The Importance of a Good Soundtrack

• Kristina Olliffe

“Where words fail, music speaks.” ― Hans Christian Andersen

When it comes to movies, the best way to set the atmosphere and intention of a scene is by the use of music and a soundtrack. As an audience member, this helps gives you the tone and mood of what is happening in a scene, even before a specific moment happens. 

The opening scene in Baby Driver has great use of music to help set up the intention of the movie and gives the audience member an idea of the pacing and speed. Without even realising, some of your favourite scenes are accompanied by a soundtrack to captivate you as an audience member. 

The Portal Scene in Avengers Endgame comes at a point in the movie where Captain America alone is about to face Thanos and his army in an epic battle. In the beginning, the music is heavy and deep, creating an atmosphere where you feel the intensity and anxiety of what is about to happen. The music abruptly pauses as it is interrupted by the voice of a "fallen" friend. This interruption is hugely impactful in the midst of this scene as it is the beginning of the next phase in this movie. As a portal opens, you begin to hear the beat of a drum, and the fallen Avengers slowly emerge. As the scene heads into the Final Battle sequence, you hear the familiar Avengers Theme Tune from the original movie, composed by Alan Silvestri. This piece of music is hugely nostalgic and so creates an atmosphere of triumph and excitement amongst audience members who remember hearing this for the first time many years before this. 

The final Harry Potter movie is centered around the Battle of Hogwarts, and with that comes a lot of anxiety and grieving for those who have lost their life. The final scene with Harry, Ron, and Hermione on the bridge to the castle is a very poignant moment in the entire series. This is marking the end of an era for many dedicated fans who grew up reading these books and watching the films. The trio has discovered the Elder Wand (the most powerful wand to exist) which now belongs to Harry. In response to Ron asking Harry "What should we do with it?" calming music begins to play in the background as Harry breaks the wand in half and throws it off the side of the bridge. The volume increases as the three characters look back at what they have achieved. The music creates a peaceful atmosphere as the camera pans away and into the distance. Showing that everything has come to a "happy ending" after all.

At the beginning of a war scene from the 1987 movie Good Morning Vietnam, you hear a radio news reporter for an Armed Forces Radio Service introducing a song with a happy message to help keep morale up in the camps and the song "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong begins to play - this song hugely contrasts the visuals that accompany during the scene. The director, Barry Levinson would have chosen this artistic choice to highlight the irony of the media's perception of the war compared to the tragedy of what was taking place. At the beginning of the scene, you hear a radio news reporter for an Armed Forces Radio Service introducing this song with a happy message to help keep morale up in the camps.

Soundtracks are such a vital part when creating and watching a movie - it helps the director set the tone of a scene, and helps the audience member empathise with a character.