Sound Research

For my film, I will need to use specific horror motifs to really make the film intense and exciting to watch. For the trailer, I will need to make it as exciting as possible to attract the audience and make the film look really effective. I found some non-copyright soundtracks that would be effective in my trailer and have analysed them below.

The first soundtrack I looked at was a suspense sound. This sequence would be effective in my trailer as it would increase tension and heighten the fear within the audience. It creates an eerie and mysterious feeling that would be perfect for the type of film I am making. Specifically, this sound would be good for introducing the antagonist and the early parts of the trailer as it establishes the genre and begins to introduce and heighten tensions. It is quite a gentle soundtrack as it would work very well with diegetic sound over it and wouldn't take away from the actual trailer. This type of sound is common in horror films and I think it would make my trailer very effective.

This sound effect is very conventional of horror films. I think that this would be effective in my trailer as it would highlight tense parts of the trailer. Adding this sound motif in during tense moments or shocking moments will make the audience feel exhilarated and want to watch more. This would be effective when the antagonist begins to get closer to the victim. However, the only thing that might be an issue is the fact that the 'boom' effect happens right at the beginning of the video, which could mean it is hard to use when editing as it is quite quick. 

The next clip is of a violin motif. These are also common in horror films, however, this type of sound effect would be used mostly in tense parts of the film/trailer, where something bad is about to happen. The way that it gets faster paced, louder and more high-pitched at the end and then cuts out is effective as it will show heightened tensions and that something bad might happen. When the sound cuts out, I will most likely put a fade to black to make the section of the trailer increasingly dramatic and tense.



Another clip I looked at was of scary whispers. This possibly won't be used in my film as it sounds primarily like children, and more supernatural than I want my film to be. This type of sound motif is used a lot in horror films as it puts the audience on edge. The echo-y effect of the whispers makes the audience feel uneasy, contributing to the horror effect. The booms in the background add to the intensity of the whispers and increase the fear and tension that the audience feel whilst listening to it. This would be effective if I used it when the victim was alone, however, it might not fit with the storyline.

The final clip I looked at was of a thunder storm. The large crash at the beginning of the clip makes you jump and so would be effective in helping to establish the genre and scene at the beginning and throughout the trailer. Pathetic fallacy is effectively used in horror films to increase tension and make the film seem scarier. This clip would be effective in my trailer as it could help to show or allude to the destruction and chaos that might happen.