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MUSIC
Can you imagine a film without sound? Almost impossible, as it is the music which causes you to shed a tear or makes you want to dance!
In this module we are going to take a closer look to determine how music is used in films to evoke a response from the viewer. It is the task of the writer to provide a suitable story for the script. The composer's responsibility is to create suitable music.
As introductory background, we shall first take a closer look at the development of films, to determine the function of music. Bear in mind the research done in Learning Module 1 (Dance).
Research on the development of the cinematographic film
The learners are divided into five groups: each group researches ONE of the following periods with regard to technology, genres, music and examples of films.
This research will give you a broad perspective and need not be done in great detail. The educator will advise you. After having a class discussion on the different periods, paste the information into your journal.
How music is used to gain reaction
As you have been able to deduce from the discussion, music forms an essential element of any film. Initially music was just accompaniment for a visual product during the period of the silent films (to muffle the sound of reels being changed), but today it is an essential part of the entertainment.
Music increases the viewer's emotional reaction to the film.
Serves as advertisement and a source of income.
Step 1
To determine whether the members of your class consider film music to be important, each learner should complete the following questionnaire individually, by circling the correct answer.
After completion the answers can be discussed and opinions can be compared.
| Do you buy any CD's with film music? | No | Yes | Often |
| What made you decide to buy the CD? the film, artist or both? | Film | Artist | Both |
| Do you enjoy listening to all the tracks on the CD or only a few? | All | Few | Just one |
| Do you experience any emotion while listening to specific tracks? | Yes | No | Sometimes |
| How well do you remember the scenes from the film which are enhanced by the music? | Very clearly | Relatively well | Vaguely |
| Do you think the film marketed the artist in this manner, or would you say that the film is popular owing to the popularity of the artist? | Film | Artist | Both |
Step 2
Conduct a survey of the most popular film music in your class.
List the films 1 to 5 and state the genre of each film e.g. drama, horror, romance, science fiction, etc. Why are these films the most popular? Discuss.
| Film | Genre | |
| 1. | ||
| 2. | ||
| 3. | ||
| 4. | ||
| 5. |
Step 3
| * Catastrophic | ** Average | *** Good | **** Excellent | ***** A masterpiece |
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