“The spectator is no longer a passive recipient of images at the pointed end of the optical pyramid, but rather a bodily being enmeshed acoustically, spatially and affectively in the filmic texture.” (Elsaesser & Hagener, 2009)
A film in which I first really noticed and took an interest in the full soundtrack would have to be Guardians of the Galaxy series (2014-2017).
It intrigued me so much that after the film I looked for the soundtrack through Spotify for both films, which I had never found myself doing before.
The soundtracks consists of older hit songs, which in my opinion really makes the whole film as the music is shown to be just as important as the images.
A scene that has always stood out to me in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the scene in which tension is shown between the guardians as they decide to split up.
Star-lord questions rocket, “What is your goal here? To get everybody to hate you? ‘Cuz it’s working,” queue The Chain by Fleetwood Mac.
Not only is it a great song, but the song adds more emotional depth to film as plays from the chorus talking about essentially the chain breaking which is also shown throughout the images of the scene. But it gets the audience more emotionally invested as they sing along.
Nowadays if I hear any of the music from the soundtrack outside of the film, it always immediately makes me think of the film & makes me want to watch it again.
Another soundtrack that has always been a favourite of mine and what I would consider my whole childhood, is the High School Musical series.
I was only 8 when the first High School Musical was released but it was instantly a hit for me and would say without a doubt that it changed my life. Not only was I obsessed with all 3 movies on their own, but also the soundtrack that came along with them.
I begged Santa for all of the dvds and cd’s so I could listen to the soundtrack at anytime on my hot pink cd player that I had gotten for my birthday.
I even learnt all of the dance moves from the movie that went along with the music.
To this day I still listen to the soundtracks every once and a while, and I still proudly know every lyric to every song.
One song that will always be memorable to me is from the original movie High School Musical, called “We’re All In This Together,” sung by the whole cast.
The song holds memories for me outside of the film itself, as it was my graduation song back in primary school. Whenever I hear it, I think back to being in my school’s auditorium, singing and following the film’s dance moves along to the song in front of all of our parents.
Soundtracks such as these two can be very powerful to an individual, and really personal to them. A song or the whole soundtrack may resonate with someone because they simply may like the music, or because they have a personal connection or past memory linked to it. Either way music in films is a crucial tool that affects people in many different ways.
Reference:
Elsaesser, T, Hagener, M, 2009 “Cinema as Ear – Acoustics and Space”, ‘Film Theory: An Introduction Through the Senses’, p. 132.
Screen & Sound 