https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNbJE0y29_c
(Sandberg, 2013)
The initial idea for my DPT project was to create a sound piece based on the distortion of an idea; aiming to challenge the perception of a song, story or poem and manipulate its message. After much research into my concept, a constant subject arose and a key theme became apparent – the psychology of horror. From this, I began to investigate the ways in which horror films use sound to create an uncomfortable experience that psychologically effects the viewer; that effect that forces them to sleep with the lights on.
During my research, I discovered the short film ‘Lights Out’ by David F. Sandberg. The sound played in the film is a great contrast between the everyday vs. the extraordinary, the natural vs. the supernatural, and the comfortable vs. the uncomfortable; bringing those haunting encounters straight into your own home.
Within the film, Sandberg uses the sound the inform the imagery and vice versa, creating one atmosphere with the lights on and another with the lights out. The contrast between these sounds, for example, the familiar sound of a light switch vs. the deep sound of a fog horn, builds the suspense and anxiety that runs throughout the film.
When initially creating my sound, I used this concept to inform my experiments. I aimed to manipulate the understanding of the piece by using contrast to challenge the interpretation of its meaning, whilst simultaneously enforcing an uncomfortable, yet known experience upon the viewer. Overall, my aim was to create an invasive sound that, as stated above, resulted in haunting encounter in your own home, emphasizing that psychological feeling of horror and creating a sound that took you out of your comfort zone, whilst at the same time, keeping you in it.
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Sandberg, D. (2013) Light’s Out 2013. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNbJE0y29_c [Accessed 20 December 2017].