Soundtrack research- Stereotypical music used in films

Our film soundtrack

 For our film soundtrack we will be making our own music but making sure we get the right sound and music so that it reflects and creates the right portrayal/message on our main target audience. By doing this we need to research what other horror films use so that we can gain an auditory idea of what we can produce to suit the shots we used and create a high quality and effective horror trailer. To gain the music for our trailer we could use resources such as pianos and guitars to create an eerie atmosphere, which we can then edit so we can add effects on it; by changing the tones and pitch digitally. This would allow us to find the correct music we wish to use, which would therefore build tension and suspense for our film. We will start it off being slow and quiet and as the piece of music goes on we will make it get louder and faster to create tension within the audience.

Horror Soundtrack 

 The sound track that is usually in films is tension building and scary music to reinforce the jump scares and fear factor event s within the trailer. It usually starts off quietly emphasising the realism of the day and expressing how happy the protagonists are. As soon as the antagonist gets mentioned or an unknown event occurs the music gets increasingly louder and louder; this excels the audience's adrenaline due to build tension created by the music. Therefore when the antagonist is revealed it makes a more effective scare and a lot more jumpy compared to if there was no music as there would be no build-up of tension or suspense. One good soundtrack which shows the build-up well however it is the horror/thriller film 'Jaws'. It is a film about sharks attacking people and as soon as you hear the music you know the shark is somewhere and that the people who are in/ near the water are in danger. The soundtrack starts off slowly and as the shark gets closer it gets faster and louder making the audience tense and therefore jump more when the shark catches the person. The sound track which shows the tension build well is below.

 Action soundtrack

 Action sound tracks usually consist of a very fast pace and sharp music which sometimes are performed by an orchestra, due to the string instruments creating a sharp, quick tension building tempo. This makes the audience feel uneasy as they are so desperately want the character to escape from the event which is occurring. It also makes the audience feel as if there will be some explosion about to happen as the build-up of music makes it sound as if there will be a climax sound to end the fast temp beat. As the pace of the soundtrack is very fast, it suits the camera shots that are used in action trailers as they need to appeal to their target audience. The target audience would expect to see stunts, explosions and weapons, which action trailer all consist of, and are reinforced by this upbeat music. A typical time that this music would be shown in action films is when there is a car chase scene or a fight scene as the camera shots and sound track need to fit in well together. As I will be producing a horror genre this fast pace music may not be needed, however it gives me an insight of how music affect the audience response and the genre of the film. 

Romance Soundtrack

The type of soundtrack that is played in romantic films is quite slow however can become fast tempo when a scene is being shown when a couple are running after each other and so on. The music is always light-hearted and happy, as though birds are singing throughout the film. This is because romantic films always end up with a happily ever after and the couple always end up together, stereotypically. Slow music can also be played in romantic films if there is a love scene or just a scene where they are having a deep conversation where they are laughing with each other. This makes the audience appeal to the characters and encourages them to wanting the couple to stay together. The type of music can also change when a bad character comes in, 'the middle man of the love story'. The music can become faster and less light heartened to show the audience that they are not wanted in the relationship- the sort of characters that this music is related to can be the interfering mother, the jealous ex-boyfriend or the jealous sister/brother. This low toned music can also be used when a break up occurs, which makes the audience feel sympathy for the character who is affected more badly by the break up. This tells me that music is vital for a trailer as it reinforces and transfers across what the audience should feel about what is happening on screen.