Sound Essay

Taken 1 - Kidnapping Scene

Sound is one of the most crucial elements to film; it can make or break a film. Sound works harmoniously with emotion and senses and in this particular clip the sound works to build up a sense of suspense and tension and also works to scare the audience.

This clip starts off with the father giving his daughter instructions over the phone. The use of the diegetic sound of dialogue helps set the tone of the film and also gives the audience important and key information to help them understand the narrative. The tone that the actor has is very calming and stern which reflects that he is giving instructions and also how he is attempting to reassure his daughter that everything is going to be alright. The calm tone he has also suggests that he has done this before, so he is well trained or experienced in situations like this.

The use of the non-diegetic soundtrack which goes over the top of the father giving instructions also helps to develop the tone of the film and provides a connotation of the genre; thriller. This non diegetic soundtrack cannot be heard by the character and is separate from the world of the film. The soundtrack at this point (00:00-00.07) develops the atmosphere for the audience and tells them that something bad is going to happen through the use of the eerie and creepy non diegetic parallel soundtrack.

When the camera goes to a mid-shot of the girl on the phone under the bed, there is a diegetic sound element used again through the use of dialogue being heard through the phone. The use of the asynchronous diegetic sound  when the dialogue from the father, who is in a different location, can be heard from the shot of the girl under the bed sets the tone for the scene. This dialogue sequence has connotations of him being helpless in her situation because he is absent from her surroundings.
The non-diegetic soundtrack used throughout  the beginning of the scene gets increasingly louder and more intense when the men enter the bedroom which connotes a sense of fear which is mirrored by the audience from the fear shown in the girl’s facial expression throughout the use of mise-en-scene.
Another example of diegetic sound being used in this clip is the sound of the girl crying and hyperventilating which connotes her fear and how upset she is by the situation. This also helps the audience to believe the reality of the scene and feel sympathy towards the character. The use of the synchronous sound of the girl crying reflects the atmosphere of the scene and also connotes her trepidation and fear of the events  that are about to happen.

The diegetic sound effect  of the doors creaking and the footsteps of the men gives the audience the key information and makes the audience fearful of the girl’s precarious situation. The use of the quick sounds of creaking doors and the fact that the footsteps are moving quite fast connotes a sense of urgency and increases the pace of the scene which generates tension. The diegetic sound puts the audience on edge as they are aware that something bad is about to happen.

The use of the diegetic dialogue between the men also provides information for the audience as they can hear the foreign voices of the men looking for the girl. The use of the foreign voices provides connotation of  mystery and confusion for the audience as they don't know what the men are saying. In addition the use of the foreigners connotes a sense of danger as usually the foreign characters are associated with evil and provide the connotation that they are the antagonists.

The use of the diegetic parallel sound of the girl screaming as she is pulled from underneath the bed is supported by the look of desperation which can be seen on the father face as this sound is played over the top of this image. The use of the sound bridge linking the two images provides a connotation of the strong bond and the close relationship between the father and the daughter and this makes her scream even more distressing for the audience because of the connotations of desperation shown by the girl juxtaposed with the helpless quality of the father. The connotations behind the sound bridge create a mood of fear and connote the events to be unpredictable/ unnerving. The use of the sound bridge of the girl screaming makes the audience more fearful for her as they cannot see her but they can hear her screams which puts them in the same helpless situation that her own father is in, which in turn brings them closer to the character.

The diegetic sound of the dialogue of the father talking to kidnappers on the phone works harmoniously with the non-diegetic soundtrack. This parallel sound heightens the tension and creates suspense and provides connotations of a battle over the girl between the two ends of the phone line.

 The parallel sound works harmoniously with the dialogue which builds up until the moment when the father says "and I will kill you" at which point the soundtrack stops thus creating a silence in the background which supports the narrative and dialogue and also connotes that a sudden change is going to happen. The use of the juxtaposition of the sudden silence against the built up non- diegetic soundtrack also connotes the confusion and the whirlwind of thoughts going through the father’s head.
This is shortly followed by a high pitched violin sound effect within the non-diegetic soundtrack which again builds up the tension as the audience are anticipating what the kidnapper is going to say. The kidnapper replies with "Good Luck" which is said in a monotonous tone creating an eerie atmosphere and also providing the connotation that there is much more to come of the battle and plea for the freedom of the girl in the proceeding scenes.

The ambient sound of the phone being put on the hook connotes a sense of a bad relationship between the characters and also a sense of mystery due to the fact that as an audience we don’t know what will happen to the protagonist; the girl. The use of the ambient sound also helps to make the scene more realistic and gives the audience information about what the character is like through his behaviour being reflected through the use of sound; hanging up the phone abruptly connotes that he is impatient and he likes things to go his way, including the success of the kidnapping of the girl.

The use of the non-diegetic and diegetic sounds in this clip really capture the narrative and heighten the tension and suspense creating a thrilling and scary scene. The meaning of the clip is established well through the use of variations of sounds and the sounds cleverly shown by the editor/director work well to get across the narrative and provide connotations for the audience. The sound used in this clip works harmoniously with the emotion shown in the action of the scene and I personally believe that the sound used in this clip really supports the unnerving elements seen in the action created and the sound in this clip really makes the scene, rather than breaks it.