In class, we talked about the role that music played in the “Hush” episode. We mostly agreed that the music prepared us for what was coming next and gave us something to hold onto. It served as a comfort, breaking the tension, even when it was scary. An episode without music would perhaps be more emotionally intense because we would be left without one of the most useful tools that television has for hinting at what is coming. In an episode without a soundtrack, we are placed on the same level as the characters, losing some of our omniscience. It’s more stressful because it’s more like “real-life.” I don’t know about anyone else, but music doesn’t play when I go on a date, letting me know I should bail because it’s going to be awkward, or when I’m walking down the street giving me a head’s up that I should turn around because there is someone creepy lurking unseen around the corner.
Novels, as written works, obviously don’t have soundtracks. However, serving a similar role to music is the narrator. As we will see in Northanger Abbey, which has an extremely obtrusive narrator, the narrator can and often does , indicate things to the reader that the reader has no way of otherwise knowing. As a result, much like the viewer of “Hush” who hears the music, the reader of Northanger Abbey is in a privileged position above that of the characters.
I will never again be unaware of the backing track on movies.
ReplyDeleteAs we have already discussed in class, music is incredibly important in manipulating the emotions and sensations of audience. The music helps control the viewer's feelings, giving them a sense of understanding, allowing them to prepare for the scene. This helps to replace the emotions or sense of foreboding that we have in our daily lives. Although, the actual music isn't present on a date or walking down a dark alley, your own personal emotions allow for the same feelings, either the swell in tempo as you prepare for the kiss or the nervous anticipation when walking alone through a dark alley. I think that music is a way for the director to ease the audience through the thoughts and feelings of the characters without forcing it into the dialogue. The lack of music works in a novel because the characters are able to share personal thoughts and emotions with the reader, allowing for the reader to understand the actions of the characters.
ReplyDeleteI am also taking Avant-Garde film this semester and the role of sound and music in a film has an incredible affect on the audience. Some of the most poignant films that we have watched have been without sound. This has forced the viewer to be more aware of other cues and symbols in the light, movement of figures, and inter-character relationships. At the same time, however, it is extremely uncomfortable to sit and watch a silent film, even if it is only a few minutes long. There is a strain and tension that is forced on the audience that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the film. In many ways a silent film, although much more extreme than films without soundtracks, bring out a higher emotional tension because the audience isn't given the feeling that they are supposed to associate with the scene, they must find it in other ways, hence challenging the viewer in a more direct way.