Music/Soundtrack

Here I am going to discuss what Music and Soundtracks we are using throughout the whole of the opening. We have several different soundtracks that separate certain parts of the opening, this means making sure the flashbacks are separate from the rest of the dialogue in the opening. Here are the tracks we are using in our opening.

Here is one of the soundtracks we will be using in our opening, this one in particular is important as it will be the main track, this includes being played through the majority of the opening. It was a difficult track to find as the parts it would be played in are everywhere apart from the flashbacks. Meaning those parts aren't as tension filled like the flashbacks, this meant we needed to find something with neutral qualities as well as having on edge sounds/tones. It had to be quite eerie to build the suspense slowly but couldn't be too tense otherwise the audience would prepare for a climax that would not be there, this would be incorrect and not effective at all. We went on to research thriller films, this lead us to the thriller 'Gone Girl' where we listened to their soundtrack, seeing if any of their songs would go well with our opening. After listening to all of the tracks we found that a lot of them were quite loud and built tension too frequently for it to go with our dialogue effectively. However we found that number 13 on their soundtrack  was the most effective one for our opening, this is because majority of the time the song uses one tone throughout, (with the exception of slight tension that builds suddenly). This helped it go with the dialogue of our opening and pulled all of the shots together allowing the opening to flow better for the audience. Another point I would like to add is the song helped make the opening more dark and atmospheric as it had a very low tone and had additional sinister sound effects, hopefully putting the audience one edge. The addition of sharp and sudden sounds helps the tension build gradually for the audience while the messages come through and we build up to the flashback. To conclude, the soundtrack I have found that this song was very effective for our particular opening as it brought the whole thing together, this included the shots, cuts and change in setting/location.

 

Moreover, after seeing how successful our previous song was with our opening we decided as a group to go through the soundtrack again to see if there would be any other songs on the list that would go well with the other half of our opening. What we were looking for in a song for the second half was something that had a level of tension in it, this is because the park scene is where the suspense is at its most due to the mysterious figure and the longer flashback. This is where we found one of the songs on the list (number 24). We chose this song because it would now and then build up and release, making the suspense even more critical for the audience, as they prepare for the climax of what is about to happen. We are only using the beginning of the song as it contains the on and off builds in tension whilst still not being too dramatic, as the mystery figure that walked towards 'Lydia' turned out to be a false alarm.

This next soundtrack is what we used for the flashback in our opening. Before we found music for our flashback we discussed the idea of having separate music for the flashback as it would make it clearer for the audience that the flashback was a separate dialogue to the rest of the opening. For our first flashback we only used a small clip from the soundtrack which was from the 11 second mark to 18 seconds. This is because the first flashback is very quick as we only wanted to give the audience a small insight into what 'Lydia' has experienced during the time she was kidnapped. With the music on top it made the flashback much more sinister and mysterious as the audience will be questioning what happened to her and also puts them on edge as it nothing is explained (as it is the opening). Some characteristics of the soundtrack that I found where effective include fast jumps where the track increases in volume, and the addition of the fast cuts with the shots. This is effective because we made sure the shots went with the music, meaning they flowed well together, both were quick, putting the audience on edge.

This final soundtrack is from the film soundtrack 'The 5th Wave' which is an action packed movie with suspense full moments, meaning some of the songs on their soundtrack would be ideal for the final flashback in our opening. This is because the flashbacks are where the tension is at its highest as the audience is unaware of how or what happened exactly to 'Lydia'. After doing some independent research and listening to their soundtrack I found that one of their songs would go well with the last flashback, this would be number 15 on the soundtrack list. This is not only because the title of the song is called 'Flashback' but also because it sounds very dramatic and at the start of the song I found that it had a perfect transition we could use, from when the flashback is about to begin. Through out the rest of the section of the song I planned to use it turned less suspense full and creepy and ominous as the flashback ends. I planned to carry the music on throughout the rest of the opening, this is where the mood of the music got more sad and with the addition of the emotion on 'Lydia's' face it makes the audience sympathise with the character.