Our first film that we analysed is called 'The Watcher', this is a crime thriller. We have analysed the different sound effects, the music, any dialogue used or even just silence.
From the first five seconds of the clip we can immediately hear a loud bong noise which is then followed by a tapping sound effect. They are both continued and repeated around every five seconds, which is also when actors and producers names simultaneously appear on screen in time with the thumping effects. After a while of hearing the repetitive sounds there are two taps of a chime on the triangle proceeding to the noise of a squeaky door opening. As the 40 seconds of the clip arrives the title appears with the music becoming louder, more intense and engaging the audience. The frequent tapping stops and is replaced with a CD scratching sound effect.
Throughout the middle of the opening sequence, the high pitched sounds start to appear and a violin slowly approaches the soundtrack becoming more noticeable as it proceeds. Around about 1:15, dialogue of a female voice singing gradually begins to get louder and then fades away quietly so we can just about hear it over the soundtrack. Towards the ending of the clip, all the sounds that have come together previously speeds up and increasingly becomes louder to create suspense for the audience.
Our second choice of film which we analysed is called 'The Sixth Sense' which is a psychological thriller. We have again analysed the different sound effects, the music, any dialogue used or even just silence.
The beginning of this two minute opening sequence starts off with a wind sound effect. A violin sound which fades in and out every few seconds, is added during this wind sound effect. Both of these sounds being played together creates tension as the film starts. This violin sound is heard every time a name appeared on screen. As the title 'The Sixth Sense' approaches the screen, the violin comes back in but a lot more louder and faster, followed by the sound of a crash symbol.
As we become further into the opening sequence, the violin carries on but this time with a piano being played in the background while names are showing on screen. Suddenly, a drum comes in which gives the effect that it is building up to the opening of the film. This is followed by increasing levels of violin, however, as we see the cast and crew names on the screen, the levels of violin is sustained at an average pace. The violin then begins to fade in and out and the piano is changing from low key to high key in a repetitive pattern as more of the cast and crew names appear.
As for the comparison between the sound and music of these two thriller films we can notice that there are both similarities and differences. In terms of similarities we can recognise that both soundtracks have a high level of tempo when the title sequence appears on screen. Yet, the pace of the soundtrack for both films are different. For example, they both run on different paces which then portrays different meanings. Both of these films include the same instrument at some point - a violin. However, The Watcher includes a female singing/humming a tune, where as The Sixth Sense does not have any dialogue in the opening sequence. On the other hand, The Sixth Sense includes a lot more instruments than The Watcher does, for example, a violin, a drum and a piano. We may think that because The Watcher only includes very few instruments that it will be less effective but in actual fact it has a lot more sound effects which make up for the lack of instruments used. We feel that based on the sound of the opening sequence The Sixth Sense is a lot more engaging as it builds up tension in a more detailed way than The Watcher where it starts off with a loud bang. The Sixth Sense also has a more thriller feel to it where as, if you only listened to The Watcher, you could mistake it for an action thriller soundtrack, due to the fast pace and vibrant sound effects.
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