Conventions Of A Thriller SoundtrackDaniel Bruce

Pace The soundtrack of a Thriller film must always match the pace of the film

itself. Thriller films are classically known for their fast paced action and willingness to toy with the audiences emotions, and one of the ways it can do this is through the pace of the soundtrack. In a cinema, when the noise is loud the soundtrack to a film can truly encapsulate and audience and make their heart beat increasingly faster, when you collaborate this with the action of the film then you guarantee that the audience stay entertained. A clear example of this is in Batman The Dark Knight Rises, as seen as the tension builds to coincide with the movie itself. I myself feel that the pace we were able to keep in our opening sequence made the film twice as good and improved the visual quality as well as the sound.

Tension Sound is ultimately the bearer of tension in virtually every single thriller film,

the sound itself if used correctly can draw the audience in to a film until a point where the director can truly play with their audience, increasing their enjoyment levels and empathy in to the film. A prime example of how tension via a soundtrack is used in a thriller film is Jaws, the constant rhythm of the soundtrack keeps the audience guessing and so when and if the shark will strike. I feel that I made sure tension built increasingly in my final opening title sequence, Ultimatum. The final showdown scene itself is electrified by the sheer tension created by the immensity of the soundtrack, and I feel if the soundtrack was not present the audience wouldn't’t be drawn in at all.

Mood Created I feel that a soundtrack can control the overall portrayal of a film to an

audience. For example if a soundtrack features a lot of heavy, dark sounds it can suggest anger coming from either antagonist or protagonist, whereas if the soundtrack is slower paced and opera based this could suggest one of the characters is sad or possibly someone has died in the film. I feel that our opening sequence uses sound to brilliantly demonstrate the emotions of the characters at the time. For example, at the start of the final opening sequence the sound is quite jumpy and vibrant suggesting a level of work is being done, or to show that time is passing by fast in the film. However, once Jack receives the highly emotional call that if he does not see through the murder then his son will die the beat begins to turn like the weather. All of a sudden the atmosphere becomes very dark and loud, the audience begin to see a much more serious and focused look on Jack’s face telling them that action is about to occur and the new equilibrium has begun.