Sound plays an important role in psychological thriller as it is used to heighten tension and suspense for the audience, because without it psychological thrillers would not have the same effect on its viewers. As well as this, music helps to exemplify specific fragments of the film and make a scene stand out from the others. Since my film opening is going to be psychological thriller, it is going to rely heavily on sound clips.

Before choosing sounds to go for my film opening, I did some research on common sounds used in psychological thrillers. Silence is commonly used as the contrast creates a more intense atmosphere for the audience and the feeling of suspense and the unknown.

Lots of diegetic sounds are used in psychological thrillers, but this is totally dependent on the narrative. Additionally, diegetic sounds are used to show tension and emotion, and this is essential when I make my opening sequence as it creates an eerie atmosphere. Furthermore, I plan to add non-diegetic sound to add to the mysterious and sinister atmosphere.

DIEGETIC	NON-DIEGETIC
• Sobbing • Screaming • Whispering • Banging • Footsteps •  Gunshots	• High-pitched violins • High-pitched string percussion • Low-pitched string percussion • Fast paced music • Slow piano • Drone

When approaching the sound for Reflection, some factors had to be considered. Would the soundtrack compliment my opening sequence, and would it convey any emotions? After looking through countless "scary sound effects" playlists on YouTube, I came across three soundtracks that I will be using for my film opening:





I decided to use these sound clips in my film opening, because the first time I listened to them it gave me goosebumps and I knew these were the perfect choice because it will create a very eerie and ominous atmosphere. Additionally, it was a learning process to know how to properly fit the sound effects; such as a pencil drop, or to clean up audio to making it match for the final cut of the video clip. Below is a (zoomed out) view of the audio timeline section of my second draft. This is to give an overview of how much sound has been used in this film opening:


Since my film opening is a psychological thriller, the small bits of sound are vital in creating the atmosphere and portraying what is going on. Whispering, pencils drops, pencil scratches - they all help add and intensify the atmosphere, further carried by the theme used. To record the diegetic sound, I borrowed a shotgun microphone from class and attached it onto my camera. I thought that by adding the sound of the pencil drop, turning pages and the book abruptly closing, it would add more depth into my opening sequence.

Initially, I wanted to add a voice-over of the female character, but I now think the soundtrack is much more effective and greatly contributes in sending a particular message across to the audience.