It seems to me that movie scoring is a truly under-appreciated art form. While I know very little of the technicalities of music, as a dancer I am highly sensitive to the emotional impact of instrumental scores. The absence of words in a song only makes it speak louder and more clearly in my opinion. What movie scorers do is tell stories through their music, making people feel something in addition to whatever they are seeing on the screen. If you don't believe me, try muting a scene in your favorite movie. Does it have the same impact? No. And how could it? Movies are so much more than just scripts, acting and filmography. It's the combination of all those things, and more, that makes a feature film- and music is one of the essential ingredients.
Think about the intense associationism of music with movies. When you hear the familiar tune of the theme from Star Wars, Harry Potter, or James Bond, you cannot help but think of the film itself, even if you haven't seen it. However, it doesn't work the other way around. You can't watch a clip of a movie and imagine what the background score would sound like, as we would all come up with something vastly different. That is the job of the composer. The score of a movie serves to unite the mood and understanding of the audience through sound.
Disney movies are particularly popular amongst my generation. People sing songs from the various animated musicals all the time. However, there is so much more to Aladdin than just "A Whole New World" (sung by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga). For me, some of the most resonant moments in Disney movies are scenes where there is nothing but an instrumental score, which can often be attributed to the one and only Mr. Alan Menken. From Beauty and the Beast to the more recent production Tangled, Menken's compositions have gradually compiled into what I call the soundtrack of my youth. However, only avid Disney fans seem to know this man's name.
Now, the great thing about animated movies in comparison to live action films, is that they are entirely choreographed. As a composer, what Menken does so well is embed his music within the animation itself. Every note goes hand in hand with some sort of visual cue. Next time you're watching a Disney movie, I encourage to pay special attention to the background music, and I hope that you'll appreciate it as much as I do. Personally, some of my favorite scores are:
"Kingdom Dance" Tangled, Alan Menken
"Skirmish" Pocahontas, Alan Menken
"The Little Mermaid Theme" The Little Mermaid, Alan Menken
I am not suggesting that all instrumental music goes unnoticed; that would be far from the truth. Look at John Williams for instance- he revolutionized what it meant to compose for film. Today it's rare to come across a person that doesn't know his name. What I am encouraging is that we attempt to appreciate the varied degrees of musical scoring and how sound brings stories to life. I will leave you with a handful of my favorite examples. Even if you haven't seen these movies, I urge you to listen to the songs and imagine what kind of a picture the music is painting. They are beautiful even without context.
"He's a Pirate" Pirates of the Caribbean, Klaus Badelt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s17XDrKuqc4
I don't know what to say about this except that it's really the epitome of all modern theme songs. It reeks of adventure and makes me want to get up and dance and/or sword fight every time I hear it!
"London Calling" Star Trek Into Darkness, Michael Giacchino
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfP6o-61e2s
I love how this piece transitions in and out of the gentle piano sequence and then builds to the climactic ending. It fits perfectly within the movie, and as soon as I can find a clip of the scene on YouTube, I will post it because it really is worth a watch.
"Mind Heist" Inception, Zack Hempsey
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JGHI4TAC5U
I have been in love with this song ever since seeing the trailer for Inception. It literally defines the word EPIC, it's as simple as that.
"Time" Inception, Hans Zimmer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOv4R3BXEHY
This piece is simple and repetitive, but very emotionally effective.
"Back to the Future III Theme" Back to the Future, Alan Silvestri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zejzjnZvD2M
I
absolutely love this song-particularly the beginning. Every time I
watch the movie, I end up humming this tune for hours afterwards. It's crazy how the composer managed to create a piece of music appropriate for a film that deals with the past, present and the future simultaneously. You can almost hear the different temporal elements in the song.
"The Avengers Theme" The Avengers, Alan Silvestri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGJGXMUhmc
I have to be honest, this movie was so action packed that I never really noticed a background score at all, except for whenever this theme played. It's upbeat, iconic, recognizable and fits the film well.
"Volturi Waltz" New Moon, Alexandre Desplat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK42smO5wYc
This song was the best thing about the entire movie! I don't know why, but it's really melodically catchy in addition to being a bit dark, mysterious and playful. I thought it was very effective.
I personally find it extremely inspiring to listen to movie scores when I do homework. Are there any songs you particularly enjoy?
Totally agree with you! Especially when it comes to some of these iconic movies where the scores are so unique that they are part of the movies identity and contribute to its recognition. What would The Sound of Music be without the music? haha.
ReplyDeleteI think this is also true for T.V shows and their opening themes. Shows such as Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Big Bang Theory and PLL have awesome openers and you can identify the show by simply listening to the first 10 seconds of the opening. Pretty cool!