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  • Essay / The King Kong movie; How Movies Use Music and Underscoring

    When movies first began to be viewed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they were silent films. In silent films of this era, there was no audible dialogue. A blank screen with words usually explained the actions and scenes happening on screen, so the audience knew what was happening. Sound films incorporated synchronized sounds, corresponding to particular events taking place on screen, but now music. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay When music first began to be used for films, it was usually played by an orchestra present during the screening of the film, at onset with little or no indication. particular style. The music was not recorded and times were often different depending on what theater you went to or when you went to see the film. Most of the music played during these films was relatively well-known pieces by famous composers. As time progressed, much like technology and cinema, the organization of film music became more precise. Orchestras began playing pieces based on the “vibe” of the scene. Cue sheets were introduced, and then orchestras began using specific pieces for certain scenes and films. Once sound and film were combined, the use of music in films was usually always present, if at all. Metropolis is an example of a film that uses underlining throughout almost the entire film. Other films made no or very little use of music. Intrinsic music presented itself very early in the form of musicals. Films that use music as the focal point of the film, with scenes of characters singing or dancing to music as part of the scene. Filmmakers believed that for music to have meaning, it had to have a source. Sometimes it didn't make sense in the films, such as a scene of a lone trumpeter accompanied by a full orchestra in the underscore, but yet the site of the single instrumentalist makes the music seem like the audience hear is part of the scene. and intrinsic music are now used with care and precision. King Kong is one of the first films that showed how music could benefit the action seen on screen. An example from King Kong would be the chords heard in the underscore reinforcing the footsteps of the native leader of Skull Island as he approaches the film crew. Film and music didn't always align perfectly, and over the decades the elements of music and film slowly became incorporated. Through trial and error, different styles and ways of accompanying films have changed. And thanks to advances in technology, music has come to life in films, and vice versa. Cue sheet: 30:50 – Floating woodwinds, shorter notes/melody. Loud brass, plays ostinato.31:02 – Buffy enters – Descending scales of the harp. Combines with string minor chord progressions. The music builds up then stops.31:40 – The piano plays a high melody, the gentleman's signal – the brass sustains the notes, the orchestra crescendos then cuts.32:20 – The gentleman's signal. The brass and strings become louder.32:50 – Silence, then the whole orchestra enters the gentleman's house. The brass plays a strange melody. More sustained notes that carry combined with pauses in the music for suspense. 33:25 – A single voice, starts softly, a gentleman's signal when Riley is attacked.