Discuss some ways in which music can be used in conjunction with film or other visual media to enhance a narrative, to create a mood or atmosphere, to convey emotions or to convey meanings.

In this essay, I will be exploring how music is used in film and visual media to enhance a narrative, to create a mood or atmosphere, that conveys emotions and meanings. I will also be including how

this can be intergraded into different cultures, races and genders. In doing this I am depicting popular films in the industry as well as comparing my own work to other mainstream artists and productions whilst referencing the media's capitalism and social restraints.

This term I was working on a collaboration project with the film and fashion students, they created a film

together and focused on all the visual aspects, I then went in to re-edit the film by enhancing the audio quality throughout. To take a deeper dive into music I needed to understand where music in film developed. The music industry has its roots in the early days of recorded music, when songs were first published and sold as sheet music. As recording technology improved, music could be recorded and distributed on physical formats like vinyl records, cassette tapes, and compact discs (M. James 2023). In terms of my music-making process, I was given instructions from the filmmakers to build the music upon

the characters that were dressed in black. Black represented darkness and displayed the characters' inner thoughts and worries. I wanted to go with a sinister feel and effect that was portrayed when a person came into the shoot. Where the film itself was over 7mins long and had four different scenes I wanted to break the music into four different compositions to show a change in dynamics and keep the audience interested and engaged.

Finally, when it came to the finishing touches of my work, I put the Foley train noises into the logic file, ambient sounds are really important because without them you would not get the same feeling of being in a train station. Foley helps us envision and capture a real-time moment. I then used alternation to make the noise sound more realistic. As well as ambient sounds When the trains appeared,

I lifted the line to change the dynamics of the train and make it sound more prominent When the train was leaving I gradually turned the line down to show the train was coming out of the shot. I made sure that when the close-ups of the actors appeared I made the sound lower in volume, so the actors were the

main focus.

I made sure the soundtrack changed with the theme of the scene changes, for example, if the characters were happy I would play a more upbeat sound by using major chords. Early CDs, like the MP3s that followed, didn’t sound all that great. He claims that the natural healing and therapeutic properties of music were lost in the rush to digitize. (D. Byrne 2012, p124) Once I played around with different notes on the keyboard, I was able to play a melody that I thought would fit into the film accordingly. I also wanted to make sure the sequence evoked feelings of sadness as well as curiosity, which was based on what was shown in particular scenes where the Leit Motif appeared. Moreover, this was demonstrated by using the keyboard with layered effects and harmonies and playing in a minor key, along with different tempos depending on the scene. I made sure that I used more live instruments in my production as appose to plugins and sound effects to give it a more authentic sound. In much contemporary pop, if you think you’re hearing a guitar or piano, most likely you’re hearing a sample of those instruments from someone else’s record. What you hear in such compositions are lots of musical quotations piled on top of one another. (D. Byrne 2012, p131) When I had finished adding the simple melody, I then added the rest of the instrumentation and I separated my logic files into different sections to make it easier to read and work with.

On another note, music can be a powerful tool in captivating and pushing a narrative in the media. Not only does music relieve stress and allow people to escape, but it can also be used to tell a realistic story of origins and meanings. Certain pieces of music can help soothe and heal if they are used in their entirely analogue versions, while the digital versions have the reverse effect. When his test subjects are played digital recordings, they get agitated and twitchy. (D. Byrne 2012, p124) A common component in sociality is using spirituality to unite and help large groups of people resonate with one another. Through the memorable experience of slavery and racial terror, they not only negotiated historical change and geographical displacement yet also produced music which maintains a vision of a better world. (J. Toynbee 2000 p89) “Black Panther 2018” begins with narration in a wholesome African accent, with a soundtrack of cultural African style drums building anticipation in ‘Afrofuturism’ As shown in our lecture, regarding Kendrick Lemar’s soundtrack to “Black Panther 2018”. The combination of superhero attire “Panther Habit” merged with traditional embroidered tribal wear from the African diaspora. African mythology, spirituality, and history, and imagines a future in which black people play a central and empowered role. (A.Washington 2022).

Furthermore, another factor that is prominent within the black culture is the generational struggle the people are stigmatised with. “The Pursuit of Happyness 2006” demonstrates a working-class African-American man trying to stay above the breadline after, struggling to break generational curses passed down from his immediate family. During the scenes of his struggles of trials and tribulations, the soundtrack was heavily string orientated to give the full orchestra sound effect, an element portraying emotion when sadness occurs and alternating lower when dialogue needed to be more prominent. A line of men are winding their way through a jungle, and thematically underarticulated music and jungle sound mix to produce a rich ambient field where it is difficult to distinguish clearly between music and sound effects. (J.Buhler 2019 p15). On a lighter note the film “Beverly Hills Cop1987” was another example of how black music and culture were used in a mainstream film however this film was in a more comedic routed aspect. Nevertheless, this production’s lite motiv, gives me ideas for scene change with various ambient moods and hook build-ups portrayed in different ways. In my project I wanted a similar repetitive melody to showcase the main character or event taking place that needed highlighting.

Once I found a good reference track I started to work on my lite motif. “Sliding Doors 1998” directly resembles my film and draws influences that encouraged comparisons. I wanted to

have something repetitive and memorable that was the structured base of the soundtrack. One of

the most important parts of my soundtrack, the glue that pulls it together and enhances the audio experience to make it sound more realistic was the Foley sounds, “Sliding Doors 1998” similarities are the train scenes in the beginning and also when the man reflects on his feelings and actions in the mirror. I was

paying close attention to the build-ups within the music and the background noise with ambience and Foley sounds.

One of the films I watched to help me get a better understanding of how to portray this in my film was “Sliding Doors1998” which is a Romantic comedy/ drama film primarily aimed at women. I feel that music is subjective and it depends on the individual's likes and tastes, gender is not a usual thing that is marketed in terms of music however, some genres are most definitely better suited to a certain sex due to the content and relatability. I believe the soundtrack and the Foley sounds are more soft and flowy with a feminine aura that oozes out, for example when she says or does something empowering I noticed the instrumentation is gentle alternative pop music which plays in the back grown. Connecting with the nurturing, healing, comforting and transformational qualities of the Divine Feminine through her original songs, mantras and collaborative compositions (G.K. Ashworth 2013).

When it comes to audiences’ expectations and industry imperatives, in our ever-changing economic society. I think creative practitioners respond to commercial pressures by catering to specific audiences and making intentions clear when it comes to marketing and advertising work throughout the media. Before the Broadband era when dial-up internet was the rage in the early 2000s, Media in the early 2000’s what much different to how we know it today. Networking was through real interactions with people. Messaging apart from email and text was more word of mouth. Going viral was simply a television appearance or a mainstem film or programme. As attained in class, In 2006, Swedish businessmen Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon founded Spotify, which first launched in 2008. The music then becomes available on platforms such as Napster making ubiquitous streaming a possibility worldwide.

In closing, I have concluded that music not only enhances a narrative but is a predominant factor in story-telling and creating profundity. In addition, visual representation is important however, only with Foley sounds and Soundtrack music can you provoke feeling and install depth. Thus, being able to fudge and influence a listener into a vicissitude of sensation.

Bibliography:

Afrofuturism in the Stacks- Watson Library’s collection of Afrofuturist books

By Angela Washington Jun 15, 2022

https://www.metmuseum.org/perspectives/articles/2022/6/library-afrofuturism

David Byrne -How music works –

Mc Sweeney’s p124 2012

file:///Users/sashaedwards/Downloads/David%20Byrne%20-%20How%20music%20works-McSweeney's%20(2012)-2%20(1).pdf