How Film Scores Play with Our Brains

Summary

In "How Film Scores Play with Our Brains," Now You See It explores the powerful psychological effects of film music. The video delves into how different soundtracks and scores can drastically change the emotional tone of a scene. By analyzing famous examples from movies like "Psycho," "Jaws," and "Pirates of the Caribbean," it unveils how filmmakers use music to enhance storytelling and audience experience. It also contrasts film scores with soundtracks, providing insights into their unique roles in cinema. Renowned film scores, such as Bernard Herman's work in "Psycho," are highlighted for their influential roles in creating suspense and reinforcing thematic elements, making music a crucial, yet often unnoticed, aspect of film production.

Highlights

• Film music is not just background noise; it intricately shapes our perceptions and emotions during a movie. 🎶
• Different genres have signature music styles, which place viewers in a particular setting or mindset, like the iconic Western sound. 🤠
• Composers like Bernard Herman crafted scores that mimic sounds triggering instinctive emotional responses, heightening suspense and fear in films like 'Psycho.' 🎻
• Aaron Copland outlines five roles of film scores, including setting atmosphere, highlighting unseen dangers, and maintaining continuity. 📽️
• Using music or silence effectively, as in 'No Country for Old Men,' filmmakers can manipulate audiovisual experiences for maximum impact. 🔇

Key Takeaways

• Film scores have the power to dramatically alter the emotional tone of a scene, demonstrating the importance of auditory stimulation in cinema. 🎵
• The distinction between a film score and a soundtrack is crucial: scores are composed specifically for the film, while soundtracks can consist of pre-existing music. 🎶
• Movies like 'Psycho' and 'Jaws' exemplify the use of music to build tension and suspense, impacting audience emotions profoundly. 😱
• Music in film serves several purposes, from setting the scene to enhancing continuity, and creating atmospheric tension, showcasing its multifaceted role. 🎬
• Even the absence of music, as seen in 'No Country for Old Men,' can be a powerful tool in filmmaking, emphasizing realism and tension. 🤫

Overview

The video "How Film Scores Play with Our Brains" dives deep into the world of film music, revealing its key role in narrative storytelling. The film score, distinct from soundtracks, is created to match on-screen actions, adjusting the emotional and psychological atmosphere of scenes. From silent films to classics like 'Psycho' and 'Jaws,' music has been a silent language understood by viewers on an instinctive level, transforming the movie-going experience.

By analyzing iconic scenes, the video showcases how certain film scores alter viewer perception. For example, the infamous shower scene in 'Psycho' uses high-pitched string instruments to heighten fear, while 'Jaws' employs an ominous, repetitive theme to drive suspense. These scores are purposely designed to manipulate emotions, whether it’s through anticipation, fear, or even humor, proving that what we hear can drastically influence what we see.

Moreover, the video highlights different functions of film scores, citing music’s ability to provide continuity, signify transitions, and even fill silence. Directors strategically use or omit music to guide audience reactions, making it an irreplaceable tool in filmmaking. The video piquantly urges viewers to revisit their favorite films with a keen ear, recognizing the sometimes subtle yet significant impact of music on cinematic storytelling.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Film Scores The chapter titled 'Introduction to Film Scores' begins with a discussion on the role of music in film. It explores how film has evolved as an art form that predominantly focuses on visual storytelling through motion. The connection between what is seen on screen and the accompanying music is highlighted as a key element in enhancing the viewer's experience.
• 00:30 - 01:00: The Role of Music in Film The chapter discusses the significant impact music has on films, emphasizing that movies are more than just visual experiences. Music contributes to the heightened realism of films by influencing the audience's emotional and psychological response. Different film scores can completely change the mood of a scene, and filmmakers meticulously select their soundtracks to evoke specific emotions or convey particular ideas. The chapter also touches on the psychology of music and how our brains respond to various auditory stimulations in movies.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Soundtrack vs Score The chapter distinguishes between a soundtrack and a score in films. A film score is created specifically to accompany a movie's scenes, while a soundtrack consists of songs that may be independent of the movie. Films typically feature both a soundtrack and a score, as exemplified by 'Forest Gump,' which has independently existing songs on its soundtrack in addition to a score composed uniquely for the film.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Impact of Music on Film Scenes This chapter delves into the crucial role that music plays in enhancing the impact of film scenes. By comparing final cuts of movies with their intended scores against those with altered or removed music, it highlights how music can dramatically change the perception and emotional response to a scene. A notable example given is the famous shower scene from the movie 'Psycho,' illustrating how its iconic score amplifies its frightening effect, which is diminished without it.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Alteration of Scenes with Music The chapter discusses how the alteration of music in a scene, specifically in 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' can transform its tone. Depending on the type of music used, a scene can transition to feeling triumphant, creepy, or even comical, demonstrating the powerful impact music has on cinematic storytelling.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Historical Context of Music in Film In the chapter titled "Historical Context of Music in Film," the discussion revolves around how music has been utilized throughout history to change the psychological tone of a scene. The usage of music to alter viewers' perceptions and emotions dates back to the silent film era when silent movies were commonly accompanied by music to enhance the storytelling experience.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Silent Movie Era and Music The chapter discusses the role of music during the Silent Movie Era, where live piano players provided accompaniment to films. Initially, the music did not interact directly with the movie but served to fill the silence in theaters. Over time, this evolved, with piano players either improvising with the film's events or playing from sheet music designed to match the on-screen action. This included psychological techniques, such as playing eerie diminished minor chords when a villain appeared on screen to evoke a sense of unease.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Evolution of Film Scores The chapter titled 'Evolution of Film Scores' discusses how different types of scenes in films are accompanied by distinct musical themes. It explains that heroes often have uplifting anthems, chase scenes are matched with fast-paced tempos, and sad scenes are characterized by slow and somber music. This highlights how music enhances the storytelling and emotional impact in movies.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Psycho's Iconic Score The chapter discusses the evolution of film scores, highlighting the early psychological musical techniques that set a precedent for modern cinema. It explains how, despite the orchestras becoming larger and the scores more effective over time, the fundamental concepts originating from silent film piano accompaniment have remained consistent.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Music's Anticipation Effect in Jaws This chapter explores the role of music in building anticipation and psychological responses in films, using the 'Jaws' soundtrack as a key example. The music in 'Jaws' is noted for its ability to create tension and forebode danger.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Background Role of Film Scores A 2010 study by the University of California discovered that nonlinear alarm sounds evoke emotional responses that instinctively unsettle us.
• 05:30 - 06:00: Aaron Copland's Principles In the chapter titled 'Aaron Copland's Principles', the narrative explores how film scores can unsettle the audience by creating suspense and terror. It discusses the technique of using music to warn the audience of impending danger, which the characters in the movie remain unaware of. This builds suspense, as the viewers anticipate the inevitable horror. The chapter describes how the increasing tempo of the music, coupled with the camera work, heightens the psychological terror by disrupting the sense of order and control the audience seeks.
• 06:00 - 06:30: Creating Atmosphere with Music The chapter focuses on how film scores are designed to subtly influence the audience's perception of scenes and storytelling by creating convincing atmospheres specific to time or place without overshadowing the narrative. Aaron Copland, a pioneer in film scores, identified five roles of a score, most of which function in the background. A critical role includes aligning the music style with the genre or setting of the film, like the distinctive music style associated with Westerns which is applied when films like Bill and Ted move back in time to the Wild West.
• 06:30 - 07:00: Psychological Refinements Through Music The chapter explores how music serves as a powerful tool to underline psychological aspects such as unspoken thoughts or unseen dangers. It emphasizes music's ability to communicate what isn't visually apparent, reinforcing mood and atmosphere. For example, a phone call traced to an ominous location with danger looming is reinforced by suspenseful music, illustrating how soundtracks can enhance psychological tension in a narrative.
• 07:00 - 07:30: Music and Scene Continuity The chapter titled "Music and Scene Continuity" discusses the importance of music in establishing a sense of continuity. It highlights how music can connect different scenes or shots by using the same musical themes or motifs, which helps in relating those scenes to each other. This is particularly applicable in montages or flashbacks. The personal anecdote about clearing cookies and history on a computer is not directly related to the main topic of music and continuity.
• 07:30 - 08:00: Finality and Silence in Film Music The chapter discusses the use of musical cues in films to signify flashbacks, with a specific example from 'Citizen Kane' where music is used to indicate a flashback to when Mr. Kane took over the Inquirer.
• 08:00 - 08:30: Contradictory Music Use in A Clockwork Orange The chapter explores the use of music in the film 'A Clockwork Orange', highlighting its contradictory nature. It draws comparisons with films like 'Catch Me If You Can', noting how music can drive the narrative, particularly chases or triumphant moments. The use of music in such contexts is to create psychological connections, whether it's enhancing the feeling of a chase or cementing a sense of finality and triumph after major events in the film. The discussion suggests that music not only complements but also contrasts the visual elements to evoke complex emotions in the audience.
• 08:30 - 09:00: Effect of No Music in Films The chapter explores the impact of the absence of music in films. It mentions that music often serves the purpose of filling silence, as noted by Copan.
• 09:00 - 09:30: Psychology of Film Scores The chapter titled 'Psychology of Film Scores' discusses how the film score is considered one of the hardest elements to compose because it should not be noticeable to the audience. The chapter also mentions an interesting tactic used in the film ''A Clockwork Orange'' directed by Kubrick, where uplifting orchestra music is played in contrast to extreme acts of violence happening on screen.
• 09:30 - 10:00: Conclusion and Call to Action In the 'Conclusion and Call to Action' chapter, the discussion revolves around the impact of music, or the lack thereof, in films. It highlights how the absence of a musical score, as in the movie 'No Country for Old Men', can enhance the menace and tension of a scene. The chapter also reflects on the paradoxical use of comforting classical music to underscore scenes of destruction, thereby adding layers of emotion and unease. The chapter underscores how directors strategically use or omit music to evoke specific emotional responses from the audience, urging readers to appreciate and analyze such choices in film more critically.

How Film Scores Play with Our Brains Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] welcome to Now You See It film brought forth an art form centered around seeing motion on screen
• 00:30 - 01:00 but film is far more than only visual music plays a huge role in the heighten realism of movies I don't know what the that means it means it means my reputation different film scores can completely alter the mood of a scene and filmmakers carefully pick their soundtracks or film scores to convey certain emotions or ideas thank you I want to look at the psychology of music and how our brains respond to different auditory stimulation in movies to talk about music in a film I
• 01:00 - 01:30 should distinguish between a soundtrack and a score a film score is written specifically for what's happening on a screen while a soundtrack contains songs independent from the movie itself that weren't made only for the movie most films have both and one example is Forest Gump which has a soundtrack of songs not solely associated with the movie and a film score with music written specifically and only for that movie to really understand the
• 01:30 - 02:00 importance of the music in a film you should compare Final Cuts of movies with the intended film score and cuts with removed or edited music the famous psycho shower scene is so much less frightening without its score my favorite example to show the importance of Music in a film is the
• 02:00 - 02:30 altering of this scene in the Pirates of the Caribbean depending on the music the scene can become triumphant creepy or comical [Music] [Music]
• 02:30 - 03:00 using music to psychologically alter a scene has been around since the silent era silent movies used to be accompanied
• 03:00 - 03:30 with a live piano player who would play along with the movie at first the music didn't interact with the movie at all and was only there to avoid silence in the theater but later piano players would either improvise along with the movie or receive sheet music to play along with the psychology of the accompaniment was pretty straightforward when the screen shows a villain the piano player plays a diminished minor chord which sounds eerie and unnerving
• 03:30 - 04:00 Heroes get uplifting anthems Chase scenes have a fast [Music] tempo and sad scenes are slow and somber
• 04:00 - 04:30 these early psychological musical techniques set the standard for film scores in modern Cinema and while the orchestras have gotten bigger and the scores more effective the general ideas of silent film piano accompaniment have remained the same [Music]
• 04:30 - 05:00 the shower scene in Psycho is a perfect example of the psychology of Music in film in the scene Mary and crane gets stabbed to death in the shower and the scene features one of the most effective film scores in history the screeching sound of the violin mimics sounds we biologically associate with stress and danger the sound mimics Cry for Help a
• 05:00 - 05:30 study by the University of California in 2010 found that nonlinear alarm sounds give us an emotional response that instinctively unsettles us psychologically Bernard Herman the composer of psycho purposefully constructed the film score to mimic these unsettling noises and the effect makes the scene significantly scarier and more unsettling in Jaws we hear the music before we see any danger
• 05:30 - 06:00 this technique unsettles us in a different way the anticipation of the danger is what makes each scene so scary the fact that we know something bad is about to happen and the characters in the movie don't know add suspense to the scene we are warned of the danger through the film score and have no choice but to watch the horror unfold as the music slowly speeds up so does the camera and we feel psychological Terror from the disorder of the music and the anticipation of the inevitable
• 06:00 - 06:30 the majority of film scores though purposefully stay in the background and only provide subtle cues to the audience film score Pioneer Aaron Copland gave five ways a score serves the screen and most of them stay in the background the first is to create a more convincing atmosphere of timer place this one is pretty self-explanatory many genres and settings have their own style of music to go with it the style of the film score puts us into a particular setting or genre a classic example would be the Western which has a very distinct sound so when Bill and Ted go back in time to the West the music changes along with
• 06:30 - 07:00 them how's it going old west [Music] dude hey Bill this is just like frontierland yeah second music can underline psychological refinements unspoken thoughts or unseen dangers get shown or reinforc through the music we may not see the danger but the music reminds us it's there listen to me we've traced the call it's coming from inside the house squads are the way over there right now just get out of that house you're not a cotton headed n muggins you're
• 07:00 - 07:30 just special that's weird yesterday I went food shopping for like 15 minutes I used the computer before I went to the store and when I came back my history was gone the cash was cleared and the cookies have been reset H third is to build a sense of continuity if the music between shots or scenes is the same we relate those scenes to each other this includes montages or flashbacks [Music]
• 07:30 - 08:00 citizen Kan uses musical cues as an indicator of a flashback he was with Mr Kane and me the first day Mr Kane took over the inquire
• 08:00 - 08:30 and Catch Me If You Can the music is aced that the chase is [Music] on Fourth is to give a sense of finality Copland notes that this takes place usually at the end of the film or after some major Triumph the triumphant sound of the music psychologically links us to the Triumph on
• 08:30 - 09:00 [Music] [Music] screen and finally Copan says sometimes music is just there to fill the silence
• 09:00 - 09:30 interestingly he states that this is the hardest film score to do because the audience shouldn't notice it new holiday that recognizes that May 21st other Mother's Day thank [Music] you let's get her boys in A Clockwork Orange cubric has uplifting orchestra music play while extreme acts of violence occur on screen
• 09:30 - 10:00 the contradiction between comforting classical music and destruction adds tension and unease to the [Music] scene film scores enhance the emotion of a scene but sometimes directors choose to not use any music and this can work just as well in No Country for Old Men the vast majority of the movie has no music but mostly dialog and ambient noise and it totally works hearing nothing but a man's struggle for his life is pretty menacing
• 10:00 - 10:30 the storming of the beach scene and Saving Private Ryan overwhelms the senses with the sounds of gunshots explosions and cries for help instead of a film [Music] [Music] score our brains often subconsciously react differently to a visual given the
• 10:30 - 11:00 music playing behind it I think it's really interesting because of how subtle film scores can be and yet how vital they are to a [Music] movie the psychology of music is one of the most important cinematic techniques in film the emotional and thematic potential of these techniques is Limitless and I've only scratched the surface so take your favorite film watch it again and pay close attention to the music and how it enhance the film maybe without you even noticing how does that sound thanks for watching that I
• 11:00 - 11:30 recomended even if he didn't die wouldn't be offended I had a dream that