Specialist Study: Research Plan
- romanoghirardello6
- Nov 25, 2022
- 4 min read
What is the subject of your specialist study?
The subject of my specialist study is music/soundtracks in film and how they can be well implemented into a production, retaining the balance between sound and picture.
What do you intend to find out? What is the reason for choosing this area?
I intend to find out how to be in tune with music in a media product. To elaborate on this, learning when music should creep into the scene and at what volume it should play, so that it compliments the scene well.
The reason that I have chosen this area for my specialist study, is to further improve on my skills in my field of greatest interest and expertise, with the field in question being music, which I have years of experience working with. I have not had nearly enough opportunities however, to implement music into film and this short film will give me a good opportunity to do that. The music has to be diegetic, due to the short film residing in the genre of "found-footage", however I have plans for diegetic music and sound to be used in this production.
Do you have a title for the study? (This may be a 'working title' and subject to change later)
I would consider the title to be, 'Diegetic Music in Film'. This is due to the nature of the music that I will be producing for the film and how it will ultimately translate into the final media product.
What specific films or other media products will you look at?
During discussions with my two other peers with regards to the short film assignment, I have already expressed my interest in multiple films as inspirations for our media product.
The first of which is Kairo (Japanese for "Pulse") which is a 2001 techno-horror film. There is one scene in particular which I found intriguing, during which there is an unconventional "jump-scare" where a ghost walks very slowly towards someone, stumbling along the way. I found this gradually delivered form of "shock horror" to be very effective and as something that would set our found-footage psychological horror short film apart from the rest.
The second film I have taken inspiration from, was originally a book by the author H.G. Wells, which is 'The War of the Worlds.' In the 1953 film adaption of this world-famous story, the martians have blue, green and red tricoloured eyes, as well as laser beams and stroboscopic eye-pieces, which indicate optical activity from the aliens. With these bright lights and colours in mind and the end-of-days scenario in the film, I thought it would be an interesting idea to have lights flashing outside of the room that we plan to film in, which represents outside activity from alien invaders.
While the special effects are certainly primitive by today's standards and appear dated, they were amazing for the 1950's. Also, the lights are my main focus, particularly the red beams of light which will represent danger and irreversible damage. With yellow acting as caution, red is present when it is too late to be careful.
The third piece of media that I have taken inspiration from is 'No Through Road', a short horror film from the internet made by four teenagers in 2008. The film is made in a very similar style as to how ours will be made, with a "found footage" style take on horror. The film almost certainly had a very small budget, if one at all. It's lack of production makes it feel all the more authentic, believable and frightening with many believing for a long time, that the video was real footage.
What people will you look at? (Directors, Cinematographers, Lighting, Sound Designers etc)
I am planning to look into lighting, specifically the work of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and his dramatic use of dark and light, looking at the extremes of Chiaroscuro. This high contrast between dark and light, will help make the film's prominent elements more pronounced and also, appeal to horror conventions, such as the use of torches and bright lights in dark spaces.
What Media Theories can you apply to your study? (leave this blank if you are unsure)
(audience theories can often be applied to studies into sound, music, lighting, filming, editing as you are likely to be considering the effect on the audience: Reception Theory/ Media Effects / Fandom / Cultivation Theory)
Break down your study into at least 3 'smaller'/more specific questions you need to answer
1 How did earlier examples of diegetic music in film affect the scene? (radio playing in scene) taking into account recent examples of diegetic music from films like 'Baby Driver'.
2 How is diegetic music created in film scenes and what are the issues in creating this? r(oom acoustics, reverb settings, radio effects e.g. EQ in software) If it is always overdubbed with effects, how do they film someone tuning the TV or radio? Foley
3 Examples of music crossing from diegetic to non-diegetic.
For example; (Lighting)
1– How has lighting developed from this film ____ to this recent film _____?
2 - How does lighting help to create the mood within specific scenes in the 'Mr Robot' Amazon TV series?
3– What lighting techniques are used to create these scenes?
Secondary research
Identify 2 useful pieces of secondary research you can use (remember that the Media Magazine archive can be very useful for this)
1 Media Magazine (Found Footage Horror Films)
2 TV Horror (Web Blog)
Primary research – textual analysis
Identify at least 2 pieces of media you plan to research/analyse as part of your study
1. The Ring (Japanese: Ringu) (1998) (Supernatural Horror Film)
2. Pulse (Japanese: Kairo) (2001) (Techno-Horror Film)
Primary research – audience research
Write 5 questions you could potentially use in a survey/focus group/questionnaire for your research
1 How important is sound in a film to you?
2 Is silence more effective in the horror genre?
3 How highly do you rate "found footage" horror films?
4 How clear can communication be without dialogue?
5 What sort of films appeal most to you?
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