What is the role of music in films? There are several functions of music in cinema. For example, it affects the scene, the character’s emotional state, and the auteur’s intentions. Similarly, music can transport the viewer to a particular place or time.

Functions of music in a film:

Film music can serve many purposes. It can enhance storytelling, evoke collective emotions, and even be an antidote to action. For instance, the appropriate choice of music can help a college to work more effectively. Likewise, it can help a film achieve its emotional goals, like creating a sense of unity among the nation.

• Music can also help viewers interpret scenes. It can provide commentary and add a sense of rhythm to a location. The piece should fit the film’s content, historical context, and the period when used correctly. These features are integral to a movie and can influence interpretation. Music also interacts with the narration and provides information, which can enhance the film’s emotional content.

• Film music also enhances the emotional experience of viewers. It can trigger a variety of responses from a viewer, including eliciting the release of dopamine. Film music can improve the mood of a film and lead viewers through highs and lows. It can also help viewers understand the context of a movie and make predictions.

Impact of music on a scene:

In films, the music in a scene can have a dramatic effect on the viewer. It can make the audience feel a certain way and characterise the setting or culture. For example, the music of Black Panther invites viewers to the secret country of Wakanda, which blends African heritage with technological innovations. The movie’s central character, T’Challa, fights for leadership over his people.

• Music is a crucial aspect of filmmaking, as it helps flesh out the emotional landscape of production. It allows the filmmaker to establish a sense of time and place and can reinforce the film’s story and message. In a happy-ending movie, for example, the music might help the audience feel happy, while music in a horror film might create a sense of fear.

• Films and television programs depend highly on music, and the right score can make a movie stand out from the rest. A good film will lose much impact if the music isn’t right for the scene.

Influence on character’s emotional state:

A recent study showed that the soundtrack of a movie influences the viewer’s emotional state. Specifically, participants in the Evans and Rachmaninov groups were likelier to feel sympathetic toward the character. In contrast, the control group was less likely to feel compassionate toward the surface. This finding is significant because the soundtrack affected the participants’ emotional responses.

• The effect of music on a character’s emotional state was studied using an animated short film. The composer, Bravo (2013), found that different levels of tonal dissonance in film soundtracks influence viewers’ interpretations and expectations. While the stimulus used in Bravo was ambiguous, researchers created two soundtracks designed to produce different variations and emotional states in viewers.

Impact on auteur’s intentions:

The auteur theory suggests that the person behind the camera greatly impacts how a film is interpreted. The concept originated in France in the 1940s and became increasingly prominent in the 1960s. According to this theory, the auteur is the “author” of the film. Therefore, a film created by an auteur will be more personal and free from outside influences.

• Films whose auteurism is attributed to a single director are said to be better, more innovative and successful than those with multiple directors. This theory was popularised by Peter Bogdanovich’s 1969 book “The Cinema of Orson Welles.” In this theory, the filmmaker is the sole author of the movie, and he should be credited as such.

Author Bio:

Alvin Nicolas is a research-based content writer, who works for Cognizantt, a globally recognised E-Commerce-SEO Agency and Research Prospect; Dissertation Mr Alvin Nicolas holds a PhD in mass communication. He loves to express his views on various issues, including education, technology, and more.