This scene is an example of the layering of sound throughout
the film, first with the synchronous sound effects of the rain, muted thunder,
footsteps of the man, and chimes of the chains hanging from the ceiling. This
is drawn out for 21 seconds so the audience can familiarise themselves with the
setting. These sounds echo, which is enhanced within the first shot of the
film; an establishing VLS from a high angle to show how small the figure is
within the large, open setting. This angle also alludes to the Alien’s
perspective of the man as he is chained to the ceiling. This framing also shows
the chains in full view as they sway, making the subtle clanging sound
synchronous. They are also placed on a
vertical axis, suggesting that the man is perhaps imprisoned in a form of cell
which becomes relevant in the end as he becomes victim to the alien.
These sound effects are also all parallel as they match what
we would expect the scene to realistically sound like, yet they are quiet and
echo in the otherwise silent setting, making the sound the main point of focus
within the scene. This creates an eerie, sinister mood as his footsteps
overpower the other sounds, as well as his dialogue, making him seem desolate
and therefore a vulnerable target to the alien.
His dialogue “Kitty?” is high-pitched, suggesting his fear of being
alone in this creepy, unfamiliar setting. The use of shadowed, low-key lighting
illuminates a silhouette of this man in mid-shot, creating mystery and
suspicion as we cannot see his facial expression, hence foreshadowing the
coming danger later in the scene. The sound effects create the mood of the
scene; they are unnatural, with the mechanical sound of the chains contrasting
with the organic sound of rain. They continue throughout the scene repetitively
which increases the tension and makes the scene seem longer than it is. This is tense to the audience as we cannot
predict when the threat will target the man; the scary is often the unexpected.
The man looks around him before he speaks into the ‘abyss’, alluding to
hesitation; he is taking in this setting along with the audience and
calculating the danger of it, however, he takes his chance and enters the
threat.
As the man walks further into the room, there is a new
introduced creaking sound, similar to how rubber or a balloon would sound if it
was twisted/rubbed. This is an unfamiliar, almost asynchronous, sound that is
unexpected to the audience. This is because the audience can hear this sound
yet cannot see the source which evokes tension and alerts us to a potential
threat. This sound continues and becomes clearer while the camera is at a close
up of the man, letting the rain fall on his face through a gap in the ceiling,
and then stops in the next shot of another high angle of his action. At this
shot, the sound becomes muted, and the only effect heard is the rain and chimes
– this is because the camera has moved away from the man, and we cannot hear
his perspective of the sound as clearly. It cuts back to the close-up, hearing
the creaking effects clearly again including the rain hitting his face and his
relaxed breaths. There is another new sound; an almost screech/squeal of a
creature. This is quiet and not very noticeable, suggesting that the character
hasn’t heard it as this shot is heard from his perspective. The tension
increases.
The camera cuts to a low angle shot of the alien hanging on
the chains which is likely the source of the creaking sound as its skin appears
quite leathery. The next shot is of the man again, and as he starts to walk out
of frame, music starts which is a non-diegetic yet parallel sound to the scene;
it is full of suspense of what sounds synthesised, an almost rigid,
high-pitched sound that drags out then gets faster and fluctuates in pitch the
more he walks, mirroring the behaviour of anxiety. The synthesised sound also
parallels to the setting which appears to show industrial, laboratory themes.
The synthesiser correlates with sci-fi-space sounds which is relevant to the
film’s context. The absence of music up to this point shows that this section
of the scene is building to a climax and the audiences’ suspicion of danger
increases. At any point, the threat could jump out which makes the scene
increasingly tense. The fact that the man doesn’t seem to be that afraid makes
the audience even more nervous as we suspect he isn’t prepared for what may be
lurking. The chime of the chains also heightens this tension as they seem to
become louder and more intense, a product of the foreshadowing since their
introduction; the audience now knows there is an alien on those chains, so the
chime reminds us of that threat further. This adds to the meaning of the film;
danger, we can see this danger with our ears from the repeated audible motifs
which makes us sit on the edge of our seats in apprehension.
The next cut finally shows what we as the audience have been
hoping for: the cat. This provides a sense of security within the audience as
the man has completed his objective and is free to leave. This is aided by the
loss of music, suggesting to the audience that this build-up of sinister music
and tension has ended, symbolising a sigh of relief within the audience.
However, the music abruptly goes back into its high-pitched melody soon after
and cuts to a clear image of the alien above him which starts to move, evoking
stress within the audience as we now realise how close the threat is. At this,
the music intensifies, becoming higher, relating to how a scream would sound
and alerting urgency within the audience. There is also an added layer within
the music of a low bass, which is synonymous with danger in horror films. This
keeps us hooked as we want to know if he can manage to escape, which is
frustrating as he isn’t aware of the danger yet. This is a common method for
creating tension in a scene, as the audience is aware of the threat yet has no
control of how the situation plays out.
This re-introduction of the music drops in and out for the
rest of the scene. The alien’s tail drops into shot from behind the man, and we
see a reaction from the cat by a synchronous/diegetic hiss. Even though this is
common for cats, it still adds another layer of sound that is negative and
harsh, while contrasting with the high-pitched music and labelling the alien as
the enemy. The music also slows down and
has pauses in between each beat, almost like the beating of a heart (mirroring
the audience’s anxiety) or tick of a clock. In both cases, they demonstrate the
passing of time that reminds the audience that the man is wasting his chance to
escape unknowingly; he is trapped. This pattern seems to get faster, even
though the volume only increases to further that urgency and tension. The music
slows abruptly when the man talks to the cat, but still remains in the
background as the alien appears behind him. Our focus is entirely on the alien
and the music gets louder again when we get a close-up view of the alien’s side
profile. The volume continues to get louder as we receive a montage of the
Alien’s features, presenting him to raise his head which indicates his gigantic
size, until the final shot of it opening its mouth menacingly. Throughout this
sound-bridged music, the chime of the chains is recurred at a higher pitch than
before that almost sounds like a whistle. This acts as a motif as well as acting
as a parallel sound to the intensity of the scene. The man is still unaware of
the alien, and his casual tone of voice in the dialogue juxtaposes against the
music. This suggests it is a contrapuntal sound as his tone does not match with
how he should be acting in the scene if he were to know the alien was there.
The music yet again gets loud (almost a horn sound) then
decreases to break the tension. This keeps the scene alive and interesting to
the audience as well as increasing the uncertainty. The diegetic sound effects are the main focus
once again as we clearly hear his feet move to turn around behind him, and the
rain is audible again. This reminds the audience of the setting and reverts to
the beginning where it is largely silent. This also places us back into the
hearing perspective of the man as we are back in a close-up. However, this time
he is aware of the alien for the first time, so the music begins to play while
in this close-up. This change shows that he is now fearful and as knowing as the
audience. The music is relatively quiet, back to that fluctuating pitch to
symbolise his racing heart and digestion of what he's seeing. It is at this
point that we also hear the alien make a clear noise which is that of a
carnivorous growl, indicating it is aggressive which parallels the danger we
expected from it. As the alien reaches its hand out to the man, a woodwind
instrument plays which I interpret as curiosity. This is contrasted as we cut
to an MCU of the man’s legs as the alien’s tail reaches in-between them and up
his back; this foreshadowing proves that he inevitably would be trapped. The
woodwind instrument continues in a low pitch along with the underlining bass
that goes into two distinct beats, signifying danger: a warning to the
audience. We also have another new sound that imitates sci-fi space sounds of
waving, fluctuating vibrations that relates to the film’s extra-terrestrial
context. The man’s silence is also important as it is a contrast to his casual
tone previous; it shows he is stunned in fear until the alien grabs him, to
which the man screams, adding intense volume thus far.
The finale of the man’s murder is by far the most terrifying
and distressing part of the entire sound. This includes a fast-paced,
low-pitched beat that increases in sound and pitch at the end of each beat to
signify the climax and end of tension built up to this point. Along with the
man’s screams, there is a fast, high-pitched screech sound overlayed during
which vanishes, welcoming the Alien’s sound effects that include the
vibration/sci-fi sound and vocal roar. This is finalised in a close-up of the
alien that zooms in as its mouth opens, intensifying the music to its highest
volume with sinister, dragged-out brass notes at a lower pitch that equally
drags out the suspense and anxiety of the audience. The music stops as the alien hits
the man in the face, and the man's screams die out as he is carried upwards.
This marks the end of the suspense, tension, and audiences’ unease; the alien
has won.
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