Reflective Analysis - Sound in Slaughtermelon

Reflective analysis – Sound in the short film ‘Slaughtermelon’. In this Essay, I will discuss the use of sound in my shared short film ‘Slaughtermelon’, and what this sound is used for to create meaning to the audience. In regards to the sound of the film, I wanted to stick to generic sound and use the standard codes and conventions associated with both the horror and the thriller genres. I used a series of sound effects to create an authentic thrilling experience for the audience and to meet their expectations. In the opening splash-screen, I decided to use a high pitched instrumental piece, which is a minor key. This sound will instantly establish the tone and would tell the audience that there is imminent danger from the first few scenes, the music used was inspired by the horror/thriller ‘Psycho’ – more specifically the famous shower scene. I used the short sound clip on repeat as background music for the chase scene at the beginning, similar music is also used at the end of the film to create the same meaning and feeling for audiences. This high pitched violin music is disjointed and adds a dark tone, this music is conventional of the Thriller genre. It makes the audience feel uneasy, and connotes things like; danger, risks to life, and urgency. For the chase scene, I realised that the sound levels of our actor running was going to be hard to pick up on the camera because it was very windy during the shooting period. So, to fix this problem I decided to create our own sound effect. I did this by rustling leaves and recording it, then only using the audio (not the video of us kicking leaves) and edit it on afterwards and play it over the chase scene footage. I added this non-diegetic sound to create a realistic experience for the audience. Before the monster in the first scene if visually established, the audience have an idea of the creature due to the expectations I created with the use of sound during the chase. I used stock sounds from the internet, these where mummy-like deep groans. These groans where usually accompanied by a POV shot of the chaser, this ensures that the audience link up the two and realise that the chaser is an abnormal creature. This Mummy sound returns whenever the monster is on the screen, usually in the form of a Point of View shot. The non-diegetic groans connote an un-natural monster, I added these sounds to add a dramatic effect to meet the standards of the audience’s expectations. Audiences will have an expectation for the chaser and have some form of guess as to what the chaser is, by adding these sound effects I help the audience understand what this mythical creature actually is. This gives the audience a sense of appeal if their expectations are correct. Behind the rustling of leaves and the panting man, a low level ‘hum’ can be heard. This non-diegetic hum creates a sense of foreboding. The hum can sound like wind, this connotes isolations and complements he visuals of the graveyard. The scream, which is around half way through the film, is exaggerated and fits in with the conventions of the horror genre, it is left at an uncomfortable volume level purposely to shock the audience. It also acts as a vocal signifier of the end of the film within the film. After the film within Slaughtermelon is over, a wind sound can be heard. This signifies that the audience is back to the real world and the filming is over. Although the wind was loud, I chose not to re-do the dialogue after the movie because I thought that the wind added a sense of realism to the film. Towards the end of the film just before the student begins to edit the film, the audience are re-established with a familiar sound, it is the sound that was played during the chase scene in the start of the film. This time the volume level is increased suggesting a bigger threat to life. Then new non-diegetic music is played whilst the student is being suffocated. This new instrumental music is very urgent and is a minor key, it connotes the feeling of close danger and its volume reinforces this.