The Importance of Musical Scores Musical scores are not only an integral part of the audiences’ experience, but also can be beautiful musical compositions as well. Whether through a musical score or a soundtrack, music has the ability to add to the storyline as well as the overall feel of the movie. The music is what helps the filmmaker portray emotions, set a scene or time period, or signal a change is coming. Often, composers work alongside the directors and filmmakers to produce a musical score that will be congruent with the movie’s theme. Music can sometimes stir an emotion or memory, and remind the audience of a past experience. Many composers have been recognized, and received an Academy Award or Grammy for their original movie …show more content…
Without music, scenes from movies such as Jaws, E.T., Star Wars, Schindler’s List and many more, would not have the same effect on the audience. In the movie Jaws, the shark was introduced not only visually, but also musically. The camera would pan the water and the “shark music” would forewarn the audience of the impending encounter. That tune has been recognized many of times throughout the years in neighborhood pools, lakes and oceans, to strike fear in a swimmer without a word being spoken. Music can raise spirits, and have the audience cheering on the main characters as with “The Flying Theme” from E.T., which had the audience pedaling faster in hopes of helping Elliot and E.T to soar through the night sky. The good vs. evil battle scenes throughout Star Wars had the audience choosing sides. Where they rooting for the Empire? Were they cheering for Luke and the Republic? With the musical scores playing in their heads, many children have reenacted the battle scenes with their makeshift lightsabers in hand. Music does not always signal action or happiness, the melancholy music coupled with the horrific scenes throughout Schindler’s List, give rise to stronger emotions from the audience. Fostering empathy, as though the audience can feel the pain and anguish of the prisoners. Without the accompanying music, …show more content…
They have both received Oscars and Grammys for their compositions. An Oscar is given to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, writers, composers and many more. A Grammy is given to award professionals in the music industry for achievement in their given genre. For these men to have been recognized by both of these industries for their outstanding accomplishments, go to show that musical scores are not only background music in movies, but also a fundamental part of the movie experience. There may not be music playing as a background in everyday life, as argued by the critics of musical scores, but without it, movies would not be as thought provoking or entertaining. It is a huge undertaking to compose and produce the writers’ and directors’ thoughts and feelings into music, but it can be masterfully done. Music that truly enables the audience to feel what the characters are feeling, and stirs some sort of emotion, is an invaluable aspect of the moviegoers’ experience. If a musical score is done well, it has the ability to leave a lasting impression long after the screen has gone
Music is used all over the world in movies, plays, and other entertainments. Musical composers are widely known for their talent to create their own original pieces. Each unique composer specializes in a different category of theater and occasionally many categories. One very famous film composer, John Towner Williams, is a very significant part of music history considering his family history, adult development, and musical accomplishments. John Williams, American composer, conductor, and pianist is highly appreciated for his marvelous work of fine arts.
Another example of a scene that demonstrates the effective use of music is when Yoda, a Jedi Master, is teaching Luke Skywalker to control the force, which is called “Yoda’s Theme”. It is calming and gentle, contrasting the anxiousness of Luke and the tranquility of Yoda. The music is closely related to Yoda’s lessons and teachings, where the theme is carefully constructed. It displays both slow and fast parts, with a simple thoughtful melody and is meant to signal a message, just as Yoda does in his
Before the 1930s Before the invention of the "talking picture," all movies were completely silent. The mixture of music into the film scene is speculated to have happened for many reasons. Music was already a commonplace element in the theatres and it was brought over to films not only because of tradition, but to add a depth to the two-dimensional image that appeared upon the screen. An added benefit was that it covered up the cacophony of noise that spewed from the projector.
Originator Of the original composers we discussed in class, the one that stands out the most for me is Alfred Newman and his music score for The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I have discussed this in an earlier paper, but the music used in the movie and in particular, the scene where Quasimodo is placed on display in the public square and is ridiculed by the villagers is the most memorable. The scene has very little dialogue, save for Quasimodo (Charles Laughton) begging for water. As the villagers mock his cries for help, the music comes in and suddenly captures the scene perfectly as the noise of the crowd fades out.
Whether through various songs challenging the norms or catchy beats that spark passion and creativity, music brings people together and inspires movements that reshape our world. Music has always been an integral part of human
Musical scoring is an essential element to the enhancement and heightened stake when it comes to emotion in film and on stage. The use of song helps the story travel along but also keeps audiences intrigued. Specifically looking at the work of composers: Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken, we can discuss what similarities they both have within their music and what differences both composers present. Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz are two of the most famous composers of musical theatre in the world today. They are famous for writing some of the biggest hits on Broadway and have been responsible for some of the most popular musicals in history.
Music can bring the brightest of joys that keeps us moving through our dull and boring lives. An example of this joy is Ishmael Beah’s life as a boy soldier in his book A Long Way Gone. As he tells you his story, he tells of his dance group with his friends, the times he heard music in the middle of war, and how music saved him from the madness that brewed within him. Music has the unique ability to create peace in a person’s life despite the difficulties surrounding them, and to bring a constant reminder of who they are as a person.
The musical score and the sound and color musical phrase correlation used in the movie help develop the
One of the most important and influential composers was Bernard Herrmann, who broke many barriers and traditions to create music that greatly enhanced the films for which he wrote.” , (“The 1940s”,
Music can make a scene more compelling because it adds emotion to a scene. For example, in the beginning of the documentary when the narrator was talking about Kristallnacht, there was a frantic orchestra accompanying his more and added sound effects of glass breaking. It makes a person feel more anxious and frightened of what is to come and sets the tone for the documentary, since the event of Kristallnacht is one of the best pieces of evidence as to why Jewish people need to be able to escape the terrors of Hitler’s control as soon as possible. Another example is when there would be a transition of a scene to the Klein family, and the music had a melancholy tune to it and it added more to the scene to draw out more emotion from the viewers.
A Clockwork Orange Over the past two weeks we saw, for one more time, that Kubrick has a very distinct and tremendous understanding when it comes to using classical music. For “A Clockwork Orange” the writer of the novel, Anthony Burgess, has some kind of obsession and own taste about classical music, when these two understanding combines we get a unique synthesis, it is mostly Kubrick’s, though. In the following part of this paper, the use of music will be examined in order of the course of events in the movie: Before the first scene, a very mysterious, kind of sad and ominous but hopeful music welcomes us along with a bright red image. It has a very different sound, like it is out of our world. Before we see any of the scenes it is making
Music is a large part of our daily lives. You hear it in the car, at a restaurant, in the mall and on television. Fortunately, it is truly inescapable. Music is art that is meant to tell stories, trigger emotions and describe experiences. It is commonly scaled by rhythm, timbre, pitch, harmony and tempo.
Standing in the Shadows of Motown is an incredible documentary that tells the overlooked stories behind the Motown sound created by the infamous Funk Brothers. Reminiscing on the days in Studio A where a group of friends made guitar licks and ear- catching melodies that are still recognizable to this day. It shows music becoming a voice for peace in times of chaos, confusion, and hate. The Motown sound broke rules and traditions of what used to be called a groove and transformed it.
Robb goes on the describe the use of music in the movie “Psycho” and how it was a huge eye opener to the audience and other movie producers in the making of films. After Hitchcock used frantic and high-pitched panic sounding music during the killing of Marion, this made the audience react in a frightened way. This is something movie producers started to use to attract their audience and draw them in so they would have a
Without the audio, the audience has a very hard time trying to relate to the characters. The film does not do a good job conveying any feelings if it does not have any music. If a different type of music or song were to be implemented in that specific scene rather than the original, it would have gave it a completely different vibe to it. It could possibly even seem like a comedic if they were to play funny joyful music in the background. As an experiment, I muted the audio from the film and played music associated with clowns.