| clip_analysis.pptx | |
| File Size: | 1805 kb |
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The Uses of Music in the Cinema
Long ago, in the age of silent films, music became a key player in visual supplementation. Today, the partnership between video and its melodious auditory counterpart continues, but on a more complex scale. In the films “The Lives of Others”, “Berry Lyndon”, and “Persuasion” the viewer, whether he realizes it or not, is greatly influenced by the presence, or lack of musical accompaniment.
Perhaps the most common knowledge of the use of music in film is for the creation of mood. “Persuasion” uses a slow melodious melancholy tune to downplay any laughter or positive visual images in order to maintain its somber and regretful tone. The Lives of others also uses a somber score, even in its most heightened emotional scenes, in order to remain faithful to the gravity of its subject matter. Without the music in either of these examples, the viewer would quite possibly feel confused about his accuracy of emotional assignment. Music can be a key player in establishing suspense, through growing volume or tempo. This is the case in the film Persuasion as Anne runs toward Wentworth in the final scene with a quickened pace and swelling loudness. Moods can also be shifted by music. In the end of “The Lives of Others”, as Dreyman searches through file records, the same event adopts two very different moods as the music used to characterize the bad, shifts to the slower, softer, more melodious ballad used to characterize deep somber emotion.
Music is also used to characterize certain players within a film. “The Lives of Others” is a particularly strong example of successful characterization because within this film, music largely dictates the change within characters. Inspired by a Lenin quote equating music with the goodness of a man, this film uses music as an essential element to demonstrate change within a character, particularly within the character Weisler. There are two scores that accompany the gaze of this character: the first, is a low staccato string score with an oboe overplay serving to reveal his dark, mechanical, and heartless ways, the second is a higher string and piano arrangement meant to characterize goodness and humanity within him. Without music, the inner struggle of this character would perhaps be less significant and the theme of change within the film would suffer.
A strategy employed in both of the films discussed so far is the assignment of certain scores to certain characters: for Weisler it is the low staccato piece and oboe, for Dreyman it is the revolutionary guitar, for Anne it is the sad strings. But certain musical selections are also assigned to broader concepts such as good and evil, or general emotions such as passion or sadness. These assignments play upon the auditory memory of the viewer, allowing film makers to establish characterization or mood through reference to previous uses of the same series of notes or instruments.
The use of music to direct the attention of the viewer is also quite common. After Anne runs into Wentworth in “Persuasion”, non diegetic music drowns out the diegetic dialogue behind her to remain with only her short breaths as its partner. This music not only offers the viewer subjectivity to the passion that Anne is feeling, but also serves to cue the viewer to tune Charles out and simply focus on Anne.
More abstractly, music can be used to establish credibility. When a film uses music that is from the time period that its setting suggests, its plot becomes more credible and the viewer is therefore drawn in based on an increase in believability. Although much of the music in Berry Lyndon seems inappropriate (which can be purposeful to call attention to irony), the instruments it employs are native to the setting not only in time, but in culture and location. This type of credibility is usually created through digetic sound in the form of a concert, as in “Persuasion” or through a radio or live band as in “The Life of Others” and “Berry Lyndon.”
Music can also be used to enhance action. Sometimes this enhancement occurs in situations in where the music is stopped suddenly by a visual component with a diegetic auditory partner, such as the closing of a door (“The Lives of Others”) or the running in of one person to another (“Persuasion”). Also, the tempo of a piece of music can match the speed of a camera or even be on beat with the footsteps of a running character, which are strategies used in all three films. This notion of interweaving diegetic and non diegetic elements also has a way of keeping the viewer involved in the story. The “Lives of Others” does a fantastic job of this interweaving. One scene in particular that uses this weaving on diegetic and non diegetic music follows Dreyman’s learning that Christa Maria is having an affair. The “Deep feeling” music plays over the whole scene, and then he sits down at the piano and begins to play notes that fit perfectly in the measures of the already playing non diegetic score. This occurs in “Persuasion” as well, especially in the concert scene, as the diegetic music from one scene is carried into another as non diegetic sound to achieve fluidity or maintain mood.
The uses of music are endless. It is a beautiful asset to film because it is a subtle way for film makers to direct their audience and ensure a film’s accurate reception and understanding. With all of these uses, music should be considered an essential element of a successful film!
Perhaps the most common knowledge of the use of music in film is for the creation of mood. “Persuasion” uses a slow melodious melancholy tune to downplay any laughter or positive visual images in order to maintain its somber and regretful tone. The Lives of others also uses a somber score, even in its most heightened emotional scenes, in order to remain faithful to the gravity of its subject matter. Without the music in either of these examples, the viewer would quite possibly feel confused about his accuracy of emotional assignment. Music can be a key player in establishing suspense, through growing volume or tempo. This is the case in the film Persuasion as Anne runs toward Wentworth in the final scene with a quickened pace and swelling loudness. Moods can also be shifted by music. In the end of “The Lives of Others”, as Dreyman searches through file records, the same event adopts two very different moods as the music used to characterize the bad, shifts to the slower, softer, more melodious ballad used to characterize deep somber emotion.
Music is also used to characterize certain players within a film. “The Lives of Others” is a particularly strong example of successful characterization because within this film, music largely dictates the change within characters. Inspired by a Lenin quote equating music with the goodness of a man, this film uses music as an essential element to demonstrate change within a character, particularly within the character Weisler. There are two scores that accompany the gaze of this character: the first, is a low staccato string score with an oboe overplay serving to reveal his dark, mechanical, and heartless ways, the second is a higher string and piano arrangement meant to characterize goodness and humanity within him. Without music, the inner struggle of this character would perhaps be less significant and the theme of change within the film would suffer.
A strategy employed in both of the films discussed so far is the assignment of certain scores to certain characters: for Weisler it is the low staccato piece and oboe, for Dreyman it is the revolutionary guitar, for Anne it is the sad strings. But certain musical selections are also assigned to broader concepts such as good and evil, or general emotions such as passion or sadness. These assignments play upon the auditory memory of the viewer, allowing film makers to establish characterization or mood through reference to previous uses of the same series of notes or instruments.
The use of music to direct the attention of the viewer is also quite common. After Anne runs into Wentworth in “Persuasion”, non diegetic music drowns out the diegetic dialogue behind her to remain with only her short breaths as its partner. This music not only offers the viewer subjectivity to the passion that Anne is feeling, but also serves to cue the viewer to tune Charles out and simply focus on Anne.
More abstractly, music can be used to establish credibility. When a film uses music that is from the time period that its setting suggests, its plot becomes more credible and the viewer is therefore drawn in based on an increase in believability. Although much of the music in Berry Lyndon seems inappropriate (which can be purposeful to call attention to irony), the instruments it employs are native to the setting not only in time, but in culture and location. This type of credibility is usually created through digetic sound in the form of a concert, as in “Persuasion” or through a radio or live band as in “The Life of Others” and “Berry Lyndon.”
Music can also be used to enhance action. Sometimes this enhancement occurs in situations in where the music is stopped suddenly by a visual component with a diegetic auditory partner, such as the closing of a door (“The Lives of Others”) or the running in of one person to another (“Persuasion”). Also, the tempo of a piece of music can match the speed of a camera or even be on beat with the footsteps of a running character, which are strategies used in all three films. This notion of interweaving diegetic and non diegetic elements also has a way of keeping the viewer involved in the story. The “Lives of Others” does a fantastic job of this interweaving. One scene in particular that uses this weaving on diegetic and non diegetic music follows Dreyman’s learning that Christa Maria is having an affair. The “Deep feeling” music plays over the whole scene, and then he sits down at the piano and begins to play notes that fit perfectly in the measures of the already playing non diegetic score. This occurs in “Persuasion” as well, especially in the concert scene, as the diegetic music from one scene is carried into another as non diegetic sound to achieve fluidity or maintain mood.
The uses of music are endless. It is a beautiful asset to film because it is a subtle way for film makers to direct their audience and ensure a film’s accurate reception and understanding. With all of these uses, music should be considered an essential element of a successful film!
Works Consulted
Bordwell, David, and Kristin Thompson. "Sound in the Cinema." Film Art: Eighth Edition. New York:McGraw-Hill, 2008. 264-300.
Dearth, C. Critical Mass Film House. Retrieved May 24, 2009, from Critical Mass Film House, US. Web site: http://www.criticalmassfilmhouse.com/reviews/livesofothers.html.
Hacquard, Georges. La Musique et le Cinéma. Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1959.
James, Caryn. "Austen Tale of Lost Love Refound." The New York Times 27 Sep. 1995: C18.
Dearth, C. Critical Mass Film House. Retrieved May 24, 2009, from Critical Mass Film House, US. Web site: http://www.criticalmassfilmhouse.com/reviews/livesofothers.html.
Hacquard, Georges. La Musique et le Cinéma. Paris: Presses universitaires de France, 1959.
James, Caryn. "Austen Tale of Lost Love Refound." The New York Times 27 Sep. 1995: C18.
| clip_analysis.pptx | |
| File Size: | 891 kb |
| File Type: | pptx |
Clip Analysis:
I chose this clip because to me, “The Lives Of Others” was probably the most well done film that the class has viewed. This particular clip seems to embody many key elements of the film. It displays the irony that the film is so saturated with as it explores the question of knowledge. The report being read states clearly misattributed events and causes, yet due to previous knowledge and the perspective of Weisler, truth is made attainable. In a film that is so careful and inconsistent as to what knowledge it offers the viewer, this clip is of particular interest because it is one of the few scenes in the film in which the viewer is invited to assume a perspective of omniscience.
Apart from its aesthetic value, the visual overlay of the report overtop of the flash back action serves to establish credibility. This is something the film does a lot with onscreen documents and records, but as a political film it is necessary for the events to be believable, and the existence of documents, however falsified, contributes to this effort.
This clip also plays upon the imagination of the viewer. A few lines are read, and then a blurry image emerges that becomes clearer with increasing revelation. This is much like the mid of Wesiler might be doing, or what the imagination of the viewer does when reading. The notion that these images could be in the imagination of the viewer increases oneness with the story as the Viewer becomes more invested and involved, feeling like a valued part of understanding the plot.
The music of this clip demonstrates a trend used throughout the film in which the same pieces of music are recycled, playing upon the memory of the viewer, to establish mood more quickly and create associations. In this clip, a string and piano arrangement plays that has, based on is prior use, been assigned to represent goodness and very deep emotion within the film. The use of music is very powerful in this scene not only for establishing a powerful and peaceful mood, but because it offers the auditory accompaniment for the sex scene that otherwise would leave it unequal with the report’s audio.
This clip is one of the most beautifully crafted and well constructed clips I have ever seen. It embodies the themes and trends of the film in a way that offers constancy. It is absolutely breathtaking.
Apart from its aesthetic value, the visual overlay of the report overtop of the flash back action serves to establish credibility. This is something the film does a lot with onscreen documents and records, but as a political film it is necessary for the events to be believable, and the existence of documents, however falsified, contributes to this effort.
This clip also plays upon the imagination of the viewer. A few lines are read, and then a blurry image emerges that becomes clearer with increasing revelation. This is much like the mid of Wesiler might be doing, or what the imagination of the viewer does when reading. The notion that these images could be in the imagination of the viewer increases oneness with the story as the Viewer becomes more invested and involved, feeling like a valued part of understanding the plot.
The music of this clip demonstrates a trend used throughout the film in which the same pieces of music are recycled, playing upon the memory of the viewer, to establish mood more quickly and create associations. In this clip, a string and piano arrangement plays that has, based on is prior use, been assigned to represent goodness and very deep emotion within the film. The use of music is very powerful in this scene not only for establishing a powerful and peaceful mood, but because it offers the auditory accompaniment for the sex scene that otherwise would leave it unequal with the report’s audio.
This clip is one of the most beautifully crafted and well constructed clips I have ever seen. It embodies the themes and trends of the film in a way that offers constancy. It is absolutely breathtaking.
