Interpreting Music When Paired with FilmAlex Hays

Three Ways of Pairing Music with Film

Music that was composed to be paired with film

How music is influenced by the context of a plot and a visual. Not including sound effects - only musical scores.

1

Films that use pre-existing popular music as a soundtrackCompilation soundtracks or 'mix tapes'

2

Films that have been edited and paired with music

Not music videos, which is film created for music (Fantasia being classified as a music video)

I'll also edit a film to a song that feels fitting

3

Focus

 

Music composed for film

• Clint Mansell composing for Darren Aronofsky (π, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain)

• Les Triplettes de Belleville - Benoît Charest• Amélie - Yann Tiersen

1

Film using pre-existing songs for soundtrack

• Shortbus - Various Modern Artists• 2001: A Space Odyssey - Various Classical

Peices

2

Film set to music

YouTube creations (e.g. Arcade fire/Once Upon a Time in the West), and the video I create. 

3

Aspects notably ignored...

Silent MoviesInteresting in a factual and historical sense but the reason sound is used in silent film remains the same today - for vital emotional cues. This also applies to documentaries.

MusicalsThe music is a part of the plot and so on its own it is simply referencing a physical happening. Its to literal, no level of abstraction.

Evaluation Criteria

 

Music composed for film

Is it clear what is gained from the addition of music to a visual, and vice versa? How can music aid in plot development?  

?

 Film using pre-existing songs for soundtrack

Is it clear why that particular music was chosen?

?

Film set to music

This is something that either feels right or wrong, it's not particularly explicable.  That is why a song/film edit is required.  The final video will either feel right or wrong.  

?

The End Result

 

It will be in web page form

The page will contain embedded videos

An explanatory comment will be given after each video The web site will be organized in a 1, 2, 3 fashion previously explained.