Film Opening = Sound and Editing

Sound
Our film opening starts with non-diegetic music. Millie and I spent a long time trying to find the perfect track for our film and I believe this piece really works well. The music is very electronic and this is a massive contrast to the traditional religious setting. The use of minor chords, along with the high pitch tones, creates an unsettling feeling for the audience. We liked the fact that the music almost sounded metallic this gave it a dangerous and deadly feel. During our film opening we have a key low angle shot of a prominent crucifix in a window with two lit candles either side. We purposely timed the change of music over this shot in order to intensify the significance of God in the film. A high pitched ringing noise is heard which stimulates feelings of fright and distress.
As well as non-diegetic sound, our opening also includes diegetic sound in the external shots. During the shots which were taken in the graveyard you can hear a slight undertone of winds and rustle from the leaves. This is sound from the original clips however we did have to increase the volume of the wind so that I would be heard by the audience, but we made sure it didn't overpower the non-diegetic music that was playing at the same time.

Editing 
We used various techniques in our film opening in order to enhance the thriller/horror genre we wanted. One main technique we focused on was continuity editing. This editing technique would make our film flow smoothly and make it look professional as well as holding onto the attention of the audience. We also used this type of transition whilst filming the religious imagery as it created a contrast with the harsh music and images shown on the screen. This contrast again would put the audience on edge and reinforce the thriller theme. Another editing technique we chose to include was a split end, which is a media term for an overlap. In a split edit the audio and video don’t start at the same time, one or the other is slightly delayed. When Christa returns from the graveyard and into the church, before the music starts the audio comes in. We chose to use this because we wanted the audience to focus on what had just happened and to be guessing about what is going to happen next and not be distracted by the new audio.