Thriller soundtracks - From Films

Soundtracks - Thriller films

Here I am going to present a variety of different thriller scenes, from different films. I shall analyse them, saying why they are conventional to thrillers, and how they relate to what is going on at this particular point in the film.




Here we see a great example of a monotonous sound playing to build up tension. doing this, the audience becomes 'stuck' to the screen, and are paying quite a lot of attention to the soundtrack, as it goes along with the action going on on the screen. The music then changes and more instruments are introduced, to tell us that something is about to happen most likely. This method can also be used to create a red herring, as the soundtrack makes us feel that something is about to happen, when it isn't.
In the case of this film, this piece is used a couple of times. It is most known for playing at the beginning, the boat scene. Using this heavy piece tells the audience that the location the characters are heading to is not a good place, and you don't even have to look at the screen to know this, although it is supported by the pictures which come up on screen.
The soundtrack could also relate to a boats horn. A boat will use its horn when it is in distress, to attempt to alert help. This particular soundtrack sounds very much like a horn, and could be foreshadowing the fact that the people on this boat are going to become in distress.






Here we can hear a more fast paced theme playing, as batman fits more into the action-thriller genre. The fast pace is used to fit the conventions of an action film, but in the background we can hear this repetitive drum sound and bass sounds, which fit more into the thriller conventions, making it perfect for the combinations. The cello (string noise) playing also has its thriller conventions, as it is a very mysterious sound, and it is the main thing which entices the audience and keeps them watching.
This soundtrack fits the film well, as Batman is always in a high speed chase or a fight, so having this fast paced soundtrack really fits his character.
This piece also sounds very dark, which is rather fitting, as it is the dark knight. This piece is used to represent the dark knights personality and maybe even is current mindset at the current time of the music. Is he built up with anger and hate when the fast pace music is playing? When it goes soft, is he feeling some sympathy?




If you concentrate more on the actual opening, we hear this very innocent few notes being played, with very soft wind instruments and string instruments. Along with this, we hear very young children in the background giggling. This part of the music shows innocence and youth, which we know is taken away from the main character, Hanibal. The music then changes to more aggressive sounds, which tells the audience something is going to happen, this is followed by bombs going off. The sounds in this clip follow very closely what is going on in the shot, as it is a flashback (a very 'thriller' convention).
When the innocent playful music is going on, we can tell something bad is going to happen, it just tells us children are involved, and makes the tension even greater, because audience hates to see bad things happen to children. The scenes become quite graphic and the music certainly follows this pattern. If the music had a picture, it would be very aggressive and horrible to watch, just like the scene being shown on screen.