Provide an example of Diegetic sound:
Starting at 13:21 there is a mix of both diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound. I would like o focus on the Diegetic sound. Apart from the “mood music” (Non-diegetic) you hear the gears in the clock tower. You can tell by the sound and how it echoes that it feels eerie and empty. I think the sound of the clock tower really set up for when the creepy guy comes into view. It contributed to the aesthetic of horror because the sound is unusual to hear. Not many people go into clock towers and it seems to be where this creepy monster is hiding.
Provide an example of Non-Diegetic sound:
Beginning at 22:35 where the scene of the two fairytale monsters accompanied by two crazy characters in straitjackets and they go to the dorm room to take the guy’s heart out is a great example to show non-diegetic sound. The mood music emphasizes the mood. These fairytale monsters act very strangely; they are calm and collected as they hover through town. There are a lot of instrumentals. I hear a lot of violin and the triangle. I think the woman singing is what makes the characters even more eerie and creepy. Once it gets the part where the man opens the door then BAM! There is a screech sound to make you jump when you see the monsters. As they hold down the man and he struggles, the music gets more and more intense. It calms a little bit while the two monsters look at each other and it once again intensifies when one monster pulls the knife out. The ups and downs of the mood music really add to the horror aesthetics as it in a way tells you how to feel as you are watching the video.
Provide an example of Mis-en-scene:
I think the very beginning scene where Buffy is dreaming is a great example to show mis-en-scene. Right after Buffy and Riley kiss and the scene changes. The frame closes in on just them where you can’t see their environment. The room becomes dark and everybody is gone. The diegetic sound intrigues Buffy where you hear this girl reciting something. She goes out to the hall and sees the young girl at the end still talking. The camera angle is always to the height of buffy. When riley touches her shoulder it shoots up to the monster’s face making the viewer feel small in comparison. The actor’s performance is a big part to the aesthetic horror. Buffy is cautious entering the hallway and waling to the girl. These pieces of mis-en-scene add to the horror aesthetic in that you are up close and personal to what is going on.
We had very similar picks for some of our examples. I also chose to talk about the scene where the monsters come through the halls of the dorm room and take out the guy’s heart for non-diegetic sound. I thought this scene did a wonderful job of displaying what non-diegetic sound portrays. The intense and emotional music really makes this scene stand out. Without the music, the scene would not be the same.
In response to your question you posted on my blog, I also believe that without non-diegetic sound the genre of horror would not be the same. These are the kind of sounds that set the stage to make you scared in your seat for what’s to come next. This also goes along with making one stay interested in the plot. The music keeps me entertained and wanting more.
This relates perfectly to the reading this week, Why Horror?, when Carroll asks the question of what attracts audiences to horror? I found it interesting when she said, “the horror story is driven explicitly by curiosity” (279). This is exactly how I feel and the non-diegetic sound really enhances my curiosity in the essence of horror and adding to the aesthetic of horror. Do you feel the same or did you have a different opinion on why audiences are attracted to horror?
I want to share my example with you for your third part which is Mis-en-scene. Your example from this part is actually in the same section in the Buffy episode with my examples of non-diegetic sounds and diegetic sounds. I chose this section to be my examples, because this section was the first section in the Buffy episode that made me feel scared. When the light turn to dark and other students in the classroom were all gone, I had a feeling that some horror things would happen very soon. I chose wind sound right after the light gone as the non-diegetic sound and the voice coming from the young girl as diegetic sounds. I did not think about an example of mis-en-scene in this section before, but after reading your post, I feel the same way with you that the mis-en-scene in this section contribute to build horror feeling for the audiences. When the lights and all people around were gone and suddenly there was a voice coming from a young girl, the angle of the camera will create curiosity from the audiences that who was singing and what happened. In Carroll’s article, she mentioned that monsters are natural subjects for curiosity, and they straightforwardly warrant the ratiocinative energies the plot lavished upon them. (Carroll, 281) I believe the angle of camera actually can produce such effects to contribute the horror feelings of audiences.
Your analysis of diegetic and non-diegetic sound made me think about how well a horror movie would work without diegetic or non-diegetic sound. Both types of sound work to make horror even more horrifying. The black-and-white movies before sound seldom if any were in the horror genre. Horror utilizes a few violin strokes or the creak of a floorboard to get you at the edge of the chair. Music (non-diegetic sound) helps to work up the anticipation and the mood of fear and that sudden on screen diegetic sound makes you jump. I found that you made a lot of the same observations as I did when you looked at the mis-en-scene of Buffy. Mis-en-scene can really make or break a horror movie. The angles, lighting and costumes all add to the allure of the genre. Horror movies rarely take place on a bright sunny day with a three-hundred and sixty degree view of the surroundings and that is because without the hiding spots and without the dark (maybe accompanied by a flickering light or flashlight) you can’t really have fear brought to life.
You presented really good examples of diegetic, non-diegetic, and mis-en-scene. The way you break down each example of all three filming tactics paints a really good image in the reader’s head. It was very easy for me to get the feeling that I was watching the episode again. This also goes to show how important diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are in making horror films truly horrifying. Both set the anticipation anxiety that we feel when we watch horror films, when you start hearing that creepy music your body tenses up because you know something bad is about to happen. I’m just curious though as to which of the three filming techniques do you think is most effective in producing fear/horror?