Originally films were made without any sound, and were played in a cinema with a live performer, like a pianist or violinist. By the late 1920s, sound was slowly being added to film for the first time. These were called “talkies” as the audience could here the actor’s voice. The first feature-length talkie was The Jazz Singer, released in October 1927. This is referenced in Singin’ in the Rain, which shows how many actors were forgotten and some were even dropped because they didn’t have appropriate voices. One of suspense director, Hitchcocks’ favourite actresses was German, and her voice had to be dubbed. On the bright side, going to see a film had become a show, where we could hear music and voices and feel the film in a way which was never available before.

There are two types of Music for Film. The Film Score is when a piece of music has been written for the film. The artist has to work to the scene, and is show the film as a brief for the music. One of the most iconic film scores is the music from Hitchcock’s’ Psycho. Bernard Hermann composed the infamous strings that accompany infamous shower scene. I spoke to the local soundtrack musician Nigel Humberstone about his favourite film soundtrack. He said “The Mission, with the score by Ennio Morricone. The characters in the film play instruments, which was then incorporated into the soundtrack”. The second type of music for film is the soundtrack. This is when a piece of music is placed into the film, and the scene tends to be built around the music.

Trainspotting is perhaps the most iconic example of this and was very effective when using this technique. It defined the feelings of a generation, and expressed with diversity the range of emotions felt by the audience; all with the use of music. Released in 1996, its mixture of past icons with current bands makes it one of today’s model films for new film makers.

The opening scene is set against Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life, and the film works its way through Blur, Lou Reed’s Perfect Day and finishes with Underworld, following each character and their journey.

So is the Soundtrack now bigger than the film? This importance of the music over the final outcome of a scene is sometimes seen to be compromising the art of film making by some professionals and can lead to bad editing to fit in with sound. Nigel Humberstone filled me in on other down sides, explaining that “The style of music usage in film has also led to blatant marketing opportunities, by both record and film companies.”

Then there are is the reliance on formulaic soundtracks that have a long history with Hollywood blockbusters. Many blockbusters still take a standard approach to their epics, such as Spiderman, Superman and The Mummy. Forutnealy independent film makers such as Shane Meadows are opening up the mass audiences to more innovative sounds and techniques in film music. For his

film, This is England looking at racism in the early 80s, Meadows chose tracks and artists to represent the era, and although the soundtrack is dominated by the Ska music of the time there are a few carefully placed surprise tracks.

Sound tracking has become crucial to film and it is ever evolving. But is the soundtrack now taking over the lead role, and is the emphasis now more on selling the records than enhancing the film? Since the advent of the music video artists like Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi and Prince have all made films around their music and it is now becoming more common for musicians to take on the role of director. By looking at classic films like Fame, and Footloose, it’s no wonder musicians are trying to cash in on film soundtracks when they are often better known than the film itself.

The use of music in a film can heighten, numb and confuse our emotions. It can even turn them around completely in the space of seconds and absorbing us so much it’s as if we are alive in the film itself. Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs is set against the weekend of a “Super Sounds of the Seventies” on the radio and so the soundtrack is integral to the plot. One song in particular is now synonymous with a gruesome ear-cutting scene.

Particularly effective and disturbing because as the audience gets into the song, the violence amplifies on the screen. The audience almost feels guilty of having enjoyed the song and scene, which remains with them. One reason why this has become a controversial and memorable classic.

Another effective use of music is for cultural referencing, which often introduces established and new artists to a new audience. A great example is classic British flick, The Commitments, set in 90s Ireland, following one man’s struggle to bring Soul and Blues to the people of Dublin. The soundtrack includes the artists Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and Otis Reading. Artists that some people wouldn’t have heard of before seeing the film.

To me sound tracking is one of the most important things in a film and one of the most effective vehicles to express the mood and emotions of a film. Sometimes a good soundtrack can even overtake a film in creativity and feeling. I always look forward to hearing the music and sound in a film and how it will intensify and shape a moment. When you next watch a film, I hope, if you haven’t before, you will now appreciate just how the music involves you, sucks you in and doesn’t let you go.

By Kitty Doyle

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