Creating Jumpy Sound

In my previous blog post, I researched examples of the common technique of a sudden appearance of the possessed character of the film before creating my short clip. During my research, I found that a sudden and loud piece of non-diegetic sound is often used to intensify and emphasise the abrupt appearance of the possessed character. The main example of a sudden appearance of a possessed character was from the 2012 horror film Sinister which can be viewed below. I extracted this clip from the official trailer for Sinister from YouTube.

After looking at the sound used in this clip, I realised that the sound was created using multiple instruments and sound effects and mixing them together to create a more abrupt sound, designed to scare and make the audience jump. Using this idea, I thought about what instruments and sound effects I could use to create my own sound which would accompany a sudden appearance of a possessed character. After experimenting with different instruments and materials to create sound, I concluded that the best sounds which would be most effective in order to create my desired sound are those which are harsh and unnatural. Sounds which I created and fit this criteria were created using an electric guitar to make different sounds such as harsh feedback and loud and abrupt strumming of the strings. Other sounds I made included me banging loudly on my desk or other surfaces to create harsh sounds and dropping objects on the microphone. Some of the raw, individual recordings can be listened to below.