<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>In this article, I analyse the soundtrack of the green band trailer for <italic>Sinister</italic> (Scott Derrickson, 2012), combining quantitative methods to analyse the soundtrack with formal analysis. I show that, even though <italic>Sinister</italic> is a narrative about a demon who lives in images, the horror in the soundtrack of this trailer is articulated through the sound design. I describe the structure of the soundtrack and analyse the distribution and organisation of dialogue, the use of different types of sound effects to create a connection between the viewer and the characters onscreen, as well as the use of specific localised sound events to organise attention and to frighten the viewer. I identify two features not previously discussed in relation to quantitative analysis of film soundtracks: an affective event based on reactions to a stimulus and the presence of nonlinear features in the sound envelopes of localised affective events. The sound design of this trailer is consistent with the principles of contemporary sound design in horror cinema, but also demonstrates some variation in its use of sound as a paratext to its parent film.</p>
</abstract>

In this article, I analyse the soundtrack of the green band trailer for Sinister (Scott Derrickson, 2012), combining quantitative methods to analyse the soundtrack with formal analysis. I show that, even though Sinister is a narrative about a demon who lives in images, the horror in the soundtrack of this trailer is articulated through the sound design. I describe the structure of the soundtrack and analyse the distribution and organisation of dialogue, the use of different types of sound effects to create a connection between the viewer and the characters onscreen, as well as the use of specific localised sound events to organise attention and to frighten the viewer. I identify two features not previously discussed in relation to quantitative analysis of film soundtracks: an affective event based on reactions to a stimulus and the presence of nonlinear features in the sound envelopes of localised affective events. The sound design of this trailer is consistent with the principles of contemporary sound design in horror cinema, but also demonstrates some variation in its use of sound as a paratext to its parent film.

The Soundtrack of the <italic>Sinister</italic> Trailer

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Film and Media Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":{"italic":"Sinister","content":["The Soundtrack of the","Trailer"]}}

In this article, I analyse the soundtrack of the green band trailer for Sinister (Scott Derrickson, 2012), combining quantitative methods to analyse the...

The Soundtrack of the Sinister Trailer

Online veröffentlicht: 15. Nov. 2021

Seitenbereich: 36 - 51

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ausfm-2021-0013

Schlüsselwörter
horror cinema, film trailers, sound design, sound effects, computational film analysis

© 2021 Nick Redfern, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

The Soundtrack of the Sinister Trailer

Online veröffentlicht: 15. Nov. 2021

Seitenbereich: 36 - 51

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ausfm-2021-0013

Schlüsselwörterhorror cinema, film trailers, sound design, sound effects, computational film analysis

© 2021 Nick Redfern, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Schlüsselwörter
horror cinema, film trailers, sound design, sound effects, computational film analysis