Music in early sound film

Submitted to –

Amit Mallik

Course Teacher

“202- Sound and music for television and film”

Department of television and film studies

University of Dhaka

• Submitted by –

• Shadman Sadab – 21• Mohammad Maruf Hossain- 25• Nafisa Hossain – 26• Immanuel Shovon Mondol – 22• Abu Rayhan –17• Hasnat Ashik – 28

SILENT FILM AND SOUND FILM

• A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, mime and title cards.

• A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound,or sound technologically coupled to image.

• Intertitles- Those cards between moments of action contained explanations of action or important moments of dialogue.

Introduction• Before films talked they still made themselves heard through inter titles and

musical accompaniment.• Also by the 1920 silent film music had reached an aesthetic pinnacle: very

subtle emotional and plot nuances could be conveyed without the use of any accompanying dialogue.

• The primarily steps in the commercialization of sound cinema were taken in the mid to late 1920. At first the sound films incorporating synchronized dialogue- known as “ talking pictures” or “ talkies”.

The reasons why music in sound film came

• To soothe ghostly effect on its viewers

• To exorcise fear or help the spectator absorb the shock.

• To neutralize the noise of the primitive projectors .

• Music is the rhythm of the film as an art of movement .

Significance and function• Expression through music.• Expressing action .• Play a more integral and influential role.• Reduces monotony• To gain more popularity and to connect with audience .• To be more economically successful .

Device sound in early film

necessity for device sound –

1.To enhance drama: by adding title music we can enhance drama or emotion of scene

2.facing failure to express without no sound: where visual fail to communicate with audience, there sound play great rule to understand the scene.

3.showing reasons.

4.pictorially justification.

Approaching device sound• There are two ways to approach –1.Constant background music in films : London primary objection to background music in film was based on the notion prevalent among filmmaker at that time, the music for a film must emanate from some special source on the screen-the source music just discussed . This attitude is reflected in London's complaint that background music is used "where there could be no possible justification for it, either in the form of an orchestra playing behind the action of the film or of a radio instrument appearing in the picture".Form this 1935 perspective, of course, London's could not foresee the sensitive and artistic use of music behind dialogue scenes.2.No music: sometimes there are no music in the scenes . Actually it reveal great music.

DEVICES used in early film

• 1. microphone : used for recording dialogue, ambient sound or any kind of sound.

orchestra : for happiness , loveliness.

• 3. Piano – joy, happiness and peace .

• 4.Flute-

• 6.Banjo:

Banjo

Tuba

SaxtromboneS

contrabass clarinet

• violin : use of happy and joyous scenes• Alto clarinets:for wedding and any kinds celibration• Sarengi: use of pathos • saxthormbones

Psychological Impact

Helps the audience where to focus

Creates mood and connects to emotional event

Provides the implicit meaning of the script

Silence creates fear , tension and suspense

MUSIC creates a mood of sadness . Joy and love also

Fast music creates rapid action in our mind

Slow music soothes our mind

Music addresses to a place that is not present in the screen

Music reminds us of a space or a person

Heightens senses

Sudden noise and music creates panic

Music with extreme vibration and bass to create ghostly effect

Music can cover up weak direction and cinematography

Ambient

Sound

Diegetic sound

Non Diegetic Sound

Diegetic sound and non diegetic sound

Optimistic belief & the use of original opera: Dividing the film into acts and adding music during intervals to give more effects and fulfilling mere purposes.

Adapting old operas for the screen To adapt existing operas forarias, duets, ensembles ,finals, dance, marches to mutilate either screen action or the music itself.

To create and develop its own forms out of typical screen action,combining its different laws of space ,time and motion with constant music laws with the help of film opera.

Raw realism and talkies :

With the new raw realism of the talkies which meant only there were actual musicians playing in the screen.

• Using music very sparingly• Using dialogue and sound effects

Source music: Music emanating from a clearly visible musical source on the screen. In the Blue Angel Café the stage band accentuates the action realistically even to the extent of their music starting and stopping with the opening and closing of doors as characters approach the stage area. Thus the source music was handled cleverly in numerous films those days.

Theme songs:Was sensitive example of this genre

Having own songs adding little title in the way of artistry to the film

To advertise the film by gaining popularity

Enriching the production company

For economic reason

Sound montage:

In the early 1930s there were some interesting experiments attempted in “sound montage”. Sound montage is essentially constructing films according to the rules of music.

•For making perfectly synchronized so that the time of the cutting and time of music would correspond exactly.

•Visually rhythmic montage: montages related with the shape of the music. the shape include time, rhythm, counterpoint, the melodic curve, vigour, and faintness, crescendo, and decrescendo, accord and discord, harmony and discord.•Using a particular music for a particular characteristic of a thing.

•Involving filmic expression of time and rhythm.

•Synchronized cutting from one shot to another in time and rhythm with music.

According to Borneman, “prevent the spectator from becoming tired by the excessive short cutting which the quick rhythm of music logically demanded.”

Sound used in the early days documentary & Avent Garde Film:

There were few significant scores written during this period belong to the documentary and avent garde film.

A fine example is Joris Ivens documentay “New Earth”.

•The score by Hanns Eisler is based on what is by today”s film music standards

•Machinery in the film is represented by natural sounds and men by music.

•It was highly notable because of its success in putting Eisler”s highly individualistic compositional styleIn Avent Garde Film: L”Idee is an avent garde film of that time with an imaginative score by the Frenc h composer Arthur Honegger.•He uses an electronic instrument called the Ondes Martenot.•It has high degree of synchronization of music to action at that early date.

Expressing time and rhythm :

An idea used to express time and rhythm with film was the moving of camera itself. They used panning, traveling and flying camera shots to show things not only from usual angles but Borneman claims to interpret theirs inner sense and value by musical movement times and rhythm, for example, could now be expressed by horizontal and vertical to-and- fro movements; crescendo and decrescendo by approaching and creating the camera. The melodic curve by corresponding curve movement of the camera slow motion and ultra rapid motion were used to represent musical time variation ;fade in and fade out for musical increase and decrease ; one turn one picture for syncopation ; prisms for accords ; composition shots and double exposure for various short of harmonies and discords.

London's objection :

London's primary objection to background music was based on the notion, prevalent among the film makers at that time, the music for a film must emanate from some musical source on the screen the source music just discussed .This attitude is reflected in London's complaint that background music is used where there could be no possible justification for it, either in the form of an orchestra playing behind the action of a film or if a radio instrument appearing in the picture .London seems strangely upset that as we watch a film we don't quite know whether to listen to the words or the music.

Why background music :

Background music tells the viewer something in the film capable of telling.Background music help to improve a fundamentally weak scene through the addition of music. The particular practice had never ceased in the film industry and every composer is forced to deal with it.

Side effects :

There was one unfortunate side effect created by the rush to sound in films which caused an economic disaster for musicians working in movie houses .With the sound and music permanently affixed to the film, there was simply no need for musicians to be employed in the individual theatre exhibiting films .As a result, thousand if musician were thrown out of work. this sudden economic shock to so many musicians us still being felt today and is manifesto in the antagonism of the musicians toward any form of record music. This antagonism and fear quickly found its way onto the Hollywood recording stage, as seen in 1937 New work Times report. The musician union says that half of the 'B's and nearly all of the quickies are made without benefit of an orchestra. Track is taken from the library and added to the picture.

Development of musical department:

As the realization of the need for music in films grew, the film studios develop their own music departments .During most of the early period of sound, no person composed an entire film score for a picture. Instead the scoring of a picture was a group effort on the part of several individuals.

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• Critic Lawrence Morton point out that these scores of the early 1930s were created not by individual composers but by a music staff working under the supervision of a music director. They collaborate in a practical way by using common thematic material and employing one or another of the currently fashionable styles -the neo-Gershwin for instance, the western folk, or the Wagner -Strauss symphonic

Who got the credits:

It should be also pointed out that the composers of these "paste-pot and scissors " scores, as Morton characterizes them seldom receives screen credit for their work. Instead, it was the music director of the studio who received screen credit for the music There were exception to this as in Stagecoach and Union Pacific, where the multiple authorship was given on the screen.

Difficulties[] Many directors were disturbed as they were able to express feelings visually.

[] Because of noisy cameras, camera movements were compromised.

[] Specially composed and synchronized music were needed.

[] No scope for dubbing & re-recording.

[] Due to technical disadvantage, the musicians had to be very careful. [] Unnecessary justification of music source.

[] Filmmakers & composers had to learn a new discipline.

[] Inserting songs broke the attention of the spectators.

[] Microphone quality was poor.

[] Created problems and frustrations for the composer

[] Difficulties to set up the entire orchestra and vocalists on the set day and night

[] Bear huge expense

[] Some failure in the box office

[] Took more time for recording

Popularity[]People want to get rid of the monotonous film music

[]It was easy to communicate with people through music

[]People want to be entertained

[] Popularity of musicals decreased.

[]Public lost interest on talkies without music

Conclusion:A new era of film began with the talkies. So, there had been difficulties naturally. Overcoming them was the great part. That’s the reason behind today’s succession of film.

Have a nice day