If you are a self-confessed cinephile or consume media in the form of television shows, movies, and video games, on a daily basis, you will more than likely already understand the importance of a good soundtrack. It can transform the ways in which a particular piece of media is not only experienced but also interpreted with music capable of dramatically altering the entire mood of the piece from start to finish. If you are interested in familiarising yourself with the importance of a good soundtrack, continue reading to find out everything you need to know.
It can complement the storyline
If you have ever visited an online casino to play slots online, you will be aware of the importance of a good soundtrack to complement the overarching storyline. It can, for example, be simple to convey a particular message with setting, characters, and dialogue, but by failing to consider how music can emphasise a particular tone, such as that of happiness, sadness, excitement, or fear, an entire storyline can fail to achieve its fundamental goal of communicating an on-screen storyline to viewers tuning in from a busy cinema or the comfort of their own homes. This is especially important when it comes to accentuating tense scenes with musical anticipation, a great way to build suspense.
It can set the scene
If you have ever watched a movie that included a great opening scene, music probably played a central role. This is because a good soundtrack can set the scene of a television show, movie, or video game, and perhaps even sway the audience towards a particular opinion before the storyline has even had the opportunity to get off the ground. It can help to convey a particular tone or mood so the audience can gain a better understanding of what is happening during a scene or, perhaps most importantly, what is likely to happen as a scene continues to unfold by gradually building tension or relying on silence to shock or surprise viewers into a state of disbelief.
It can create irony
If you have ever watched a particularly poignant scene, you may have noticed it playing out to the sound of a happy or upbeat song. This was, however, more than likely a deliberate decision by the director to create a sense of irony and force you to focus on the storyline as opposed to the positive beats or lyrics that may be contradicting the action on-screen. In Barry Levinson’s 1987 war film, Good Morning Vietnam, for example, the song What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong can be heard blasting over the radio speakers in an attempt to highlight the irony of the media’s perception of war from afar compared to the tragedy of the events taking place in front of the audience’s eyes.
It can highlight important dialogue
In the global movie-making world, a good soundtrack must highlight important dialogue without overpowering the scene with expert sound mixing required in order for this to be achieved. It can be easy for a powerful song to dominate the screen and render any dialogue or actions irrelevant or inconsequential, but this is only likely to distract the audience from the overarching storyline and fail to convey the intended message.
If you consume media on a regular basis, you will be aware of the importance of a good soundtrack and its expert ability to complement the storyline that is playing out on-screen, set the scene at the beginning of a movie, create irony during a particularly poignant scene, and, last but not least, highlight important dialogue without dominating the screen.
