Analysing Sound - Coraline

I think the use of sound in 'Coraline' is one of the films most important qualities. It has the ability to turn a situation dark almost instantly, and it also opens doors for the audience to make their own interpretations. Looking at the clip above, the sound used here is really smartly used to deceive the audience. This part of the film is when Coraline is still in favour of the other world, or is at least still being enticed by it. 

When Coraline enters the garden, everything starts to come alive, as if awakened by her. The trees unroll themselves and the flowers starts to colour and blossom. How you can tell this is through sound. There is almost a magic-like twinkle as the garden starts to come alive as if someone is putting a spell on it (the other mother?), however you wouldn't have known this if there was no sound. There is also a song playing in the background that slowly fades its way in. It has some low strings in it and some drums, which are slightly sinister, and could potentially foreshadow the impending doom that is ahead despite how nice the whole garden looks. Looks can be deceiving, but here it is sound that is hinting that something is wrong.

Then in this sequence, sound, or the minimalistic part of it, is extremely effective. Bruno Coulais conducted the whole soundtrack for this film, include this orchestra piece playing in this clip. It is seriously threatening and in combination with the 'ghost children', is terrifying. The swooping sounds of the ghosts make them feel real and living otherwise they would have no sound and would just be hovering aimlessly. But also their voices are altered so that they have an echo, or a whisper which just adds to the horror like atmosphere. This scene in the play is one of the most important because it is when the audience and Coraline find out what the 'other mother' is actually like and capable of. It strips any deception you may have had for this other world, and the background song starts to sound repetitive and maddening so you want it to stop as much as you want Coraline to leave.

Overall these are just two pieces of the film which I think demonstrate sound to be used really effectively here. Throughout it is used to deceive, used to shock and frighten the audience and finally used to foreshadow something bad is looming. I think sound is such an important quality and if there was none in this film or if Bruni Coulais hadn't made the soundtrack for this film it wouldn't be half as good as it was.