Initial Ideas for Sound

Once the crucial ideas for our short production were laid out on the table, the group began to consider suitable Iconography, setting, location and sound for the psychological/thriller. Bestowed with the role of sound, I shall base this post purely on the sound I fundamentally envision, in a way that entwines successfully with the cinematic frameworks of mise-en-scene, cinematography and editing. Although some of the diegetic and non diegetic sounds I shall post may contain featured works of renowned artists, I cannot stress enough that we do not plan to use these extracts, moreover, I would like to state that they are merely an illustration of what we plan to use.

Before I delve straight into the realms of sound within our short, I feel it is paramount to consider the protagonist at hand. In any film, from the blockbusters to the independent shorts, it seems essential to base and mould all sound around their disposition. Otherwise, the other factions of cinema clash (unless the sound is contrapuntal).

As the short primarily starts, we plan on using an establishing shot of a perished figure lying in a bath. Here such ghastly horror will be layered with perhaps the non-diegetic sound of a distorted radio, unremorsefully buzzing away through layers of static, while a solitary radio DJ or News/Traffic Reporter mummers in and out of speech. Alongside this, we may toy with the alternate tangent of absolute silence as the camera gingerly pans over the wire. Both create a sense of atmospheric allure, something which instantaneously arises questioning/enigmas.

Following this scene, the audience are finally acquainted with the protagonist, a mystifying figure shaving in front of a mirror. Here, I feel the audience need to embrace this character as quickly as possible, as his role is paramount to the success of our short. Therefore, any diegetic music would disturb such relationship. Therefore, the audience should be left with an uncomfortable looming silence of the razor gliding across the protagonists face.

Despite the fact that the school cameras are notoriously well known for not detecting diegetic sound, we have been forced through our plotline to offer some form of dialogue to the table. Here, the conversation will be shared hopefully through a cross-cutting shot involving a psychiatrist and the protagonist. Considering that one man is a trained master of his occupation, while the protagonist is a somewhat profound, frenetic, tortured soul, the dialogue should therefore be somewhat philosophical, abstract and at times heated.

In terms of non-diegetic sound, the melodies which are featured throughout the panning shot sequence of the countryside should anchor the undisclosed thoughts that lie within our protagonist psyche, a melodic rhythm or vibe which conveys both a positive and negative form of diction throughout. A song or instrumental deep cut which resembles the sound I would like to capture is that of “Treefingers” by Radiohead or "Straumnes", composed by Icelandic band Sigur Ros . Something resembling this could double up and blend with the mise-en-scene of our protagonist, somebody whom on the outside is screaming for acceptance, while almost everything internal is pulling them away from the mainstream light, coincidentally, everything Radiohead stand for as a band.

Most recently the group have been devising ways of connoting that the protagonist is cracking somehow by the pressures of life. So far, we have conjured up the plan of a clock, ticking in an anti-clockwise fashion. Symbolically this could represent sparse time, impending doom etc. However, opposed to diegetic sound, we want to progressively build this sound, along with other household appliances, perhaps a kettle etc to mirror the building and relentless pressures of life. The reason we have chose non-diegetic over diegetic is simply due to the fact that the sound will be easier to progressively rise through Pinnacle Editing.

Towards the films heated conclusion, we could once again follow variable tangents. The simple use of silence could mimic the solitary, dismal, and lonely life of a misunderstood killer. On the other hand, we could follow the alternate route of the non-diegetic sound of the distorted radio (used in establishing shot) while the protagonist performs his devious misdemeanour. Here the sound will instantaneously cut out-to convey the victim inside the bath has perished, thereby symbolising the end of the film. Finally, we could gradually build the non-diegetic sound, to an almost tribal, animalistic point of murder. Once the deed is done, the non-diegetic sound could rise above the cusp and return back to soothed yet menacing “Treefingers” instrumental, to portray that while the storm has died down, there will always be some lurking pain within the protagonists' life.

Here are some primitive ideas for sound. Some may not exactly work within specific scenes, a common dilemma within the world of shooting and editing. However, I feel that this post at least serves as a starting point within the cinematic framework of Sound. It should therefore be interesting to compare once the editing is complete to see if the sound resembles this post in any particular way.