It's present in almost every film, video game, and TV series in history, and it's also probably the most overlooked part of storytelling. It doesn't just change the shape of a story, it also augments our understanding of what's going on in the story, informs us, intensifies the actions, manifests new emotions, and, quite often, qualifies the events taking place. It's invisible by nature, but is no less felt. And, if done well, it comes to embody the emotions and excitement we felt over a story. It takes root in our memory even if we aren't conscious of it.
Sound.
The quality of a soundtrack is sometimes more accountable for a movie's success than the writing, acting, or directing. Don't believe me? There is a video online where you can see the soundtrack removed from the ending of E.T. The Extraterrestrial. Watch it here, and see if you don't understand the importance of composer John Williams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWcg3cITkTI
You'll see it doesn't have nearly the impact that the original did with Williams's score, and Spielberg himself has said that John Williams is responsible for 50% of his success. George Lucas has said similar things regarding Williams's work on all of the Star Wars films.
Some people will say they prefer soundtrack-less films because they don't like being "emotionally manipulated" by the music, that the writing and acting ought to stand on its own in order to be truly impactful. I won't argue about this, because, quite honestly, I kind of agree with both sides. For instance, I love how No Country for Old Men has no soundtrack whatsoever--it makes the drama seem so much more intense and dangerous, because the assassin seems imposing, realistic, and therefore more terrifying. However, soundtracks are just music, and music is obviously a valid form of art, and blending both the visual and audio mediums is no less legitimate than, say, combining your skills at making clay urns and painting...after all, painting the clay urns makes them enjoyable in a new way.
I also think that simply saying that soundtracks are "emotional manipulation" is dismissive of the artistry, time, skill and effort it took to form just the right "manipulations." Especially when this is done well. I mean, come on, are you seriously saying that you would be glad if you didn't hear this every time Darth Vader walked on screen? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzntZLHcYy0
But I don't want to spend too much time on this argument, because I think that most of us can agree that soundtracks are awesome, especially when composers such as Hans Zimmer or John Williams get a hold of a character and create a theme just for that character, a theme that you probably didn't notice was a theme at all...but your brain sure did. At least, unconsciously.
You're sitting in the theater, or on your couch, and slowly but surely you get settled in, and a character that was previously not so scary...suddenly becomes intensely dangerous in your mind, and now the room is filled with so much foreboding that you can barely take your eyes off the screen. This is the effect that a soundtrack can have. Yes, it could be construed as cheating, but, as I said, painting a clay urn isn't "cheating" if the overall effect is a positive force for the work of art itself.
The reason I wrote this is because a friend of mine said he recently heard a coworker asking someone else why in the world they would buy the soundtrack to a movie and listen to it in the car, so I wanted to talk about how soundtracks are often overlooked, and I wanted to uplift them since I feel they are usually ignored. I mean, like any other art form, it can be done badly and without care, but just as one must respect Tarantino as a director over, say, Uwe Boll, one must also be respectful of Basil Poledouris, who gave us "The Anvil of Crom", and took the time to create a song filled with deep drums and powerful horns that spoke of the strength of Conan the Barbarian: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHfE682mm3c&feature=fvst
Soundtracks can also slide into your head through your ear canal and push you in different ways, cause you to feel new things about characters that you thought you knew, such as the subtleties in Dario Marianelli's work in the film Pride and Prejudice. Here, he makes you see something else implied in Mr. Darcy's character that perhaps you wouldn't have seen if the composer hadn't helped you. Just as an architect understands the structure of a building, a good decorator can come into that same building and really breathe life into an otherwise dull setting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WNI4q_Hgso
Even a show that already has brilliant writing, such as Doctor Who, certainly sees benefits from the youthful, exuberant, and sometimes dark themes from composer Murray Gold. The Doctor is complicated, thoughtful, contemplative, introspective, and of course playful. And don't tell me you don't get goosebumps when the Doctor starts to figure something out, or pulls out a victory against all odds against the Silence, and you start to hear this theme: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D-QPDGhCtM
And, of course, who can listen to this theme song without feeling geared up for adventure? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CYDgezeQas
One of my favorite "styles" of soundtrack creation is when a particular piece doesn't necessarily sound like it fits as an action song, yet somehow comes to embody all of the emotions running rampant in both the heroes and the villains during a final climactic encounter. Just watch and listen in this piece from Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman, which builds and builds until the penultimate moment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tiKM4fxY1U
Video games have certainly seen themselves taken more seriously in recent years thanks to innovations in scoring. Pixelated heroes and heroines suddenly leap out of the TV screen because of pieces like this in Mass Effect 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTsD2FjmLsw
More respect ought to be given to those soundtrack writers who do it well, by both the casual film viewer and casual gamer. So please, the next time you watch your favorite film or play your favorite video game, take a moment to realize what the composer was doing at precisely your favorite moment. I guarantee, you'll have a renewed appreciation for that invisible force behind storytelling. Music isn't just for dancing and rocking out. Like any art form, it's main purpose is communication.
Follow me on Facebook and Twitter: Twitter account ChadHuskinsAuthor
Visit my website: www.forestofideas.com
No comments:
Post a Comment