Jurassic Park Scene: Notes, Reflections, Questions

In class today we watched an intense scene in Jurassic Park. It was a scene in which John Williams was unable to write music for as he thought the scene was so good that the music would be unnecessary or 'ruin it' in a way.

We answered 3 questions on the pace, tension and sound effects of the entire scene.

How did the director/editor create pace/rhythm and tension within the scene?

The director and editor created pace throughout the scene by using long shots throughout the beginning of the scene (which developed a very suspenseful mood because the audience doesn’t know what is happening) and as the scene went on, the pace became quicker as the shots became shorter while the characters were running away from the dinosaur. This helped create an intense and frightful mood. The dinosaurs footsteps was an element that contributed to the rhythm of the scene. Although it wasn’t constant throughout the entire scene, whenever there wasn’t any dinosaur footsteps, it was painfully quiet, making the audience pay close attention, but when it was, it created a growing suspense. Tension within the scene was created by many different elements such as the actors expressions and actions, [in some parts] the lack of noise, footsteps of the dinosaur, and the underexposed lighting.

How were sound effects used to create tension and atmosphere?

The lack of music in the background contributed to the suspenseful feeling because usually, happy music tells you something good is happening within the scene, and sad/angry/scary music tell you something bad is going to happen. So because there was no music to give a clue on the mood of the scene, it left the audience questioning what could have happened next. Also, the type of acting by the characters and underexposure contributed to the tense and suspenseful atmosphere of the scene. 

Were the sound effects appropriate and realistic for the scene?

Yes, the sound effects were definitely very appropriate for the scene, as well as realistic. The sound effects included; dinosaur breathing, footsteps and roars, and crashing and screeching of breaking objects. Without these sound effects, the scene wouldn’t look very realistic. For example, if I were to bounce a basketball, I would expect to hear a ‘bouncing’ noise every time it hit the ground. If I didn’t hear that noise, I would know that something was wrong or I had lost my hearing. To hear sound effects during a scene really supports and compliments the action on screen.