Under the Skin – Sound Key Points

 

Opening Sequence

  • Speaking noises – possibly learning how to speak
  • hard to listen to non-diegetic noises that are fast paced, like it’s building something and it’s mechanical and inhuman which is jarring
  • close sonic perspective of the woman when clothes are being removed (muffled) which is uncomfortably intimate and could be from the unconscious woman’s perspective

 

Shopping Centre Sequence

  • The alien is quiet which contrasts to everyone else being very loud (diegetic/murmuring/indistinct) which makes Laura seem emotionless and isolated

 

Middle Sequence

  • non-diegetic eerie noise follows her footsteps – ritualistic and builds tension – hunting music (luring men/rape etc)
  • drumming like eerie sound when motorcyclist is catching the man and eerie noises – heartbeat/anxiety/anger
  • lack of sound (not silent) during the mirror scene

 

Ending Sequence

  • calm music when Laura is sleeping in the trees
  • no music when she is running because it is scary enough already
  • she makes scared noises – emotion/shows brutality of the man
  • eerie noise – reversal of previous scenes
  • Quiet when it’s the smoke and the snow
  • diegetic sound fades away when eerie noise comes on

 

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