Sound Research - The Descent

Watching the film trailer without sound firstly, created a sense of disturbance through the images shown. At the start of the trailer we are shown a group photo of young girls. The photo is shown to us in black and white emulating a typical psychological thriller convention, memory. The use of the black and white effect on the photo imply the torture of the group of girls by a traumatic memory. We are shown various shots of the girls lowering themselves into a cave and climbing through holes and crevasses in rock climbing gear. While these play we are shown certain phobia's and dark elements of pot-holing and abseiling. These include claustrophobia, disorientation and hallucination. A final word is highlighted with a shuddering motion, 'Fear'. The 'shudder' motion on the title mimics the viewers reaction to it. All the words are written in scrawny and scratchy writing creating a sense of unease in the viewer. Part of the film is then filmed in a handheld/night vision style questioning the audience's perception on reality. A view from the handheld camera makes the events in the film seem more realistic, particularly when a disturbing figure is highlighted behind one girl. These images make us feel fear for the protagonist and creates mystery as to what the antagonist could be.

After watching the trailer again with sound, I find that the trailer doesn't contain any form of a soundtrack. This brings the viewer out of their comfort zone as all they have for sound are strange, reversed noises. These sounds link in with the black and white photo and the concept of memory. The rest of the trailer is filled with echo-like noises to reflect the atmosphere of the cave in which they are trapped. This creates an element of isolation not just for our protagonists but also for the viewer. Towards the end of the trailer the pace of editing speeds up, thus the tension in the sound rises. The use of volume within the sound effects the viewer's anticipation as the rising sound makes the viewer feel almost threatened by the amount of information being thrown at them. Thus making us feel the character's fear within the scene.

After watching this I feel the main aim of sound within a thriller opening is suspense and surprise. It needs to reflect the pace of the editing and make the viewer feel what the protagonist feels to signify their weakness in the film. This creates a sense of fear within the audience as it means the characters and events in the film are real and believable. This forces a viewer to be involved and play a part in the story.