Genre research- Music and sound

Music and sound in psychological thrillers

Overpowering music is sometimes used in psychological thrillers to convey their dis attachment to the real world/situation due to their mental state. A good example of this is in the thriller Black Swan (Directed by Darren Aronofsky, 2010) which is a film about the character Nina who undergoes severe psychological problems in her quest to become "perfect" for her ballerina role. Her self obsession eventually drives her insane which leads to going out to a club, taking drugs, etc. From the video below, the club music is made to be overpowering to convey her lost control and diagetic voices can also be heard.

















The music in thrillers also changes often with pitch, volume and tempo to emphasise the intensity of the situation. At the start of a film, there is usually low pitched music when the main film's location is set and this builds up as the character gets closer and closer until it reaches the climax at the end. A good example of this is in Shutter Island ( Martin Scorsese, 2010) which depicts the story of Teddy who is investigating the case of a lost patient at the mental asylum in Shutter island. As they arrive on the island, the low pitch music starts playing. This is to convey hints of danger which emphasises the situation Teddy is in as if there is something happening on this island. As Teddy gets closer, the music starts building up until he eventually reaches the asylum's front gates where it reaches climax. This creates a false impression that something is going to happen at the climax which leaves the audience on edge. This can be seen below.















Diagetic sounds are that characters would be able to hear in the scene. This can be used in intense situations in thrillers such as heavy breathing to convey the character being afraid and tried. Another sound used in thrillers is to do with the weather such as rain and thunderstorm. This creates a pathetic fallacy as it often conveys a negative situation which further entices the audience and keeps them on the edge.A good example of this is in Jurassic Park (Directed by Steven Spielberg, 1993) in the kitchen scene. The character is shown to be hiding from the velociraptor. Diagetic breathing can be heard from her which emphasises her fear and the overall tension of the scene. This can be seen below.