Sound Analysis of 'Coraline' - DYM H/W 3

 

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MUSIC & DIALOGUE

• STARTS OFF WITH RHYTHMIC DRUMMING, SOUNDING QUITE CREEPY
• MINOR PIANO BROKEN CHORDS START PLAYING STRAIGHT AFTER
• BREATHY SINGING OF A NON-ENGLISH (RUSSIAN?) POSSIBLY NURSERY RHYME, SOUNDING TWISTED AND EERIE
• SINGING FITS IN WITH THE CHOPPY VIOLIN PLAYING
• VERY SUBTLE HUMMING ALONG TO THE SONG, ADDS MORE DEPTH TO THE SONG
• VERY METALLIC CLICKS, PERHAPS A TRIANGLE BEING PLAYED AS THE DOLL DESCENDS THROUGH THE WINDOW, MIRRORING THE EXPECTED SOUND OF THE NEEDLE HANDS
• ONLY ONE PERSON STILL SINGING AS THE DOLL IS BEING TAKEN APART, SOUNDS OMINOUS
• LOTS OF CLICKY, (XYLOPHONE?) INSTRUMENTS BEING PLAYED
• CACOPHANY OF MINOR NOTES, MAKING THE WHOLE SEQUENCE SOUND FOREBODING
• VIOLINS COME BACK IN AS THE BUTTONS ARE TAKEN OUT, HEIGHTENING THE SENSE OF UNEASE WITHIN THE AUDIENCE
• GROUP OF FEMALE SINGERS JOIN IN TO FURTHER ENHANCE THE CREEPY ATMOSPHERE
• LOTS OF STRINGS THROUGHOUT WHOLE SEQUENCE
• MUSIC SLOWS DOWN AND DIMINUENDOS AS THE DOLL FLIES BACK OUT OF THE WINDOW, AND ALL THAT IS HEARD IS A LONG BRASS NOTE (PERHAPS PLAYED BY A TRUMPET), SOUNDING LIKE THE WIND

SOUND EFFECTS

• SCISSORS SNIPPING THROUGH THE DOLL'S BACK
• RIPPING FABRIC SOUND AS THE MOUTH IS CUT OPEN
• FLOWING SAND BEING POURED INTO THE DOLL
• CREAKING OF THE DRAWER BEING OPENED
• RUSTLE AS THE NEEDLES ARE PLACED INTO THE DOLL'S LINING
• WHIRRING OF THE SEWING MACHINE
• CREAKING AS THE WINDOW CLOSES

OVERALL, WHILE LOOKING THROUGH THE DIFFERENT LISTED SOUND EFFECTS I NOTICED THAT ALL OF THE SOUNDS WERE QUITE EERIE; SNIPPING, RIPPING, CREAKING ETC. THESE SOUND EFFECTS BEING PLACED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CLIP HAVE THE EFFECT OF A PROLONGED TENSE ATMOSPHERE, WHICH WORKS WELL WITH THE IMAGES OF THE DECONSTRUCTION AND LATER CONSTRUCTION OF THE DOLL.