My previous post started off with how haunting a particular piece of music can be in conjunction with a visual aid (The Shining, dir. Stanley Kubrick). I would like to go into a little more depth and discuss soundtracks and the effects of audio and video combined can have on the feeling of a film.
First off, soundtracks are used as indicators. Indicators of what era the film is set in, whether it is a comedy or a horror, whether a character being introduced is good or bad, etc. This is a supportive use of audio, intensifying what you see with appropriate music. There is also the reverse, where the audio is there to subvert what you are watching. A good example in my mind is the torture scene in Reservoir Dogs, where Michael Madsen tortures a cop to “Stuck In The Middle With You”, a rather upbeat song that makes the scene even more unsettling. Regardless of the theory lets have a look at some excellent soundtracks. Read the rest of this entry »