Research into Sound - Miss Miller

Research into Sound

In this post I will be researching how sound is used for effect in my chosen clip from 'The Shining' (1980). Sound, in terms of film, is what we hear on the screen as we watch whether it be the dialogue or non-diagetic sound, sound that isn't part of the film world, as well as other different sound techniques, those two just being an example. In thriller films, sound is used in the genre to create shock, suspense and surprise in the audience at different times like, for example, if a victim were moving around a house with the killer coming up behind them, the audience would hear non-diegetic sound to create suspense in the audience. In the scene that I'm analyzing, Jack (Jack Nicholson) goes insane and attempts to murder his family, Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and Danny (Danny Lloyd), with an axe in their family's apartment in the lodge the family has been tasked with looking after. The URL for the scene is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDpipB4yehk.


In the clip from 'The Shining', sound is used in the form of non-diegetic sound to create suspense in the audience. The audience hear a high-pitched, scratching sound as Johnny walks down the hallway of their apartment, this can be heard from 0:00-0:30 in the clip. This tells the audience that Jack is now blinded by his rage and can't see past what his anger and his desire to kill his family. The sound in the scene mimics this as it is very piercing and uncomfortable to hear although the audience can't hear past it, and it can be assumed that this is somewhat like what Jack is hearing that is making him unable to see reason. This use of sound creates suspense in the audience as they want to know what he is going to do to his family or why he wants to do it, as his wife and child's reluctance to outright kill him shows that  they have love for him and want to talk him out of his current state, supporting the idea that the audience feel suspense. This creates a relationship between the audience and Jack as they feel sympathy for him due to his rapidly deteriorating mental state that is causing him to want to kill his family, something that is not normal for a father to want to do which suggests something has manipulated him to want to kill his family that he can't overpower, represented by the scratching sounds. This is conventional in the thriller genre as we expect to see the victim attempt to escape from the killer that is unable to control themselves and has an overwhelming desire to murder someone.

In the clip from 'The Shining', sound is used in the form of on-screen sound in order to create shock in the audience. The audience hear the sound of the axe making a constant thump against the bathroom door as Jack tries to get into the bathroom, it can be heard from 1:17-2:00. This thumping of the axe tells the audience that Wendy is in danger and Jack is very determined to get to her due to the constant thumping showing that he did not slow down when trying to get to her, creating suspense as the audience have to await him coming through the door to find out what he has planned for her, something that takes a nail-biting 47 seconds of continuous thumping. The banging of the axe can also represent Jack's heartbeat and how calm he appears in his methods even though he has to chase someone to kill them, this shows how confident he is in his power over the two as he does not worry about how long it takes him, knowing he will get there before she escapes. This use of sound creates shock in the audience as the thump is loud and unexpected, causing a jump in Wendy that the audience may also take part in, while there is suspense in the scene also as with each shocking bang the audience is left to think of Wendy's fate if Jack gets through and what he will do with her with the axe. The audience feels sympathy and are frightened for Wendy as she is put into a horrible position of being trapped in a bathroom with no way out while her husband is chopping down the door trying to kill her while she has only a knife, at this point the audience want her to have a chance to escape as she is the victim of the killer and is in a weaker position than the antagonist. This is conventional of the thriller genre as the audience expect for the killer to have the more dominant position over the victim, as well as there to be a chase scene between the killer and victim to create excitement and suspense as the victim attempts to get away.

In the clip of 'The Shining', sound is used in the form of silence to create suspense in the audience. The audience hear a few seconds of silence as Jack goes to open the locked bathroom door but after he realizes he can't get in the scratchy noise can be heard again, the silence can be heard at 00:30-00:34. This tells the audience that Jack sees the locked door as being an obstacle in his way that is blocking his rampage temporarily before he breaks it down, shown by the silence, as well as showing he retains some of his wit as he can stop the scratching in his head to think on how he can get to Wendy by chopping the door down. The silence also suggests to the audience that the locked door will stop Jack from attempting her as he can see that he can no longer get to her. This creates suspense as the audience do not know what to expect next as Jack's face shows that he does not seem to be disappointed that the door is locked so the audience must wait and see what his next action is and how he plans on getting into the bathroom, although it can be assumed he will use the axe as it is readily available to him. This also makes the audience want to know more about Jack as his actions are almost humorous in the fact that when he is unable to open the door and resorts to breaking through the door he begins reciting a child's poem, so the audience want to know why he would sing this and whether he sees this as a game. This is conventional for the audience as they think the victim is safe and has managed to escape from the killer, while the killer appears to have given up before giving the murder another attempt.

In the clip of 'The Shining', sound is used in the form of parallel sound to create shock in the audience. The audience hear high scratchy noises throughout the scene, with only a few gaps of silence, with the sound increasing and decreasing in volume for the duration of the scene. This tells the audience that the scene is very chaotic due to the events on screen, a potential killing, and that the audience's focus is kept on what is happening in the scene. This constant noise could represent Wendy's feeling as, unlike Jack being distracted with chopping down the door, she is focused on saving herself and Danny and so is always paying attention to the insanity that Jack is developing in order to keep ahead of him. This creates shock in the audience as they have to constantly listen to the sound of the scratching tune that keeps them uncomfortable and unable to be at ease, with it making constant dips to take the audience by surprise without actually leaving the audience's ears, this can be drawn parallel to Jack as his actions are sometimes unexpected, like reciting children's stories. This scene reinforces the feeling of sympathy for Wendy as she is an incredibly vulnerable state and has to worry about her safety as well as Danny's safety while also trying to fend off Jack's sanity. This is conventional as we expect to see the victim in a weakened state while going against the killer in an attempt to create tension in the audience as they don't know whether the victim will get away from the killer.

This research has helped me to learn how sound is applied to successful films and how I can use it to my own thriller sequence and achieve my own success in the same way the analysed film sequence has. This sequence has created suspense as not a lot happens in the sequence although the audience is always left the audience wondering what could happen rather than what will happen as there is a lot of different things going on in the scene with Jack breaking down the door, Danny running off into the night and Wendy left in the bathroom with a knife.The research has helped me to see different kinds of sound techniques and how I can use them in my scene for a effect like the ones used in the film, although I will have to know my own limitations as my sequence will not have the facilities that this film did. I would like to use an on-screen sound like the axe in order to mimic the heartbeat of the audience and manipulate them into feeling tension. I would also like to use silence tactfully to create extreme tension in the audience. Both of these techniques are easy to use but can also be very powerful if used properly like in this scene.