It's April and that means the A to Z Blogging Challenge!
This year my theme is film terms.
Music in film enhances the story in a way that nothing else can.
Bernard Herrmann composed the music for Psycho (1960) using a combination of pounding stacato strings and smooth sounds to create a schizophrenic feel.
In Star Wars: The Empire Stikes Back (1980), John Williams composed "Imperial March" to represent the sinister Darth Vader.
As for musicals, there are two types:
1) Expressionistic: Characters impulsively break into song and dance to express their feelings. An example would be The Wizard of Oz (1939) and An American in Paris (1951).
2) Realistic: Characters sing because there is a reason to. An example would be Cabaret (1972) in which the characters perform in a music hall. Although, technically onsidered a jukebox musical, Saturday Night Fever (1977) features characters dancing to disco music.
There are also films inspired and adapted from musical theatre, including Westside Story, Annie, Cats and Chicago.
I think I select favorite movies partially based on their soundtracks. When I used to purchase CDs, half of them were soundtracks. I still play them in my car on roadtrips.
ReplyDeleteSusan Says
Susan, same here. I have TONS of soundtrack CDs. I also have CDs of movie soundtrack collections. There's some great music out there.
ReplyDeleteSusan, same here. I have TONS of soundtrack CDs. I also have CDs of movie soundtrack collections. There's some great music out there.
ReplyDeleteThat Psycho music is absolutely unforgettable, totally a part of the trauma of the infamous shower scene. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Twist: Writer, Plague Enthusiast
Elizabeth, I agree. That music is truly horrifying.
DeleteInteresting post. There's nothing like a villain with great entrance music to make everyone know that he is awesome and to be feared. Now I'm not getting the Imperial March out of my head for the rest of the day... Good luck with the rest of the AtoZchallenge.
ReplyDeleteRonel, lol. I use Imperial March for my hubby's ring tone.
DeleteIt's amazing how different the scene can be made just using music. You can tell the audience to view the same scene as a comedy, a thriller, a romance or a tragedy just by what music you put over it.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. Music is a huge factor. I read that M. Night Shayamalan did not want to use music in Signs, but finally relented. It definitely made the film so much better.
DeleteThis is my weak and strong point with making a film. It's one item when I study films I listen for the third or fourth viewing. What surprised me was the amount of silence in films.
ReplyDeleteAnn, that's interesting. I've noticed that there is a lot of background music in films. When you notice it, it can be a distraction, but not always. When you don't notice it, that's better.
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