Sound in Thrillers

How is sound used in thriller movies to create tension?

Sound is used to create tension in many different ways, for example it can be used to emphasis a character's emotions or it can be used to reinforce the impact of an action. Sound helps to control the audience's emotions and is therefore very useful when it comes to building suspense.

             
In the climax of the film, 'The Social Network', an unsettling and sorrowful score is used to reflect the character's emotions. This is when Andrew Garfield’s character Eduardo discovers that his shares in the company have been diluted to 0.03%. It's at this point in the film that we learn how ruthless Mark Zuckerberg was whilst working to achieving his success.

The soundscape includes a variety of different elements, for example it includes a voiceover from Eduardo's perspective. Eduardo is explaining the situation to the lawyers whilst the audience watches the event happen, this shows the difference between how Eduardo felt before and after the confrontation with Mark. This builds tension as through the emotions in his voice and his word choices the audience can tell that something important is about to be revealed, this builds suspension as they are captivated by the relationship between the two main characters and are curious to discover its downfall.

The score is first introduced when the depth of the betrayal Zuckerberg committed is revealed, introducing it at this moment emphasises the grief and anger felt by the characters and reinforces the sense of betrayal to the audience. There are three separate parts of the score. The first part is a tense and unsettling piece of music made up of broken strings, this adds to the suspense in the scene because it's introduced just before the audience discovers what Mark Zuckerberg did to someone who was supposed to be his best friend. This piece of music also builds suspense because it reflects the uneasy atmosphere in the scene as the characters wait to discover what happened. The second part is involves a slow progression of piano keys, this piece enhances the sorrow felt by the characters due to their loss of friendship and trust. It also mimics the lawyer's reaction to their clients decisions as they realise that the man they are representing is a ruthless person that's controlled by jealously instead of loyalty and compassion like Eduardo. The third section of the score is a dark bass synth, this is introduced when Eduardo starts to get angry, this combined with the piano emphasises his emotions and makes his character appear intimidating as he threatens Mark and Sean. This adds to the suspense in the scene because it reinforces how hurt Eduardo is because he is usually a kind and quiet character but when this section of the score is used he becomes strong and menacing. This, therefore, builds tension as it emphasises the depth of the betrayal because it had the ability to change the way Eduardo acts.

        

In the climax of the film 'Se7en' the soundscape combines diegetic sounds with an unnerving score to build tension. During this scene the protagonists, David Mills and William Somerset think they've beaten the antagonist John Doe but then quickly discover that they were wrong and that he's still in control.

At the beginning of the clip, the diegetic sound of a pocket knife being opened in heard. The emphasis on this noise forebodes violence and reinforces the danger that surrounds the characters as despite the fact they aren't using the knife in a violent way they still have to carry one to defend themselves. When Morgan Freeman's character, William Somerset, discovers the contents of the box the score is introduced, this emphasises the horror of what he has just seen and the fear that is building within him. The introduction of the score combined with the fast pace of the editing increases the tension because it connotes panic and suggests how out of their depth and lost the protagonists are. The score being played in bursts instead of a full piece of music could be used to represent the gaps in the detective's knowledge as they don't understand the man they are fighting and they still don't know the entirety of what he has done.

The shouting that can be heard whilst Somerset tries to stop David Mills from listening to John Doe also constructs connotations of trepidation as the protagonists attempt to defeat the antagonist who clearly still has the upper hand despite being in handcuffs. The shouting also creates a sense of confusion and desperation which creates tension as the audience has to listen to the heroes try to scramble to save themselves with no avail as Kevin Spacey's character still has control over the situation. The calmness in John Doe's voice as he speaks whilst the other characters are consumed by fear and anxiety is very eerie and unsettling, especially as he is describing breaking into someone's house and killing their wife. This also builds tension as it emphasises to the audience how mentally unstable and immoral his character is.

The use of strings in the score when David Mills' wife is mentioned represents the spike of fear felt by him when he discovers that his wife might have been caught up in the game that Doe is playing. This, combined with the distress in his voice, puts him at binary opposition with Spacey's character because unlike him David cares about other people and wants to protect them, as shown by the score and the dialogue. The volume of the score is lowered when Doe tells Mills that he killed his wife, this builds tension as it allows the audience to focus entirely on the dialogue as the information is revealed. The rhythm of the score could mimic the beat of war drums, this could be used to represent the fight between the protagonists and the antagonists. Alternatively, it could also be used to suggest the inner struggle of David as he tries to stop himself from giving into his rage and grief and therefore doing exactly what Doe wants him to do. The emphasis of the gunshots as David kills John Doe, reinforces the anger behind the action and finality of it as there's no turning back now.

         

This clip is from the film 'Captain America - Winter Soldier', this scene is when the real antagonists of the film are revealed. During this fight scene the soundscape is used to emphasise the force behind actions and to build anticipation. For example, at the beginning of the scene a score isn't used, the makes the audience suspicious and start to expect that something is about to happen. This is also reflected through the camera movement as the Captain observes his surroundings and realises that something is going on and that it had something to do with him.

When the score is introduce it's when Rogers begins to notice small details, such as a man sweating, and becomes even more suspicious. The rhythm of the score mimics a heartbeat and could be used to suggest that the Captain is unsure and anxious to understand what is going on. The score then stops when he realises what's about to happen, this allows the audience to focus on his dialogue which builds tension as it tells them that the characters are about to start fighting and they can see that the Captain is greatly outnumbered and has nowhere to go.

The diegetic sound of the Taser could be used to reinforce the idea that Steve Rogers is in the wrong time period and that he is very out of his depth and lost in the modern world seeing as he is from the 1940s. The lack of a score then adds even more emphasis to the surge of music that's introduced when the fighting starts. The suddenness of it could be used to reflect how quickly a situation can change, this then emphasises how skilled the Captain is as he immediately jumps into action and starts to fight back. The diegetic sound of the kicks and punches being thrown are emphasised, this could be used to show how strong and powerful the Captain is. This also reflected by the camerawork as it shows an elevator full of people that Rogers managed to defeat on his own. The smash of the glass could be used to further show how strong Rogers is and that it’s dangerous to cross him.

There is a lull in the score when the fighting slows down but the heartbeat like section can still be heard, this could be used to mimic the pace of the fight. For example, when the fighting is in full swing the music is fast and loud but when it stops for a moment the volume of the music lowers and the pace slows down. The focus on the heartbeat could be used to suggest how exhausting constantly fight is. Alternatively, the consistency and strength of the beat could be used to enhance the idea that the Captain is incredibly determined and that he won’t give up. The lack of the full score during this section builds suspense as it allows the full effect of the character’s actions to hit the audience and it also allows them to focus on the fact that the Captain is being forced to fight someone that he trusted and thought was on his side.

The diegetic sound of him kicking his shield up could be used to reinforce the power that the shield has as well as how important it is to him. The more emotional, strings used after the fighting is finished could be used to establish the idea that the Captain is hurt by what has just happened as the people that made him who he was just tried to destroy him. The fast pace of the music could also be used the reflect Rogers’ sporadic thoughts as he tries to find a way out of the situation. The smash of the glass and the noise of the impact that the Captain makes when he falls reinforces the height he has just fallen from and how painful that would be. This builds tension as it tells the audience how much danger he is in as he had to go to such extremes to escape.

         
 

During this scene from the film ‘Reservoir Dogs’ a man is tortured by Mr Blonde whilst ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ by Stealers Wheelers plays in the background. This scene use a variety of sound techniques including contrapuntal sound and silence.

At the beginning of the scene there is no underscore, this creates a similar effect to the scene from ‘Captain America – Winter Soldier’ as the audience starts to anticipate that something important is about to happen. The lack of a score also allows the audience to focus on the dialogue and the tension that it’s building between the characters. The shouting of the victim in this scene also serves to build the suspense because it establishes how scared and desperate he is as he knows that there’s no easy way out of the situation. The diegetic sound of the slap is used to emphasise Mr Blonde’s strength as he does it easy but it makes a loud noise. This focus on violence could be used to foreshadow the future events of the scene and to forewarn the audience that action is soon to follow.

As Mr Blonde slowly pulls on the duct tape the sound can be heard, this slow pulling is unnerving and builds tension as it unsettles the audience. Mr Blonde’s dialogue is also disturbing as, much like John Doe, he discusses awful acts like torture calmly and casually. This could be used to show the audience that he is disconnected from society, similarly to most antagonists in thrillers, and has little care or regard for other people’s lives. This, therefore, builds suspense as the audience discover how cruel he is because he’s torturing the man for fun instead of a means to an end. The grating sound of the chair scraping against concrete as the victim attempts to escape reinforces the idea that Mr Blonde is immoral because he is frantic to get away as he knows that whatever Mr Blonde decides to do it will be extremely painful and both mentally and physically scarring.
The use of contrapuntal sound as Mr Blonde prepares to torture the victim is unsettling and makes the audience uncomfortable. This is because the song is very happy and upbeat which is in complete contrast to the horror of violence. The song could be used to reflect the joy that Mr Blonde gets from causing pain to others, further emphasising how corrupt he is. The fact that the contrapuntal sound is also diegetic could suggest that Mr Blonde is mocking and further antagonising his victim by dancing in front of him and appearing happy before giving him life changing injuries. As the song plays the camera pans away from the characters but groans of pain can still be heard, this tells the audience that something big is happening without showing them. Not allowing the audience to see and only letting them listen builds tension because the audience have no idea what Mr Blonde is doing to hurting the victim. The happiness in Mr Blonde’s voice when he’s finished and the camera returns to the characters reinforces just how evil his character is.

In conclusion, sound is used in many different ways to build tension, it can be used to reinforce emotions or to unnerve the audience. Sound adds emotions to scenes that can’t be added by visuals or dialogue by itself.