Movie Music Essay Sample

1. Which function do you think the music fits in each of the excerpts?

Music plays a significant role in a film. In the LOTR the Fellowship of the Ring - The Shadow of the Past Part 1, music is used not only to create a mood but also to make the scene memorable (Smith, 1999). Throughout the film, music changes the meaning of the scene by making it smooth and calm when the movie is going on. In this movie, the music engrains views in the minds of listeners and through this; it is possible to remember exciting scenes when listening to the soundtrack (Boltz, Schulkind, & Kantra, l991). In this case, the music used help in filling in silence that could have made the scene confusing. From the music of this film, it is easy to understand the layers of the story and the characters in the movie (Zillmann, 1971). Furthermore, it can foreshadow the next scene in the film and therefore music is an essential tool in the film (Cohen, 2000). There are also some instances where music is used to capture the attention of the viewer, and through this, the mood of the audience changes with the tone of the music. This is very important when setting the movie tone and rhythm.

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2. Can film music function in multiple ways? How so?

It is possible for music to function multiply in a movie. It can be used to create emotion, set the rhythm, and build a movie atmosphere. The same music in the film can also play a function of changing the perception of the audience and create a memory. Suck kind of music in the movie is said to represent multiple roles (Cohen, 2000). This is so when music is used as background music but also makes the viewer feel afraid of having a disturbing moment. At the same time, the music used as background music captures the attention of the viewers thus making it function in multiple ways. Film music can also operate in a numerous way by playing more than one role in a film. When original film music is used in setting the tone and also attracts the attention of the viewer. Through this, it serves more than one function thus making it function in multiple ways.

3. Do you feel as if the music conveyed information about the film in each of the excerpts? If so, how?

The music in each of the film conveyed information about the film (Zillmann, 1971). In each of the film, the music provides the background information about the film. It sets the mood of the audience by highlighting key themes and characters found in the movie. It also foreshadows the coming scene in the film by mentioning critical issues that are likely to come in the film. Through this, the viewers can tell the next stage. Because songs have the power to trigger vivid memories that take us back (Boltz, Schulkind, & Kantra, l991). From the music, we can know what happened a long time ago through the provision of emotional memories from what took place in the past. The song conveys information about the film by creating emotion. When the story is about love, it sets the mood of love by transmitting love messages while it is about terror, the kind of sound and words used show a sign of terror (Cohen, 2000). Through this one can say that the music conveyed information about the film in each of the excerpts. Because music provides the mood of the film, it is easy to foreshadow the coming scenes, and this helps in understanding what the movie is all about.

References

Boltz, M.G., Schulkind, M. & Kantra, S. (l991). Effects of background music on theremembering of filmed events. Memory & Cognition, 19, 593-606

Cohen, A. (2000). Film music perspectives from cognitive psychology. Music and Cinema. Eds. James Buhler, Caryl Flinn, and David Neumeyer. Hanover NH: University Pressof New England, 2000.

Smith, Jeff. (1999). Movie music as moving music: Emotion, cognition, and the film score. In: C. Plantinga & G.M. Smith (Eds.) Passionate Views: Film, Cognition, and Emotion. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press; pp.146-167.

Zillmann, D. (1971). Excitation transfer in communication in mediated aggressive behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 7, 419-434.