Sound

Music in films serves a major purpose in showing either important emotional part of the film or by enhancing the story telling aspect. A scene including a character pulling a natural face can be pushed into feeling different emotions by the use of different kinds of music which enhances the characters feelings. One of the strongest functions of music though is creating atmosphere. This helps to set the tone for the movie and makes it possible to tell what genre the film is. An example of this is tense and slow paced music which would indicate to the audience that the film they were about to watch was a horror.

Comedy- In a comedy film opening you would expect the music to be upbeat and very cheerful. An example of a comedy film opening is Run FatBoy Run, in this film opening you can hear that the music is very upbeat and happy which contradicts the scenario which is going on at that minute. This opening highlights to the audience immediacy that this is a comedy due to the happy, upbeat music which portrays how the main character is a bit all over the place and is going to be the humorous character of the film. The music is also quite fast which fits well with the scene of the main character running away from his problem and then also when you see him running after the lady. It makes the scene of him running away and chasing after the lady more comical to the audience than if there had been no music in the background. The use of this music emphasises the comical atmosphere for this scene to the audience. The use of the hysterical laughter coming from the lady running away from the security guard also shows how this is a comedy film and demonstrates to the audience that this is a funny scene. 

Horror- In a horror opening you would expect the music to be quite sinister, the use of isolated instruments help to demonstrate vulnerability to the audience. Long suspenseful notes and short sharp ones are also used to shock and frighten the audience to make them fell fearful. Extreme changes in pitch also help to make the audience feel immediately tense and show to them that this is definitely a horror film. An example of a horror film opening is The Woman in Black; in this opening you can hear that there is some sinister music playing in the background which is used to make the audience feel unnerved. The high notes used in the music makes the audience feel tense and on edge that something bad is going to happen. The music is quite light at first as the girls are just playing with their dolls oblivious to the danger in the room. The music then pauses for a second before it suddenly goes down an octave and you can sense that something bad is about to happen. As the girls look towards the window the music gets louder which builds up anticipation as you can sense that they are going to jump. The music gets louder as the girls stand up and walk towards the window and you can hear the boom of a base drum each time they take a step. This makes the audience feel increasingly paranoid as they can tell that there is no stopping what is about to happen to these three little girls. The music the picks up when they get to the window and you know that it’s here where their fate is sealed, the music then pauses for a second once the window is opened before a long loud suspenseful sound emerges has they jump out to make the audience realise they are dead. This music helps the audience know that this is a horror film as it fills them with suspense and dread. The use of other sound effects too like the dolls crunching under the girls feet and the blood curdling scream which is heard after the girls have jumped also help to create the right atmosphere for a horror film. 

Action- In an action film opening you would expect the music to be loud and exciting to help portray how the film is also thrilling and contains a lot of action. An example of an action film is James Bond - Quantum of solace, in this film opening the music is very tense to show the audience how this scene is a matter of life or death and that one wrong move and someone in the car chase will die. After seeing the car chase for a little the music then returns with sharp notes to make the audience on edge and feel nervous for the characters involved in the chase. The music is also quite fast to highlight how the action is moving increasingly quickly and changing every few seconds, becoming increasingly tenser as it goes along too. The music then picks up speed again and includes more high notes when it looks like James Bond is about to be defeated to show the audience how dramatic and exciting this scene is. The music then cuts off as soon as the threat gets destroyed by falling off the side of a cliff and calmer music is played instead. The use of sound effects like the revving of engines, gun fire and the honking of car horns also helps to portray the fact that this is an action film as these things are very chaotic and help to represent this film to the audience as fast paced and chaotic.  

Drama- In a drama film openings you would expect the music to be quite neutral and upbeat to represent the characters in which the drama will occur with. The music also tends to be quite intense to help create more suspense for the audience. An example of a drama film opening is The DUFF; this film includes upbeat music which fits the mood of this genre of film and also the feelings of the characters. At the beginning of the film the music is simple and cheerful and fits the personality of the first character shown on screen, who is gorgeous and kind. The music then changes to something slightly harder than what was played before and shows the confidence this next character has and also shows to the audience how tough she is. Finally the music changes again to some very bubbly song which shows the last character to be quite clumsy and not quite as sophisticated as the last characters. After some dialogue you are introduce to one more character who you know strait away from the music and her actions that she is the villain of the film. The music played illustrates how two faced this character is and how she only cares about herself, you can even hear this from the lyrics of the song where is goes 'I don't care if you don't like my hair' which shows to the audience how she is full of herself and thinks everyone is below her. The use of different music to portray different characters makes it obvious to the audience which characters the drama will occur with and makes it easy to distinguish that this is a drama film. Music isn't the only thing shown in this opening though; you use of sound effects also helps to show that this is a drama film and not one of any other genre. You hear the cheering of the crowed when the second character scores a goal, the screams from the movie which the third character is watching and the comical ding when she answers a question right. These all help to create a sense of what these characters are like whilst adding a few comical effects, like the ding sound when she answers a question right to make the audience laugh while also connecting to the characters more.   

 

Romance- In the opening to a romance film you would expect the music to be quite slow with lyrics that give off the sense of romance to the audience. This helps to portray to the audience that this is a romance film and also helps to show them which direction this film is going. An example of a romance film opening is The Notebook; in this opening you can hear the slow music which immediately gives the audience an understanding that this is a love film. The use of slow piano music helps to set the right atmosphere for the audience and begins to tell the tale of this film with the use of the right setting as well. The use of having a sunset (which is considered to be very romantic) and having most of the shots illuminated by the deep reds along with the music helps to show this is a romance film, as the colour red symbolises love and passion.