Musical Mind Games

Being a musician, I can always have some serious appreciation for a good movie soundtrack. Ambient sounds and moving symphonies really make the difference in a movie, video game, or even television shows. Music influences us so heavily that we have to put it directly through our ear canals now. It's no wonder movies make good use of it. So what are the secrets?

-You're already preparing for an experience when you walk into that cinema. You know there's gonna be a nice comfortable seat waiting for you, impressive surround sound, and if you're rich, a massive IMAX screen to surround you. At this point, the music is just manipulating your already immersed self. You're already so into this movie before it even starts. Now you're at the will of the composer should you be saddened, excited, or terrified.

-Unnatural sounds have a primal root in the human mind. Now your alarm clock probably won't send you cowering, but what you find in nature that doesn't routinely happen in nature can make anyone worry. It's instantly associated with fear and survival. Like how the Emergency Alert System can be unnerving: It's rarely heard, but designed to warn of massive danger. So of course when you hear that digital chirp, you snap to attention. The movies mimic this stuff in nature. Warning cries from animals that are otherwise usually placid. With some well placed string instruments and effects, you get a faithful reproduction.

-Infrasound? Interesting word. It's a sub-bass tone which we can not hear but are still effected by. You can sense, but not entirely. And that really sounds like a lot of good old fashioned horror ideas. Ghosts, monsters of all sorts. We fear the unknown, and when that's exploited through our limited senses, you can start to see why scary movies are scary.

My thoughts on this?
Horror movies these days seem to be getting a poorer reception compared to the golden era of them in the 70s and 80s. But what makes the difference between classics like The Shining, The Thing, or The Changeling and newer flicks like The Last Exorcism, and The Blair Witch Project? Well, effects are one thing, but that's another opinion. Acting? Well that's subjective, though I'd say yes partially, but overall it's music. The scores dictate the end. Music makes that final connection that every other element can't.

While a lot of music effects have become tropes in film, there's still much more room to explore. I think people don't understand there's more to discover and rather try to bank off what is established. But that's what makes movies stale. You need to keep feeding new ideas.

So I'm wondering, what's the difference in use of music from movies 2000 and past compared to those from the 20th century? I would guess there has to be some kind of difference in use.

Maybe we'll see. But hopefully we keep the art of music in movies for a long time to come.