Examples and Research of Music

in filmsBy Sam Marshall

Music?Music is something to listen to which expresses emotions and feeling and

sets a film up with using the many genres music has and the wide variety of music. A lot of instruments are associated with a specific

genre and the speed and tone they are played at. For example the piano played softly indicates a sad/emotional scene. Also the repetition of instruments can add to the emotions and feelings behind the scene.

Music is a good guide which hints and guides you to feel a certain way when a scene is played.

What’s the norms for music with genre.

Basically what sort of music comes to mind when we think of specific genres?

Horror – Suspense music, fast dramatic violins (loud and screeching)

Sci-Fi – electronic keyboards and computer generated music.

Murder Mystery – Piano, fast and slow paced music and emotional soundtracks.

Horror Example #1I said they would be SUSPENSFUL,

TENSE, DRAMATIC, and VIOLIN. One prime example of suspense is Jaws.

Jaws has the infamous “duh-dun” theme which is associated with it instantly. It is suspense as it slowly gets faster and faster and it is also instrumental so no singer to comfort the listener. Onto emotions it makes the listener very uncomfortable and on edge wondering when the shark will attack. It also helps to make the viewer predict when/if the victim’s time is up with the fast pacing music over the scene.

Horror Example #2

Another example is Psycho. When I hear the word Psycho I instantly think of the screeching of the violins over the infamous shower stabbing scene. The scene has no music, all it has is diagetic sounds like the shower and the sound of the shower curtain moving. Suddenly a figure of a woman appears raises a knife and stabs the victim. The violins are there to make the scene dramatic and surprising. A chill goes down spines when the violins and the screams are combined with the scene. It scares the viewer and surprises them as well as making them feel uncomfortable. This example is another great classic horror movie where it has helped to create a stereotype for horror movies.

Sci-Fi Example #1

Sci-Fi is a genre which uses many methods of music. Let’s take Star Wars for example. The theme tune is played by an orchestra and is not conforming to the usual strange sounds that Sci-Fi is associated with. All of it’s music is orchestrated but has different tones to them. “The Force Theme” is the most common one but it has been used in completely different scenes and in completely different ways. One is a more hopeful and upbeat however one version is a saddened and slow one. Star Wars is a conforming and subversive Sci-Fi film, it conforms by having a huge and atmospheric orchestra.

Sci-Fi Example #22001, A Space Odyssey is the other example. It is

again an orchestra but is a big opening theme for a film. First you can hear brass instruments slowly making the notes higher and higher and holding the notes longer. And then big drums are heard bridging the theme to the next set of brass notes. This is a remarkable piece of music which helps the viewer to know what the film is going to be like and what it entails. It’s a massive and phenomenal soundtrack which relates to the setting of the film, it’s in space, a massive and phenomenal thing that we all live in.

Murder MysteryMurder Mystery or Mystery has a variety of music.

From piano to no music, music (or no music) is very important for this specific genre. It helps to set the tone. An example of a scene which is in every murder mystery film is the murder scene. Do you feel sad, angry, shocked, surprised, happy, tense or all of them? By using a specific instrument(s) like a piano, people have associated pianos with sad songs or sad scenes in movies. If you were to feel all of the emotions, a mixture of instruments need to be used, but not all at once, every so often a change in tone and music will help create a mixture of emotions for one scene.

Murder Mystery #1I know it’s not a film, but Broadhchurch Season One is a very good example of a variety of music. Let’s take the last episode and the scene where the viewer finds out who Danny’s killer is. Whilst the protagonist is walking towards the killer the music is lower than other sounds

which are mainly diagetic sounds. The music is not pleasant nor too dark but it is uneasy and makes the

viewer uncomfortable. As the detective gets closer the music volume increases isolating the other diagetic sounds. As the killer is shown on camera a sudden

‘dun’ sound effect is used which echoes out like waves of the sea. It helps us to identify the scene as being a

sad, shocking and surprising scene and also making the viewer regretting wanting to know who the killer is.

Murder Mystery #2

Another Murder Mystery film is Se7en. The scene I’m looking at is the box scene. From when the detective opens the box to when the other protagonist kills the antagonist. The Music is produced by an orchestra. The brass bands slowly making their thuds creates a dramatic atmosphere making the viewers eager to find out what’s in the box. It is continuous giving the scene a long unwanted wait to find out what it is. After the antagonist reveals what’s in the box. The brass thuds die out and violins take their place making the scene very eerie and sick. The brass thuds return when the antagonist reveals another shock that the protagonists wife was pregnant. After the reveal the violins return defining how sick and deluded the antagonist is and how careless he is. Then drums emerge tensing the scene wanting to make the viewers know what the protagonist will do to the antagonist. After the protagonist shoots the antagonist the eerie violins return. These few sets of instruments coming back and repeating their notes heavily makes the scene memorable and a prime example of a shock twist in a murder mystery film.