Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 Film scores... the very foundation of why this website exists. But what are they and why do movies have them? Why do they even need them? People don't even notice them anyway, and when someone does a YouTube video demonstrating a scene that featured a very prominent piece of music, now silent with only dialogue and sound effects, people commenting say how much better and realistic they think it is. So are they even necessary? As I said in the other thread, it's not like we hear film score music in real life to accompany our most dramatic moments, so why do they need them in movies? Do they promote a falsehood? Have we outgrown them? Should Hollywood and other producers rethink the "film score" and instead make movies that reflect a more modern and sophisticated outlook where music is no longer required? Ricard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted June 16, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 16, 2020 Kasey Kockroach, Tydirium, Chewy and 6 others 5 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpy 4,145 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I've often thought film scores are paradoxical; they're unnoticed when they're there, missed when they're absent. It's strange to think about some dramatic scene, something realistic or ordinary and then you hear an orchestra playing in the background, but we just accept it as a part of what makes film... work? Perhaps that's why film scores have become more minimalistic to match the realism films are trying to go for until in the future there's no musical accompaniment whatsoever which sounds depressing, but to the tastes of future generations will sound normal. TSMefford and Naïve Old Fart 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post A24 4,306 Posted June 16, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 16, 2020 I once read or heard that film music is there to remind us that what we are seeing is just make-believe and it's precisely because of this awareness that we find it more pleasurable, even comfortable. So no matter how dramatic or gruesome it gets, we always realize it's still entertainment. Naïve Old Fart, Chewy and TSMefford 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 11,956 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 The music is there to bring attention to and showcase sound pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1977 1,743 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 9 hours ago, PuhgreÞiviÞm said: Should Hollywood and other producers rethink the "film score" and instead make movies that reflect a more modern and sophisticated outlook where music is no longer required? Honestly, I think they should think about taking an hiatus from making movies full stop. All the good stories have already been told. Everything nowadays is a reboot, prequel, nostalgia trip, spin off or reimagining of something better. Naïve Old Fart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naïve Old Fart 9,445 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 @PuhgreÞiviÞm Jerry, please tell me what's "modern and sophisticated", about films, these days. 1977 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unlucky Bastard 7,782 Posted June 16, 2020 Author Share Posted June 16, 2020 15 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said: @PuhgreÞiviÞm Jerry, please tell me what's "modern and sophisticated", about films, these days. More realistic and relatable. But there's nothing realistic about music following people everywhere, and sophisticated young people can't relate to music being so omnipresent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 11,956 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I guess that's why most scores sound like sound design nowadays. TSMefford 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 9 hours ago, PuhgreÞiviÞm said: What is the point of film scores anyway? In 2020? Nothing, there is no point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 11,956 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 The art of film scoring will die with John Williams William Ross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quintus 5,399 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I have given up on film music and have little more than a passing interest in it. Modern video games are what most reliably feed my musical soundtrack interest these days; it seems to me that medium is where much of the young or burgeoning talent is working these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasey Kockroach 2,343 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 To give nerds something to buy when they release the same score again but with extra music? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oomoog the Ecstatic 314 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 1 hour ago, Kasey Kockroach said: To give nerds something to buy when they release the same score again but with extra music? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pando 141 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 I think it very much depends on the scene and how it's shot. Some scenes work great without music, but some won't work at all. Music can enhance the scene quite a bit, sometimes conveying information not readily apparent (or even visible) in the picture. For example, in suspenseful scenes the soundtrack can convey fear way before something scary actually appears on screen. It's an additional tool for the filmmaker to play with our emotions, to build anticipation, add suspense, etc. As a case study, watch The Map Room cue from Raiders, with and without music. If that scene was shot with different pacing, less (or no) music might work, but clearly not as well. Or better yet, watch the Westwood competition clip with Yakety Sax. It's amazing how fast these cars move! Ricard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Glóin the Dark 1,216 Posted June 16, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 16, 2020 Film music is essential, but do we really need the accompanying pictures and dialogue? Smeltington, TSMefford and Pando 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488 Posted June 16, 2020 Share Posted June 16, 2020 All those catchy symphonic melodies now exist to be turned into eerie piano and power anthem renditions for trailers. Scores are just a marketing gimmick. TheUlyssesian and 1977 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpy 4,145 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 6 hours ago, Quintus said: I have given up on film music and have little more than a passing interest in it. Modern video games are what most reliably feed my musical soundtrack interest these days; it seems to me that medium is where much of the young or burgeoning talent is working these days. I've gone through a similar thing with modern film scores - I'll go back to the classics but my main interest now has been anime and game music which has been far more inventive than the stolid rut film scores have themselves in. Not Mr. Big 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Thor 7,384 Posted June 17, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted June 17, 2020 Historically, there has always been a connection between drama and music, from way back when stone age people played drums to campfire stories, all the way through ballets and operas and what-have-you. But interestingly, film wasn't really drama at first. It was more an 'attraction' (Tom Gunning even calls it 'cinema-of-attractions') with a documentary slant - at least in the years between Lumière and Meliés. The application of music wasn't a given. As such, there are a number of theories as to why music was first applied to films. One practical theory has to do with the projection apparatus itself - placed among the audience and emitting so much noise that you needed some form of musical accompaniment to 'drown it out'. Another more philosophical theory has to do with the 'trauma' of seeing big, live images that weren't 'real', requiring some form of music to assure the audience of its illusion. But eventually, it became a natural extension of the storytelling, both in the silent era and beyond - as one of the strongest rhetorical forces in the filmic expression. I realize this is probably not what you asked for, which is more about 'contemporary trends' and such, but I just ran with the historical context a bit. Jay, Smeltington, oierem and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 11,956 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 Quality post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,505 Posted June 17, 2020 Share Posted June 17, 2020 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,042 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 On 6/17/2020 at 5:07 AM, Thor said: Historically, there has always been a connection between drama and music, from way back when stone age people played drums to campfire stories, all the way through ballets and operas and what-have-you. But interestingly, film wasn't really drama at first. It was more an 'attraction' (Tom Gunning even calls it 'cinema-of-attractions') with a documentary slant - at least in the years between Lumière and Meliés. The application of music wasn't a given. As such, there are a number of theories as to why music was first applied to films. One practical theory has to do with the projection apparatus itself - placed among the audience and emitting so much noise that you needed some form of musical accompaniment to 'drown it out'. Another more philosophical theory has to do with the 'trauma' of seeing big, live images that weren't 'real', requiring some form of music to assure the audience of its illusion. But eventually, it became a natural extension of the storytelling, both in the silent era and beyond - as one of the strongest rhetorical forces in the filmic expression. I realize this is probably not what you asked for, which is more about 'contemporary trends' and such, but I just ran with the historical context a bit. Great post, I had never considered some of these factors!@Doug Adams will Impossible Silence cover this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Adams 494 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 1 minute ago, Jay said: Great post, I had never considered some of these factors!@Doug Adams will Impossible Silence cover this? Private message me Jay 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 11,956 Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 It's a private book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,457 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 There is no music in real life? Are you sure of that, because each time I do something new that requires courage I hear the Indiana Jones Theme in my head! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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