Author: elr1e15

(Watkins, 2012)

The sound piece I have created is based on a ‘prequel’ to the 2012 film of ‘The Woman in Black’. It focuses on the story of how her young son died in the marsh whilst she watched from a window whilst she was alive, resulting in her killing the children of anyone who saw her when she was a ghost.

When studying the book, I discovered that the story was set in the Victorian era; and therefore, I began to investigate the toys used by children during this time – one toy I discovered was a zoetrope. As you can see above, during the 2012 film, Arthur Kipps, played by Daniel Radcliff, spins a zoetrope that he finds placed on a table at Eel Marsh house, which is then peered through by The Woman in Black. It is suggested that this is the toy of her late son, left to age within this old house. The sound that accompanies the scene portrays a contrast between the natural sound of the toy spinning vs. the high pitched noise played when The Woman in Black appears.

Similarly to this scene, I would like to continue with the use of this toy, creating a link to both the film and the book itself. I aim to ensure the consistency by using the same image strip of the clown passing his head from one body to another, whilst also designing image strips that relate directly to the story of my sound piece, for example an image of a young boy and an image of a horse. I will use the sound that I’ve created to inform my images, whilst integrating typography between each clip.

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Watkins, J. (2012) The Woman in Black Zoetrope Scene. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NciHnBTaJ5w [Accessed 22 December 2017].

(Derrickson, 2012)

My initial aim was to use shadows and silhouettes to build suspense and anxiety within my film trailer, whilst at the same time, giving limited information to the viewer. After experimenting with this concept, I wanted to develop a more emotive outcome, one that wasn’t so distant from my sound. During my research, I discovered the ‘Sinister’ film trailer that uses the theme of memory in order to tell the story; this is portrayed through a projector and old film strips that are consistent throughout the length of the trailer.

Within the trailer, the sound changes momentarily to a high pitched gasp, whilst simultaneously altering the image to fit. An aged, cracked screen then appears along with an ink-bleed typeface used to quote what is happening within the trailer, for example “nothing can save you” – using these glimpses to reinforce that psychological feeling of horror.

Similarly to this trailer, I aim to continue with the use of memory and familiarity when creating my images. I would like to use the repetitive elements within my sound to add typography into my trailer and build the story, whilst using a typeface that compliments the genre.

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Derrickson, S. (2012) Sinister Trailer. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kbQAJR9YWQ [Accessed 21 December 2017].

(The Mill, 2014)

The aim of my sound piece was to create an uncomfortable experience full of suspense and anxiety, that left the viewers wondering what they had heard. From this, I wanted to explore how I could convert this theme into a visual language, using images that again, left questions with the audience.

My initial aim was to contrast the two elements of my film trailer – a literal sound to a lateral image, or vice versa; playing on how something familiar could simultaneously become unfamiliar, bringing the supernatural straight into the everyday.

I have always been fascinated by the way silhouettes can reveal everything and nothing at the same time, and wanted to explore this concept within my film trailer. During my research, I discovered the ‘Marco Polo’ title sequence by The Mill. During the title sequence, ink is used to mimic traditional Chinese painting, creating silhouettes of landscapes, animals and people, whilst gently flowing across the scene in sync with the sound played. As the sound changes, so does the image, continuing to spread and flow simultaneously to the rhythm of the music.

The use of these elements have greatly informed my experiments. I am intrigued by the way sound and image have been combined through movement and rhythm to allow for a brief insight into the contents of the series, creating questions and yet giving the answers at the same time.

Similarly to this title sequence, I would like to continue with the theme of limited information, allowing only a small amount of knowledge to be gained from my trailer. I will also design the images that I will use within my trailer to symbolize the key events of my story, for example, when the boy dies; therefore, creating questions from the answers.

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The Mill (2014) Marco Polo Title Sequence. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6onwcVx8BDg [Accessed 21 December 2017].

After research into ‘The Woman in Black’ 2012 film trailer, it is apparent that tension and suspense have been built through the layering of sound. The aim of my ‘prequel’ trailer is to mimic this technique, however, I will initially base my sound on extracts of Susan Hill’s original book.

After reading the book, three quotations have become key influences in allowing me to construct my sound:

• “[Kipps] Now, out on those same marshes, the whole episode, or a ghost, a shadow, a memory of it, somehow happened again and again… but nothing could be seen, only heard.”
• “[Kipps] An event, and that a dreadful, tragic one, of many years ago, which had taken place and had been done with, was somehow taking place over and over again, repeating itself in some dimension other than the normal, present one…”
• “[Daily] You’ve gone through some rough seas… [Kipps] well, I’m in the calm after the storm now and there’s an end to it”

Using these three quotations, I would like to focus my sound piece on the initial story of the child (The Woman in Black’s son) drowning in the marsh, as well as integrate the key themes that I have discovered: repetition, the extraordinary in the everyday, and perplexity. I also aim to use these descriptions to later inform my imagery, again, focusing on these themes.

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Hill, S. (1998) The Woman in Black. New York: Vintage.

(Watkins, 2012)

I have always been interested in the difference between how a story is portrayed through a book vs. how the same story is portrayed through a film, specifically, the way this is shown in ‘The Woman in Black’.

The aim of my sound piece was to create a film trailer for ‘The Woman in Black’, yet for a ‘prequel’ – portraying the story that sets up the 2012 film, based on the text from Susan Hill’s book; and focusing on how the Woman in Black came to be.

As you can see above, the original trailer for the 2012 film uses sound to build the atmosphere and intensity of the piece. It begins with the howling of the wind and continues to layer the music over the length of the trailer, through percussion instruments and the voice of a child reading a poem based on the film’s story. The use of this technique adds to this psychological feeling of horror; whilst taking us out of our comfort zone, as if we were to expect a fright.

Similarly to this trailer, I aim to continue with the theme of layering sound in order to create an intense and haunting piece. I will also use the output of my headphones to control the sound I create and magnify its impact on the listener; again, taking them out of their comfort zone and encouraging them to question the sounds that they hear.

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Watkins, J. (2012) The Woman in Black Trailer. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYMUnJGURI [Accessed 20 December 2017].

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].