Sound Analysis of Kill Bill Vol II, Scene 'Beatrix burried'

'Beatrix buried' scene

Watching scene without sound Predictions:

• Dramatic music- high pitched sounds, slow paced, etc. 
• Sound of the coffin closed shut. 
• Nails being hammered into the coffin- banging noises. 
• Woman struggling -heavy breathing, crying, screaming? 
• Dirt falling on the coffin, digging coffin. 
• Silence? 
• Banging noises as she bangs the door. 

Watching scene with sound Sounds heard:

• Dramatic music-high pitched, cowboy like music. 
• Coffin closed shut. 
• Nails hammered into coffin- banging noises. 
• Woman struggling- heavy breathing. 
• Brief silence. 
• Coffin being moved, rustling noises. 
• Sounds from outside became more faint -to show the deepness of the coffin. 
• Silence. 
• Loud banging noises -dirt being thrown. 
• Woman banging against the coffin -show the struggle and desperation. 

Sound Analysis:

The scene begins with a shot of a woman getting closed in a coffin. Immediately non diegetic, background music is introduced. The music sound like an old western type of music The choice of music doesn't in my opinion create a specific mood however it is parallel to the action as we see hints of western tradition by looking at the character's costume such as the woman's cowboy-like boots and the men's hats. Mostly diegetic sounds are used throughout the scene however it is mostly asynchronous as it is separate from the action, meaning the audience doesn't see the sounds taking place along with the action. We see the first few actions of the coffin getting closed and the irons being hammered into the coffin. 

Once the coffin is completely shut and the woman is left in the dark, the non diegetic, background music stops. By not only cutting the music but making the screen dark, the Director is informing us that the main focus should be on the following sounds. Therefore the sounds used are asynchronous as they are separate from the following action taking place. At first we can also hear the woman's heavy breaths. After brief moment the audience can hear a dragging noise, the volume isn't as loud in order for the audience to feel as if they are in the actual coffin. We hear three or four dragging noise with a short break to make it realistic. The sound grows louder with a creaking noise followed by a banging one and the woman's groan to represent the coffin being placed in a hole. Another pause of silence is used followed by an even louder banging noise to scare the audience as it did to myself. The loud noise continues always with a short break between. The grain-like sounds hitting the wooden coffin is used to create the sound of the dirt being thrown. This sound continues on until it fades and decreases in volume. The Director does this to show how deep in the ground the woman is and build up the tension and create an uncomfortable feeling to the audience watching. The woman continues to groan and scream to show her desperation, along with banging her foot against the sides of the coffin. The overall intention of this scene was to build tension and inform the audience what is currently happening through the use of sound only.