Sound in Thriller Movies Analysis 'Se7en' and 'Inception'

The next two films we're going to analyse in terms of sound and music are 'Se7en' and 'Inception'. Both films are under the sub genre of mystery thriller however, 'Se7en' is also described as a crime thriller while 'Inception' is also associated with adventure and action.

'Se7en' begins with an extreme low base. This immediately suggests a negative atmosphere which links with the sub genre. This is followed by repetitive, light symbols and mechanical sounds. The continuous mechanical sounds consists of the noise of metal rolling on the ground along with metal rattling. This is parallel to the dark atmosphere of the scene. This creates an eerie atmosphere and causes the audience to stay curious as to what might happen. As the deep sound of drums comes in, it is joined by the background sounds of cds scratching and an electric razor buzzing. The collaboration of these sounds creates an enigma as to why they relate to the narrative. Distorted sound effects are occasionally joined into the sequence, these sounds are heard more than instruments. From 1:12 loud music begins, this builds up suspense and atmosophere within the sequence while keeping the audience interested. The music's tempo increases as the opening sequence comes to an end until the bass cuts out and a voiceover is heard saying an ambiguous and unclear sentence. The increased tempo excites the audience and gets their adrenaline flowing, they feel as though they are a part of the film.

'Inception' begins with a repetitive low bass cello sound. This is parallel to the films sub-genre of action thriller as it is intense and captures the audiences attention. This sound is then replaced by the ambient sound of crashing waves. At 1:00 a soft non diegetic music is played as the main character awakes on the beach. This adds to the dramatic tension of what the character will see when he opens his eyes and why he is where he is. The ambient sound of children laughing and playing is then heard over the music. This helps the audience to establish that the setting is not suspicious. An armed soldier then pokes at the sleeping character and begins to speak in his unknown, native language to a colleage. This dialogue is interesting to the audience as it causes them to realise that this character is most likely not in his hometown. This creates an enigma as to why he is on this foreign island.

Although both Thriller Movies have the same sub genre of mystery thriller, after analysing them we realised there were many differences between the two. They both begin with a low base/cello sound however, Inception's is repetitive whereas Se7en's is not. This low sound sets the negative atmosphere that is present throughout both films. Se7en then moves on to have more mechanical sounds, which is opposite to the ambient crashing waves that Inception goes on to include. Both of these sounds cause the audience to become curious and eager to learn more about the narrative. Both films have dialogue included however Se7en's is a voiceover whereas Inception's is a conversation between the main character and a foreign man. The dialogues in both films are ambiguous which make the audience intrigued as to what will happen, this keeps the audience's attention and concentration. The sounds within Inception are much more realistic than the sounds within Se7en. The ambient sounds of the waves crashing in Inception along with the soft non diagetic music. Whereas the digital and increased tempo music within Se7en excite the audience and create a tense atmosphere. Consequently this causes us to have the opinion that Se7en is far more effective towards the audience, gripping and exciting compared to the naturalistic and repetitive opening of Inception.