Music is a vital though often underestimated part of film and TV series.
Filmmakers recognized the importance of music and other sound effects long before these became an integral part of moving pictures. Due to technological limitations, they had resourceful ways of incorporating sound into their work. For instance, early 20th-century screenings of silent movies were accompanied by sounds produced by a person at certain intervals. This was used to set the mood, enhance the desired effect or simply for entertainment.
Music, together with sound effects, can make storytelling much more believable, effective, and enjoyable. But before we look at how real-world instruments can improve the impact of sounds effects, let us briefly examine the role each of the two plays individually.
Sound Effects
When people think of sound effects, they often envision bombs going off, dinosaurs roaring, or swards and spears clinking in battle. Though these are indeed commonly used sound effects, not all of them have to be loud, dramatic, or menacing. There are many other sound effects audiences may be unaware of that are regularly used in the film industry.
Dialogue is unquestionably an essential part of any movie production. Many scenes do not require it, but in general, conversation drives the plot and provides meaningful information. A lot of the dialogue, however, does not turn out exactly right, frequently due to unwanted outside noises or other imperfections. In such cases sound experts re-record dialogues to suit the needs of their movie. Though not as obvious as many others, this, too, is considered a sound effect.
Another type of sound created for movies and series are ambient sounds – sounds characteristic of a certain environment, such as the swooshing of the sea or the rustling of trees in a forest. In real life, these sounds are almost never intense enough, so a more convincing corresponding sound effect is inserted at exactly the right moment.
Finally, there are Foley sound effects, named after Jack Foley, who first created them. These are the sounds of footsteps, materials rubbing against each other and the sounds of props. You have probably seen more than one film or series where ominous footsteps or the sharpening of a blade have been used to underpin the main emotion of the scene.
Music
It’s difficult to imagine watching something without any accompanying music – unless, of course, the absence of it is used for a reason. Perhaps the quiet is meant to mimic the silence of the universe or perhaps it’s used to increase suspense. Otherwise, music is a powerful tool capable of arousing all kinds of emotions.
A scene where a character walks down the lonely country path may suggest hope or romance if followed by the tender sounds of the piano. If exchanged for the dramatic sounds of the drums, trumpets and violins, the same scene will have quite the opposite effect.
The evolution of sound in filmmaking has gone a long way since the first movies appeared at the end of the 19th century. Following the silent film era which lasted up to the 1920s, the moving pictures of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s incorporated music created by professional composers with concert background. They created divine pieces of orchestral music for specific movies, many of which are still recognized to this day. In the second half of the 20th century, music for film became more diverse, including jazz, western, pop and other music genres.
Today, the evolution of technology has made the sound possibilities endless. Despite this, a lot of movies and TV shows still use music made with real instruments, performed by real people, to set the tone of their story. This is because the sounds of instruments and the human involvement have an immense potential to give depth and credibility to dialogue and sound effects.
Sound Effects and Music Combined
Both music and sound effects are indispensable parts of making films and TV shows. But how does the former enhance the latter?
Sound effects accentuate the reality. They help make certain sounds louder, clearer, and better. They can even be used to create sounds that do not exist in real life. Undeniably, they give character to a huge number of scenes which might otherwise fade in comparison.
Music is a way of expressing human emotion, and music performed by people using real instruments is a medium for those emotions. The tone of music can make us feel cheerful, sad, confused, concerned, alert, anxious – or whatever its creator intended us to feel.
Stories told by filmmakers are meant to arouse emotions in people, their audience. Those emotions, stirred greatly by the power of music, are a means of forging a connection between their characters – our heroes – and us, the viewers. This is how music, that seemingly jumbled yet beautiful sequence of sounds, has such moving potential, how it can enhance and thoroughly uplift the impact of any other effects used in making films and series.