Thursday, October 8, 2015

Music and Movies


                As the girl tip toes down the hallway to try and hid from the killer the music in the background gets louder and louder and louder.  Suddenly, the murderer jumps out and the organ music is so bone chilling that it causes Goosebumps to raise on your arm.  Had the music not been playing in the background the audience wouldn’t have been as scared.  The music can make or break a movie.  The same goes for a sad “Chick Flick” movie.  When the main character breaks down by the end of the movie there is always a scene where the other noises are drowned out by the depressing melodies and everything seems to be moving in slow motion.  Once again the effects would not be the same if you had just heard the sobs of the character.  While we obviously experiencing a film through sight, we are also experiencing it through our ears. In today’s day and age music in movies has come a long way and can affect the audience more than words. 
                Before all the fancy movie equipment came along and there was no speaking in movies.  Music told the story along with slides to help describe what was happening.  Later in the 50’s producers decided music wasn’t needed for a good movie and for a short period many movies had no background music.  Audiences were confused and many movies feel flat at the cinemas.  People said the movies seemed life-less and boring.  Music was quickly brought back and movies now incorporate both score and soundtracks.
                Some of the most famous soundtracks include Saturday Night Fever, This is Spinal Tap, and Pulp Fiction.  But other movies like HELP or Rock in Roll High School actually had soundtracks made before the movie was written because the movie revolved around the music.  One of my personal favorites is the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack.  Since it is already one of my favorite movies I also love the song within it.  From the combination of watching the movie so many times and listening to all the songs so often I actually can tell you exactly where each of the songs are featured at in the movie.  A soundtrack like this has the ability to tell the story without having to see it.  You know that the tone is gloomy in some parts but also loving and hopeful in others. 

Beautiful film music can be made relevant to any period. -A. R. Rahman

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