Day: March 15, 2019

Posted in All Posts, Post Production, Research

Music in Film

Posted on by rebeccaawolff
from Spongebob Squarepants

So far my title sequence has existed without sound. I wish I could leave it this way because I have a sinking feeling that once I add sound, the quality of my video will go down. The main thing that is concerning me is choosing a soundtrack; I have no idea where to start. From my previous research, I gathered that a lot of comedies centered around teens use primarily rock soundtracks. However, I want to learn more about music in film and decided to do some research.

Music in General

from Pitch Perfect 2

Music in film is a powerful tool, one that is often overlooked by typical audiences. Most audiences aren’t thinking about the nondiagetic musical score that accompanies an action sequence; they are focused on the action itself. However if sound was taken away, audiences would notice. The overall pacing and feel of the the scene would be totally different; the audience wouldn’t be as invested in the film as they previously were. One of my sources put this effect into words perfectly by saying,”You can impact your audience visually in what you show, and you can impact them audibly in what you let them hear. But when you can harmonize the visuals with sound in a meaningful way, that’s the moment your audience goes from simply seeing and hearing, to actually feeling.”

from The Office

When choosing the music for a scene, several things must be considered. The first is if the scene would have a richer effect if it was silent or just contained ambient sound. It’s important to realize that not all scenes need music; sometimes silence is more effective. The second is the purpose of the music; what are you trying to accomplish? The final thing to consider is the way the music effects the action and dialogue it is paired with. Is the soundtrack overpowering? Is there too little of the soundtrack?

Sources