Goodbye. Something you don’t expect fairytales to end with – especially for fictitious romances that are supposed to be a whirlwind and last forever. In this unit, we analyzed the cinematic elements (music, lighting, framing, etc) of two films and compared how they utilized them to further their plot. Both my films, La La Land and Edward Scissorhands, were romance films, but they don’t end with a happily ever after. Instead, elements such as lighting and music were purposefully contrasted to foreshadow the inevitable separation of both relationships.
In this unit, I was grateful to learn the importance of music (or the lack thereof) can influence the atmosphere of a scene. Music is usually thought of as being one-dimensional, such that if there is sad music, the scene is sad; if there is happy music, the scene is happy. However, throughout this unit, I was able to learn that music in films isn’t as clear cut as day and night. first off, there is both non diegetic and diegetic sounds, which can also play at the same time, lead into each other, overlay, etc. Also to factor in, the volume of these sounds and how even silence can be utilized to invoke a message. Repetitions and variations of the songs exist as well and can change the mood of a scene despite having been played before. All these factors of music/sounds contribute to the atmosphere of the scene, but it is rarely thought about when being discussed.