Whilst researching this project I only briefly touched on sound and how it can affect atmosphere. In this case I was talking about the jazz inspired score for Halo: ODST and it's similarities to the score made for Blade Runner, another film by Ridley Scott that has often influenced me. And whilst I felt that the score to both would be a great addition to my film's atmosphere, I wanted to explore how sound can affect suspense and gain some greater insight into this.
I found an article online talking about this in musical terms, something I already had some experience in due to my GCSEs and learning piano. This is the article: https://hyponik.com
It starts off by talking about Crescendos, essentially a build-up in both loudness and intensity, which are one of the most utilized techniques in film for suspense and tension. It is used to build up until a point of climax which is usually a moment meant to scare the audience, often a scream or the appearance of the monster in a horror film. However, it also can be used for suspense that isn't meant to invoke fear but instead anticipation. One prime example would be the final fight scene in Avengers: Endgame where the theme song builds up in a crescendo until a grand climax:
Though there is another common take on the Crescendo that comes with a twist. In this case the build up is used to create suspense but it leads to no climax and instead will often be followed by silence. It's called a False Crescendo which is a very fitting name, the audience build up this suspense in their mind due to the music's rise in volume and intensity only to find silence. This silence often creates a strong feeling of unease which can be very effective when used correctly, the feeling of a calm that doesn't feel right. Often the False Crescendo can be followed by the actual climax such as the appearance of the monster.
Another approach to suspense is the idea of Juxtaposition where they use opposites to create a contrast. One common trope with this is to use upbeat music music in a scene that has a very different tone such as a death scene or one that is meant to scare the audience. I feel like this is done really well in Jordan Peele's Us where they play the famous Beach Boys song, Good Vibrations. This brings a strong tonal contrast to the scene but it is effective at creating suspense.
The next aspect would be dynamics, drastic changes in volume can help to frighten a viewer during a scene. Going from very quiet to having a really high volume can make a different in the suspense for the film. This contrasts the crescendo which uses a buildup instead of very sudden changes. Depending on how it is used it can be effective.
Rythmic pulse is another thing to keep in mind, subtle beats or pulses in the background can really make the audience feel tense. This could be something like a heartbeat, there are even certain pitches that are known to cause discomfort. However, you have to be careful not to let the audience get used to it or else it'll be wasted. That's why replacing it with silence after a while can be effective as the lack of a pulse will also cause discomfort and unease. This is a really good method for creating suspense in both films and games as it also can be used to immerse people into the experience.
The last would be dissonance which is essentially multiple notes being played except they are out of harmony. It can make the audience feel uncomfortable especially if there is a contrast between the notes such as a mixture of calm and more traditionally scarier sounds. This was used a lot especially in Alien where they mixed multiple noises to create the sound of the alien. This can also be done by adding extra notes or sounds to pieces of music.
I found this research to be very useful even if I knew some of the aspects, it was a nice refresher on how to utilise sound to affect the atmosphere and tension of a scene. My main take away was the use of crescendos, I felt this related to the theme of my project as one of the biggest aspects of suspense was the build up. Jumpscares without any suspense being created makes it feel cheaper and short lasted, this relates to crescendos which are the build-up of volume and intensity. This also includes the false crescendos which I feel I will use in my work for the scene when the lighting strikes and knocks out the power, the build up turns out to just be the weather. I also feel that juxtaposition will be useful for me, the idea of using a more calming jazz piece to create the atmosphere will have a contrast tonally to the suspense and darker aspects of my film. Though overall I hope to try and incorporate all of these aspects into my work at least somehow as they all would make a good addition.