Friday 10 February 2017

Sound Design

Paranormal Activity - BBC Arts

Low frequency sounds are thought to have created fear in Paranormal Activity
While we may not be able to hear infrasound, it has been demonstrated to induce anxiety, extreme sorrow, heart palpitations and shivering.
Naturally-occurring infrasound has been associated with areas of 'supernatural activity', as well as being produced prior to natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes.
Producers of the 2002 French psychological thriller Irreversible admitted to using this technique.
Audience members reported feeling disorientated and physically ill after just half an hour of infrasound, leaving before the most shocking visual sequence on screen.
In the 2007 horror Paranormal Activity, audiences also reported toweringly high fear levels despite a lack of action onscreen. It is believed this was caused by the use of low frequency sound waves.
"It doesn't affect everyone equally," adds Ball, "but it does seem likely that in cinemas we will see, or at least feel, more of it in the future."

Image result for raging bull poster

'Infrasound, sometimes referred to as low-frequency sound, is sound that is lower in frequency than 20 Hz (hertz) or cycles per second, the "normal" limit of human hearing. Hearing becomes gradually less sensitive as frequency decreases, so for humans to perceive infrasound, the sound pressure must be sufficiently high.'

The loss in temporary sound is why in many horror or thriller films a key event takes place after this sound has been edited in, this causes a sudden hock for shock when something actually happens.

A way in which sound design is highly manipulative to the audience was in Martin Scorsese's 'RAGING BULL' which uses silence to create the effect of defeat and that intimate moment with the character and the audience of the struggle he has been through to get there.


My opinion on the silence is that it is effective due to the fact that it emphasises that point in the film almost as if time stands still and its slow motion of the film also with the camera work of switching from one fighter to the other it further shows the effect of silence gives you as the crowd cant be heard its almost you and your thoughts and that's how silence can be fundamental in being effective in a film and this is why I am going to use it with in my film opening.

Also this effect is added into horror films such as paranormal activity as there will be a silence before a major event happens to add that suspense to the roll, also this silence effect can be done by a singular sound such as in 'psycho' parsae where before the screeching violins kick in the shower adds the suspense into you knowing that something will happen however it also adds a moment of peace and tranquillity to the film before the incident/murder takes place. 
A link to see this clip and how effective its is below.


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