The next piece of sound we hear as an audience is a piece of echoed dialogue from Electro, this is before we see him, this creates the illusion that there is life outside of the scene that is being shown us an audience. The dialogue being echoed creates negative connotations to Electro and by this point of the film, we know, as an audience, Electro is the m
ain antagonist of the film and this is evident by that echoed speech. Dialogue between the two characters helps aid the plotline of the film and develops the audiences understanding of this further. Also, dialogue helps the audience and characterisation of the characters and helps establish clear relationships between characters. There relationship is evidently of one between good and bad, and this is made clear by lines by Electro, however, Spider-Man isn't as worried as the dialogue spoken and his response is fairly sarcastic and composed. Unlike many films, ADR is used in Spider-Man as characters such as Electro are created using CGI and thus require further recording. Although Spider-Man is played by an actor, due to his suit, in places ADR is used, the production company can get away with recording dialogue using this method as it adds clarity to the voice.

When Spider-Man and Electro come to blows, sound effects are used to replicate the sounds being shown in the fight scene, the fizz of the electrics being used by Electro clearly are sounds being created synthetically as it improves the authenticity of the film by making it more immerse through the use of sound effects. As both Spider-Man and Electro through each other to the floor, there is a few seconds of silence as it seems Spider-Man is left seriously hurt, this moment of silence is symbolising the shock and tension felt by the audience as Spidey appears to have been conquered, which would be a shock considering in the franchise of Spider-Man he is usually victorious.

The non diegetic sound of the car smashing into Electro has been exaggerated to really place emphasis on the cars entrance to the scene. It's significant as without it, Spider-Man would be killed by Electro, and so by increasing the non diegetic sound, it makes is clear to the audience that this car has high significance to the plotline and this is emphasised through the use of sound. Another technique used here is that of synchronous sound, as the pictures matches with the sound being heard, this is again to enhance realism. Synchronous sound also is vital for the direction of the film, if done poorly, the scene could be ruined, so it's vital to get this right, especially when its being amplified to increase significance.

When the conclusion of the fight scene is about to occur, an optimistic, more upbeat score is played as it foreshadows the conclusion of the scene, and the upbeat core also provides connotations of goodness and conquering evil towards Spider-Man, which shows the goodness of our superhero protagonist, and this music reflects that. To conclude the scene, this use of score gives the audience some hope and that's needed at points when all hope seems lost for Spider-Man. In terms of creating tension, this film does that terrifically well, with the right balance between shot type, camera movement and sound, its vital to what is being created with characters, plot and symbols. It's imperative to this scene and what makes it tick.

Men In Black scene

An underscore is played as Will Smith's character, Jay, is seen being approached by what looks to us, the audience, as tentacles towards his face, this is shown alongside the sound effects of buzzing. These sound effects present the idea of something flying, and possibly an alien who is looking to be the catalyst of Jay's demise and death. The underscore is upbeat and positive tone,  despite the fight scene occurring, which is quit
e contrapuntal in terms of what is being heard, however, this is successful in building tension, as its quite uneasy as Jay is being attacked by multiple aliens and we've already seen Kay, his co agent, being tortured by a dangerous women.

After being thrown into a wall by the extra terrestrial beings, the sound of scratching is heard as Jay slides down the wall, this is a non diegetic sound that has been amplified by the sound editors to exaggerate the noise that was created to increase the impact of this moment, to make it more dramatic and increase the tension being created by immersing the audience and to make them emotionally connect with Jay which they would do as Jay is the protagonist and thus the audience are willing him to do well and achieve. I
t's after Jay curls off the wall that the underscore changes as it becomes more tense in terms of tone and more aggressive in pitch, this replicates the emotions that are being felt by Jay at the time he begins to approach the aliens, the fun hearted and jokey Jay has been switched and he is now more aggressive and focused Jay, he is still confident, but his approach to the situation has altered and that's evident to the audience.

The sound effect of Jay hitting one copy of the alien has been put in after filming as the CGI aliens wouldn't have been hit, meaning there is no simply no diegetic sound produced. the impact would be minimal, so to humanise the aliens, they require sound effects to ensure they are believable to the audience. This is something that continued throughout the fight scene as Jay takes on numerous copies of the aliens, and the sound effects used improve narrative, characterisation and the authenticity of the film as a whole.

After Jay has fought off the aliens, he falls into a pile of tubing on the floor, here, the diegetic sound of the tubes are amplified for comedic effect. The effect this has on the audience is that it portrays Jay to be a humorous character which instantly makes him more likeable as he is an underdog in the fight scene scenario and the fact he can't release himself from tubing to save the girl who is trapped up is comical and amplifying this sound adds comedy to a scene where tension has been built up, but despite the comedic element to the scene, there is a voiceover of a countdown being heard throughout this shot as Jay try's to free himself from the tubing, so despite this being a comedy moment, tension is being built by the countdown surrounding him.

This clip is another great example of how thrillers use sound to create tension. Tom Cruise's character Ethan Hunt is the subject of a motorcycle chase, to increase tension, different techniques are used in terms of sound to do this. To start the clip, we see a tracking shot complimented with the noises conventionally associated with a motorcycle, this has been increased in volume and pace, to present the fact that the motorcycle is the main focus of shot, and not that of the vehicles it is sharing the stretch of road with. By editing the sound so that the motorcycle noise is non diegetic really puts emphasis on the motorcycle and that directs the audience, the use of tracking shot puts the audience into the scene, so this combination works effectively for this shot.

As the scene progresses, we hear the sound effects of the gun shots, which are introduced alongside the non diegetic sound of the motorcycles, this is because the fact the production team cannot actually use bullets in fear of killing someone, so adding sound effects in editing enhances the scene and ensure safety whilst maintaining quality with in their film. Although you cannot see the bullets, the sound effects add comfort to the audience and creates the illusion that bullets are being used and this is in fact a real chase in which lives are at stake. The diegetic sound of glass smashing as a bullet shatters it also helps with this illusion, it's cleverly constructed by the production team to ensure this is a chase of the highest quality, and the introduction of bullets and weaponry means lives are at stake and this increases tension massively, also, the use of motorcycles allow more danger to be added to the situation, so tension is built and is helped being built by the use of sound.

As the scene develops, a score is introduced to support the high speed chase. Using an underscore here would be contrasting and not fit with the pictures, so by having a fast paced, intense piece of score being played alongside the pictures, it supports the scene and adds pace to what is an already intense, high risk scene, so this would add tension as it takes the stakes up higher, both men are riding for their lives and the audience are backing their hero, Ethan Hunt, in this chase, so by adding a score that is of quick pace, you add to the danger of the piece, which climaxes when the motorcycles are weaving in and out of cars as the danger is increased and raised beyond belief. It symbolises danger, and as the danger increases, that is matched by the score being played alongside the shot.

We then cross cut to a shot of a girl standing on the edge of a cliff, and the underscore is dramatically changed to that of a slower paced, tense piece of music to accommodate the wide shots of this scene, this is a real change of direction in terms of narrative, as we have cut away from a tense chase to a calming, almost sad setting, it poses a variety of questions to the audience. Who is this girl? Why is she on a cliff? Is she going to kill herself? These are all raised because of that underscore, if an upbeat piece of music was being played, the audience's questions wouldn't be so negative and suspicious, and from the high paced chase to this is an interesting change of direction. This snippet seems to be waiting for something to happen, and cuts back to the loud, monstrous motorcycle, maybe this is what Hunt is defending?

In conclusion, films use numerous methods and techniques to riddle films with connotations of tension and to enhance that emotional connection shared between audience and characters, and the proxemics between these two elements of films, without tweaks and important planning, sound can make or break a film and these are successful elements of when sound is used successfully.