This lesson has given me a lot to think about, especially regarding the theme: What is the role of music for the screen?
What made me consider the most was whether music is still necessary if ambient sounds and foley are sufficient to convey emotions. What effect can music truly have on the screen? How do we decide whether its impact is positive or negative? For me, music in films serves as a tool to imply and emphasize the protagonist’s current emotions, as well as a means to create atmosphere. For instance, when the protagonist enters a jazz bar, it would be hard to convincingly set the scene without jazz music as part of the ambient sounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSLxMtaBILU
Taking the final scene from Moonlight as an example, the director used an excellent balance between silence and music. In the former dialogue, we can only hear foley sounds and dialogue, with some ambient noise in the background, with no music used. This approach amplifies the gravity and seriousness of the communication between the two characters. Especially during the emotionally heightened conclusion. Then, as the shot transitions to their embrace, very gentle piano music gradually fades in, evoking a sense of remembering and introspection in the audience.
Another topic that I am inspired by in this section is the motifs that I haven’t thought of before. Motifs can be a very great clue and an impressive point to the screen. Taking Halloween(1978) as an example, the music that was designed for the killer was ongoing in every seasons.
So in this project, I can use a similar way to present the motifs in repetition and variations.
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