Argumentative Essay About Film Music

For example, the movie Titanic would not be as emotional had the song “My heart will go on” not play in the credits. In this setting, it heightens the sentimental aspect of the movie as it leaves the audience touched with a piece that encompasses the essence of movie. The movie would not have been as impactful if the song was left out. However, the use of music is not limited to just the movies or shows on television. It also manifests in our everyday lives, ranging from weddings to even funerals.

John Williams is probably one of the most well known composers in history. If there’s any doubt in anyone’s mind, just think back to some of the most iconic movies of the past (like Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and even Memoirs of a Geisha) and the most striking feature about all of these movies is their amazing soundtracks. They compel and spellbind us; tying magical stories together with even more poignant melodies to captivate the mind’s imagery.

Music also plays a key role in reminding the audience that this movie took place in the past.

The audio although normally overpowered by the visual aspect played a key role in defining and empowering the movie. The music was fast and uplifting during celebration and on

The same applies to a dramatic scene where the music may be deep and frantic to convey to the audience the feeling of anticipation. A scene i would like to focus on is the scene in which Garry and his father have a final ‘showdown’, if you will, at the front of the house. The scene consists of the father imposing himself on Garry and proceeding to continually beat him down time after time only for Garry to rise up and face his father on each occasion. This scene evoked a feeling of pride and admiration from the audience as to Garry’s courage and determination to convey the message to his father that he is ready to stand on his own two feet and defy him. This is a very powerful scene within the movie which initiated powerful emotions within the audience. All of this was accomplished with the notable absence of music of any form. The omission of music in this scene created an atmosphere in which the dramatic affect was amplified due to the silence.

CENTRAL IDEA/THESIS: Film scores are an undoubtedly important part of the movie watching experience, however you may not know about how they were first introduced, the process it takes to make them, or how they have changed over time.

In the movies, there are a number of factors that will impact the quality of the film and the story. This is because producers and directors are using different techniques that will enhance their ability to entertain. The Sound of Music is taking numerous ideas and is integrating them together. To fully understand what is happening, there will be an examination of the film and various concepts. This will be accomplished by focusing on: the storytelling, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, style / directing, impact of the film on society / vice versa, genre, application of at least one approach and overall textual themes. Together, these elements will highlight the effects of the film and how it has influenced others inside the industry.

Even though the film is essentially a visual experience, the use of sound has become extremely important in modern film. The modern viewer hears a complicated soundtrack that is as meaningful as the image on the screen. Three elements comprise the film's soundtrack: the dialogue, the sound effects, and the musical score. The proper balance and mix of these elements produced the essential emphasis required, which created the desired effects. As explained by Joseph Boggs and Dennis Petrie,

Music has played a major role through out the entire film. It is used as a

Usually, I watch the movie with both the sound and and captioning on, but never have I watched with just captioning and no sound. This idea never ran through my brain because i could never understand a movie without music. Music in the world we live in is so essential to grasping plots to movies and setting the tone of the scene.

This clearly explains the significance of music and the role that has in motion pictures. Music has to match the emotions that the actors are showing and the environment they are in. If fail to do so, the movie could be a dreadful thing to watch.

Before being able to completely appreciate musical films, one must be aware of their remarkable history and how they came into existence. According to an article written by Cara Schreffler:

     The music helped in elaborating this great film. As I mentioned in class different instruments helped create different moods for different scenes in the movie. We heard the cello and the violin to create sadness and remorse. The flute created eeriness and the trumpet created awareness. I thought these were instruments and tools that help make this film extraordinary.

The expectations of film music are that it highlight and complement any onscreen actions while not being too distracting from the plot of the story. Today, one of the most well-known film music composers is John Williams. Winning a multitude of awards, he has written music for a wide range of highly popular movies, from Jurassic Park in 1993 to Schindler’s List in late 1993 to later Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001 and Memoirs of a Geisha in 2005, to name a few. However, many of the elements that John Williams uses in writing film music were implemented by Richard Wagner in writing his operas. Both Wagner and Williams are great composers of their respective times. According to Jon Burlingame, writer for the Los Angeles Times, “Wagner's influence on film-music

What drives a scene in a movie, television show, or video game is the music in the background. Movies and television shows often share the same element when using an orchestra score as background music. “Music adds to the emotional quality of the film. There is some empirical evidence to support this: fast and loud music arouses, slow and soft music calms. Motion and emotion are often entwined”. (Schaefer, 1998). The audience feel more emotional as you hear the sad melody of a violin during a dramatic scene. For some films that have