Jaws Soundtrack
The scene for ‘Hooper in the cage’ in jaws contains a lot of sound techniques, which are cleverly placed to subliminally communicate emotions - The shark being angry with the low note leitmotif, this then gives the viewer a sense of danger. In this scene they use a wide variety of techniques, which are sometimes difficult to see, in this report I will be discussing them.
One of the first techniques, which is probably the most noticeable in this scene, is the use of melody and changing amplitude; by this I mean the famous ‘DA NA’ melody as the shark approaches. It uses melody to lull you into a sense of ease, expecting the following beats to be similar, however the amplitude also changes, against our expectations to symbolise the danger of the shark. The famous Jaws Leitmotif is harmonic as the tones go together. This scene also cleverly utilities the effect that pitch has on a viewer, changing the pitch as the shark grows nearer to Hooper - this creates a sense of urgency and stress within the viewer which gives a more 'realistic' feel to the scene.
This scene is a very famous example of a good soundtrack, it creates a sense of danger even if you're not paying attention to the imagery. The sound alone tells the complete story of what is happening and I believe that is what makes a good soundtrack.
There is a lot of Foley used in this scene as you wouldn't normally be able to hear too much sound underwater. This sets a huge sense of atmosphere in place; immersing the viewer into unwilling involvement in the action. Viewers will have increased heart rate and higher cortisol levels as the drama unfolds. this is known as the fight or fight response and it is a commonly occurring technique that is used in most action/horror films.
Another good technique is the use of silence in the scene. we know the shark isnt gone when the scene goes silent after an approach because all music cuts out. This creates a sense of curiosity within the viewer - wondering where the shark went, we can also tell that the shark isnt gone because the scene hasn't cut out and therefore, we aren't relaxed. We may not see the shark, but we know that he is there from the use of sound design.
There is a lot of Foley used in this scene as you wouldn't normally be able to hear too much sound underwater. This sets a huge sense of atmosphere in place; immersing the viewer into unwilling involvement in the action. Viewers will have increased heart rate and higher cortisol levels as the drama unfolds. this is known as the fight or fight response and it is a commonly occurring technique that is used in most action/horror films.
Another good technique is the use of silence in the scene. we know the shark isnt gone when the scene goes silent after an approach because all music cuts out. This creates a sense of curiosity within the viewer - wondering where the shark went, we can also tell that the shark isnt gone because the scene hasn't cut out and therefore, we aren't relaxed. We may not see the shark, but we know that he is there from the use of sound design.
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