Evaluation
Here is a series of points that need considering for the final edit:
- Sound mixing needs to be organised so that the cuts between shots can be as smooth (and therefore as non-distracting) as possible, so the audience can get emotionally involved in the film
- Soundtrack is ABSOLUTELY necessary to increase the tense, thrilling atmosphere we're going for
- Perhaps heartbeat or heavy/close breathing sounds could be added for extra effect
- Monster sound effects need to be added multiple times
- The first shot with the left-turn sign post in has no sound
- The title and credits need doing properly
- There needs to be proper credits
- The description could be altered to show more about the brief etc.
While I agree with the idea of the addition of the sound effects of the unknown entity, as well as the heavy breathing and heartbeat, I believe that the lack of non-diegetic sound emphasises the intensity of the sequence. I think we should consider this for our final project, as a soundtrack could possibly ruin a well established opening.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if we can successfully create or - most likely - find a suitable soundtrack to fit our final project, akin to that of e.g. The Shining (Kubrik, 1980), we could enhance the conventions of psychological horror.
In conclusion, I am proud of the work that we have done, and it definitely feels as if we are making good progress in terms of our film and editing skills (not to mention acting), and we can keep all of this in mind for future projects.
Using entirely diegetic sound could be an interesting stylistic feature and is definitely worth exploring, however there are two main issues with that. The first is that we have to show an understanding of the codes and conventions of the genre, soundtrack included and if we choose not to use a soundtrack we potentially risk making ourselves look amateur (sound is arguably the biggest difference between home and feature films).
ReplyDeleteThe trick is that if we want to make the film without a soundtrack we HAVE to emphasise that it is a CHOSEN stylistic feature, and be able to back our choice up with an argument other than, "We thought it was cool".
In conclusion I agree that we need to explore the idea, but it is a heavy risk to run and could produce different reactions in different people.
We could emphasise the stylistic feature by using other kinds of sound effects, i.e. background noise of a city (just an example), mechanical humming or the like, especially if our film opening is to be set in an urban setting,
DeleteWhat I am afraid of is, in case we do use a soundtrack, it'll break the traditional conventions and could potentially throw the opening off-genre. If we have something that is too upbeat, we could risk the audience believing that what we're filming is more of an action-thriller, instead of a psychological horror. If we use something that is over-the-top, it would destroy the main psychological terror that we're trying to put into our audience.
If we are to use a soundtrack, I'd suggest it being subtle so that it doesn't overpower the dialogue, yet prominent enough for the audience to notice it.
Let's talk about it in detail once we have our concept down.
Excellent discussion on key technical aspects. Your sequence shows real promise, while editing would need to be more precise, some shots are too long, there is some excellent understanding of contiunity here and interesting range of angles / composition.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of sound; remember that soundtrack encompasses diagetic as well as non-diagetic sound. It might be interesting to try omiting atmospheric music; instead experiment with amplifying aspects of diagetic sound to create tension and discord.