Music And Cinema Music

Music plays a critical role in the narrative films as it is important technique that filmmakers use to support the narrative and influence the way that the viewer interacts, responds and interprets the events as they unfold. The godfather, which is one of all time Hollywood movies, represents a good use of music that succeeded in supporting the dramatic events that take place in the movie. Moreover, both diegetic and non-diegetic music in the godfather movie are used to achieve the overall purpose by using the different principles and functions of film music that range from setting the mood of the viewer to providing continuity within the movie. In this essay, we will take part of the godfather movie in which we can observe and analyse the

‘Sound doesn’t have to be in-your-face, traditional, big sound effects. You can especially say a lot about the film with ambiences – the sounds for things you don’t see.’ (Bordwell, 2008) The music throughout this film adds to the ambience of the story, and follows the conventions of a family fantasy

The music contributed heavily to setting the tone and mood throughout the film. The film

“The most exciting moment is the moment when I add the sound… At this moment, I tremble.” (Akira Kurosawa) Sound is arguably the most important concept in cinema studies, being there ever since the beginnings. It can radically change the way a motion picture is looked at and it can render what the director may sometimes find hard to depict using only his camera. Looking upon silent cinema one discovers an era which wasn’t at all silent, but rich in sound of different forms, from the simple narration of the images shown on screen, accompanied by a piano, to the complex score later composed specifically for that film. An example of that complex score is shown in Sunrise, a film by F.W. Murnau, which lies at the border between silent cinema and sound cinema. Considered to be one of the first films with an actual score, Sunrise is a great example of the multitude of dimensions and effects sound can have.

Sound was first introduced into film in 1927. Several years later, Fritz Lang’s, M, was released. His film took advantage of this new technology by implementing a complex soundtrack, using this to help drive the story instead of solely relying on the pictures. Further, Lang also introduced a technique termed as “leitmotif” which in short is simply a recurring musical theme associated with something larger. Meanwhile, in 1960, the Jean-Luc Godard’s French New Wave film, Breathless, was released. This film also cleverly utilized the used of sound by often abruptly switching from a beautiful music score to natural noise from the streets of Paris.

The most important function of music in film is to set a mood. Choices of musical style, instrumentation, and emotional quality are critical in creating the director’s vision. Even the absence of music in a scene or an entire movie can contribute to the overall tone of a film. (Forney and Machlis, 639) Most Hollywood films use music to reflect the emotions of a given scene.

They say that a picture is speaks a thousand words. I say that where pictures and words stop words leave off music begins. Music like an epidemic is silent, but can have a powerful effect. Whether, we are conscious of it or not, music adds a distinct dimension to film. Its successful incorporation as a filming technique has been just as essential as any other development in the film industry. ”The engagement of hearing

It is not uncommon that “the attention of the audience of a well-made film was almost never focused on the music” (James, 2009). King Kong (1933) could be defined as one of the most profound film in the film industry. While, it is a group of bass brass instruments create a mysterious sense in King Kong (1933) and the chequered composition contributes a dissonant musical motivation throughout the entire film as a basic atmosphere. Moreover, the strong love of King Kong is described by the repetition of a few notes, which is just the pretty simple melody of the piano, the woodwind and the violins.

The following extracts introduces us to the links between film and music, providing examples and research about how both factors intertwine to create a full experience, visually with film, and emotionally with the music that goes with it.

“Just before the Hollywood film supposedly reached its ‘level of classical perfection’, original scores, written by many of the world’s finest composers, are increasingly in use” (James 2009). While in late 1937, the public debate over the aesthetic quality of film music indicates, “some composers do not understand the needs of the motion picture that their music is too high-brow”(Cooke, 2001).

It has been part of films almost since the beginning of films. Film music brings audiences the opportunity to engage and enjoy films more. Adding music to films increases the dramatic effects the film brings to the audience. The importance of film music can be experienced when watching a silent film. Before the 1930’s all movies were completely silent.

From early prescriptive writings on film-music practice to recent theoretical considerations of the status of music in cinema, the name of Richard Wagner has recurred with a regularity approaching inevitability. His sheer persistence as a figure in the literature has had a tendency to naturalize his position in the genealogy of cinema, making it difficult to assess the true nature and extent of his influence. Wagner is cited as a model (or the model) for film-music composers and performers to follow, and concepts such as the Gesamtkunstwerk, unendliche Melodie, and the Leitmotiv circulate widely, frequently detached from Wagner’s name

Kanye West, a famous hip-hop artist, stated in the latest episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” that “the internet destroyed the music industry” (2015). What did he mean by this? He meant that since the boom of technology and the immergence of the Internet, it is easy for someone to place a file on the internet and share it worldwide. File sharing, in and of itself, is not illegal. The problem or the legality of file sharing comes to play when you share or receive a file that you did not pay for yourself. The copyright laws state that it is unlawful to download or share copyrighted works such as music or movies without the expressly written consent or authorization of the copyright owner. The music and motion picture industry have taken an aggressive approach in efforts to stop illegal file sharing and piracy. When I think of files sharing, the first couple of services that comes to mind are Napster and Pirate Bay.

Over the years the star wars sound track has become very popular and well known. It’s an original composition made by John Williams and made just for this movie. They play certain pieces of the music at certain times so you can tell what is about to happen just by listening to the music. If there was a love scene between Padme and Anakin or Leia and Han Solo about to begin the music will be soothing and heartfelt. If something bad were to happen such as Darth Vader coming on the screen or the empire destroying a planet then it would play this dark music that really sets the mood for what had happened in the movie.

For Martin Scorsese, popular music in films ‘doesn’t have to serve simply as mood music or be an unimaginative device for establishing a time period.’ (Romney & Wootton, 1995: 1)Taking this as a starting point, discuss the use of popular music in either one or two films or the work of one film director.