Research into Sound - Miss Miller

Research into Sound

Sound is vital in films, especially in the thriller genre. This is because sound in films are used for a variety of different things, for example, non diegetic sound such as background music can create suspense which engages the audience. I have chosen to analyse "American Psyco" because it has a wide range of sound terminology which I can analyse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruw9fsh3PNY

Diegetic sound - 0:34

Sound can be seen in the American Psyco, through diegetic sound. This is evident when the audience hear Patrick taking his pills, the sound  shows the audience how mental he is because he has to take pills to keep his mental state. It also shows the audience that the antagonist is mad/crazy which is conventional to thriller antagonists. This is conventional to the thriller genre because it shows how unstable and twisted the antagonist is. This engages the audience as they know how twisted and abnormal the antagonist is which scares the audience and keeps them excited. This helps the audience build a relationship with Patrick because they sympathise for him as he has to take medicine to keep himself sane.

Contrapuntal - 1:06

Contrapuntal sound can be heard by the audience when they see Patrick put on the radio to, happy up beat music, "Hip to be square" when he attempts to kill Paul. The contrapuntal sound tells the audience how twisted and weird Patrick is because the happy music doesn't match what Patrick is intending to do. This is like his personality, he is a kind uplifting person, however he is also a deadly crazy murderer. This is conventional to a thriller film because it shows the two different sides of the antagonist which excites and engages the audience because they are able to see what the characters in the film can't. This helps the audience build a relationship with Patrick because they are able to see the two different sides of him which helps the audience to understand him better. 

Parallel sound - 1:29

Parallel sound can be heard in the American Psyco when Patrick axes Paul in the back go his head, killing him. This shows the audience that he is a mental, smart, physical killer as he is smart to not leave any blood stains but also likes to do it the dirty way. The parallel sound was used to exaggerate how violent he is towards Paul. This also tells the audience the type of personality he has. He is portrayed as a quirky psyco murderer which the audience have most likely not seen usually. This is conventional to a thriller film because the antagonist is abnormal and strange which gives them a sense of mystery. All which engages the audience as they are unsure of what he will do next seeing as his personality is so unusual. This keeps the audience questioning his mental health.

Another editing terminology can be heard through, on screen sound. This is evident when the audience watch Patrick screaming whilst running towards Paul with an axe. The on screen sound shows the audience how much built up anger and frustration he has for Paul as he lets it all out  in a scream and physical violence. This also shows the audience his other side which is dark and sinister. This engages the audience as they are waiting to see what Patrick will do next seeing as he just snapped in an instant. This is conventional to a thriller film because it shows the audience the real side of the antagonist and what they are capable of. All in all engaging the audience as they wait to see what else he is capable of and who his next victim could be. The audience can then build a relationship with Patrick as they fear what he might do next could put him in a bad position, thus making the audience petrified about what consequences Patrick might have to face.


To conclude, I think that this research has helped me to further understand the uses and the importance of sound in a thriller sequence. It has strengthened my knowledge of how various different types of sound can be used to portray hidden meanings. I think that this sequence has had the audience feeling a sense of shock and surprise because they did not expect him to kill the man due to his completely different attitude towards him in the first place. Overall, the extract used a variety of different sounds to engaged the audience and build tension and suspense to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.