On Doorbells and Sound Effects

[Joltz]

This is a bit of an odd question, but I'm working on a short story involving ding-dong ditch. It's a semi-serious story. I showed the script to a teacher and he really loved it, except for the use of the sound effect "DING-DONG!" He felt it detracted from the tone of the story.

I agree (slightly) but at the same time I can't for the life of me think of another way for the doorbell sound that would be easily identifiable. And I really don't wanna add more captions.

Chances are I'm gonna keep the sound, but I was just wondering if anyone else had a suggestion.

[goRaina]

It could be a buzzer-style doorbell...then you have several options to play with.

Also, Bing-Bong can sort of work, as can Ring, or Ding, which can be extended or shortened as necessary.

[Mothos]

You could turn it into a comedic element, a light moment amongst the seriousness. A friend of mine rented a house where the doorbell was this Sikh chant that lasted ten seconds.

Ding-dong does sound a bit goofy. I like the buzzer sound idea. 'Bzzzzz!' is jarring enough to keep with the semi serious tone.

[Sankam]

Maybe try using musical notes instead of a text sound effect. You can do all the same stuff with it as far as mood goes (example), but since it is a graphic element it shouldn't be as distracting.