Sound Analysis

Media Sound Analysis: Mama Trailer

Sound plays a vital role in a thriller movie because it helps to create suspense and keeps the audience engaged.

One significant point for sound in the clip was when the scientist is talking about the two girls to the male and female characters, we see his side profile but we don't see him actually speaking so that makes it a non diegetic sound. Also we hear the sound carry on into the next scenes, which makes it a voice over too. This is conventional to a thriller film because you would normally have someone who would explain what is going on to the protagonists and try to give them advice as if they are a mentor or an informer. Using this in a thriller film can help the audience understand what is going on in the movie a little more, however it can be used to confuse the audience too. In some thriller movies, you get a person who is pretending to help the protagonists/victims when they are really a antagonist who is just leading them on the wrong path. 

Another point is the off screen sound is when the mother and older girl are talking and as she looks at the door, there is an eerie sound. This is conventional because you expect to hear weird and unusual sounds in a thriller movie because there is always a sense of mystery and the sound can help keep the audience engaged and intrigued. We also know that the sound is an off screen one because there is nothing in the scene that's Luke make that kind of noise and from the type of sound that it is, you can tell that it would have been added in when they were editing. The eerie sounds can also make the audience pay more attention because they know that something important is going to happen if that kind of sound is playing.

The last sound that I analysed was a contrapuntal sound that happens at the end of the clip, where the youngest girl smiles at the camera, yet there is still some sort of scary, sinister music playing. With the girl smiling, you would expect the sound to turn lighter but with it staying the same, you can see that it is a contrapuntal sound. This is because a contrapuntal sound is when the sound doesn't fit the scene and expectation and this happens when the sound doesn't change whilst she is smiling. This is very conventional of a thriller film because they will try to trick and confuse the audience so that later on, when some action or a climax comes up, you will be more scared and will not expect it as much. This will also cause the audience to remember the scene more because of the scare, so this is why they use it in thrillers.

From my analysis of the 'Mama' trailer, I have learnt that the sound can help with the impact that the scene can have on the audience and it can help to keep the audience engaged with the film. This has also helped me with my decision with what sounds I should use in my own thriller film.