SOUND

Sound plays an integral role in any media, whether it is passive or interactive. By using sound effects and music to complement what is happening on screen, the viewer/ player is more likely to become more immersed with what they are viewing. By using certain sound effects within the final artefact, the team is hoping to encourage a sense of paranoia from the player.

By using sound effects that would be found in the games really life counterpart will endure to keep the player immersed within the game environment. If the player is subjected to sounds that they are not familiar with in that environment, they may become detached from the game. The player needs familiarity in their surroundings in order to create a viable sense of paranoia within a person.

However, certain sound effects can be used in order to emphasis certain emotions within a scene (Goldstein, J H, 1998). In the motion picture Aliens (Cameron, J, 1986) the colonial marines are issued with motion tracking devices. When a device registers a moving object (in most cases, this would be the aliens) it produces a loud shrill bleeping noise. This noise is an unfamiliar sound and quite uncomfortable to listen to. The tempo of the sound effect also increases as the Aliens get closer to the tracker. This creates a sense of urgency to the situation at that moment in time.




This has the same sense of dread that the Jaws (Spielberg, S, 1975) theme tune has. By using two notes that are a minor 2nd apart in the chromatic major scale, allows the notes to discord, creating a sound that is unpleasant to hear. It’s is this unpleasantness’ that creates a sense of dread and in the viewer. Again, the tempo of the notes increase as the tune is played, creating a sense of urgency in the same way as the motion tracker.

In HORROR FILM GENRE TYPING AND SCENE LABELING VIA AUDIO ANALYSIS (Monicrieff, S, Venkastesh, S, Dorai, C) the authors found that whilst studying groups of individuals whilst they watched films with horror elements, the amount of times they made noise (shouting and screaming) due to a real horror scene showing in the film, was relative to the amount the audience was fooled into think there was a horror scene. The authors classified a horror scene as one in which the viewers where instantly scared i.e. a killer jumping out of a closet, as opposed to a scene in which there are elements of fear but also action is present. If the viewers were subjected to many ‘fake’ horror scenes, the likely hood of them reacting as much to a recognised scene as they would do normally, would be dramatically reduced.

This is useful to the teams’ research when creating the final artefact. By overusing certain ‘cheap’ scare tactics will result in the test subject becoming aware that the level is in fact set to emote a sense of paranoia. The connection with the level will be broken and the test could become null and void.

LIGHTING COLOUR

Through the use of coloured lighting, the designer is able to create many varied emotions, based purely on what colour is lighting the scene at that moment in time. This makes coloured lighting a very powerful tool within a level.



Evoking emotions at just the right time can make a huge amount of difference in the enjoyment state of the player. Set piece’s within the game, when lit correctly, can be memorable affairs or when lit poorly, can fall way short of their intended purpose.

LOW KEY LIGHTING

Due to its dramatic effect, low key lighting is a great tool in creating uncertainty within a scene. Low key lighting creates the Chiaroscuro effect (Dyer, A P. 2006), this being the Italian term used for the difference between light and dark areas. This can be attained within a film by having only one light source. This light source would be located in the background of the scene to create this contrast.

The use of only one light has been used within certain styles of cinematography, predominantly Film Noir. With the use of a single back light, the scene can be dramatically lit to create an overall sense of dread and uncertainty and a sense of mystery.



films can use this certain style of lighting to over light or under light different actors to create an exaggerated form; this in turn creates an uneasy feeling within the viewer.

HIGH KEY LIGHTING

True to its name, High Key Lighting is the style of lighting in which the scene is flooded with light. This in turn leaves very few shadows and can create a washed out look. In order to create a high key lighting, many extremely bright lights must be used in order to flood the scene with light.




Many Hollywood motion pictures use high key lighting to create a natural setting, however, this isn’t exactly true (Pacific Cinematheque). As many films are ‘shot in places where lighting conditions may not be perfect, the lighting director must increase the amount of light within a scene (See Fig. 5). Due to the fact that Hollywood films have been doing this for years, it is now common place for most media to use this style of lighting. People have become accustomed to seeing this style and find anything else to be a break from the norm.

LIGHTING

Lighting styles and techniques should have three main goals. To define where the audience should focus their attention, how they should respond and where the game is set. To light a scene badly is to destroy any chance of immersion or interaction between the viewer and whatever it is that they are viewing. Video games are no different than any other. So much so, that games companies recognise this and hire individuals for the sole purpose of lighting the game environment. Using light as a tool, the player can be made to focus on a certain object or feel a certain emotion at any given time. Light a video game correctly and the player will never become aware of why they feel inclined to walk down a long, dark corridor with a light at the end.


In the last few years, video games have begun to push the boundaries of what the general public thought possible. By being able to incorporate narrative and gameplay together to create big blockbuster titles, development companies have to become intuitive in their design in regards to all aspects of the gaming media. Sound, lighting and visuals all have to be on par with the latest triple-A films as this is what the general gaming community expects. It is with this push that games have had to ‘borrow’ techniques from other mediums.

Lighting a scene in a film to create a sense of dread can be created in the same way within the confines of a video game. With this in mind, a lot of the same components are used.

So after Fridays meeting with Phil, I suppose I’m feeling quite optimistic about our Team project. I think, with all the ideas that have been thrown up in the air, reaching a decision to what we all want to achieve from this is going to be the hardest thing in the upcoming weeks. Once that is finalized, I don’t think the design/concept document will be so much trouble.


We ended up talking about paranoia and trying to define it and its symptoms. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say on that matter;
Paranoia - a thought process characterized by excessive anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion.


In regards to the final project, I think maybe taking the sound element of paranoia and working with that could be a viable option. We all seem to mention sound effects in on way shape or form so I think everyone is on the same page there. The motion detector from Aliens should be looked at further as well as the Pavlovian conditioning.

Anyways, I’m hungry. Back soon.....