1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge conventions of real media products?
Examples of sound in thrillers include the opening sequence of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and the music used in ‘Dawn of the dead’. The use of voice over during the opening sequence of ‘Dawn of the dead’ influenced the use of sound in my main task.
The audio used in my main task was a combination of spoken speech and music. Using editing software, I recorded my voice and played background music to highlight the tone of the voice. I also added to the scene by lowering the pitch of my voice and lengthening the speech, the combination of the visuals on the screen and the sound allowed me to use thriller conventions such as eerie sounds to produce the film for my main task.
In 'Psycho' the opening music uses short shocking loud notes to create an atmosphere to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The sound used in my preliminary is common of thrillers, as I chose the music in order to build an atmosphere of suspense. Slow music with brief moments of loud dynamics is often used in psychological thrillers. Thrillers use music to project a certain theme or mood such as fast pace music to present a chaotic atmosphere. I chose the music in my preliminary due to the long droning sounds and the unpredictable use of sforzando in the piece, which allowed me to emphasise on certain scenes in the film.
Macarthy Productions