Mark Aguilar
Anticipation
There are scenes in films that pull audiences into the experience, and those pivotal scenes are usually accompanied by iconic scores. Whether the scene comes from different genres like horror, comedy, or drama- anticipation is a huge tool used to engage audiences to immerse themselves into the film. I have taken some scenes from some of my favorite movies that really stuck with me. They are all scenes that take place at different points in the film- One is from the very beginning that set the bar of what to expect in the rest of the film. Another scene is from the mid-way point of the film that finally pulled me into the story. And another scene was taken at the very end of the movie that left a lasting expression that truly made me appreciate the movie. Despite being in different moments of the film- the anticipation involved that led to these moments is what made them impactful. I put my own spin on the scores of the scenes that hopefully match the vibes they give off.
Hereditary
The emotion of this scene is definitely more chilling and uncomforting for both the audience and the character on screen. What's going on in the scene is pretty disturbing, so I tried to fit that with the score to make people feel uncomfortable. The technique that I used to achieve this emotion is the use of alarm synths on SoundTrap. I held one-note throughout and played around with some of the other notes so that it feels both uncomfortable and disorientating. Things I learned in class that helped me achieve this were just the general knowledge we gained to use the program. I had to first record the notes and then go back in and move them around or make them longer/shorter so it can be different throughout. I would definitely play around with different sounds, instruments, and sequences until I got something that I liked and fit well with the scene. I honestly felt pretty happy with how it turned out, I think it fits the scene nicely and adds to the creepiness of it. I enjoyed playing the different versions of the score over the clip and seeing what worked and what didn't because there were definitely other versions of the final project that I could have worked with too.
Aster, Ari, director. Hereditary. Youtube, A24, 16 Nov. 2020,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrVkCLd8IwQ&t=600s
No Country for Old Men
The movie scene I chose to write music for was No Country for Old Men. The emotion of the scene is very much anticipation and tension, you can tell by the movements of the character and the faces he makes that let you know how much anxiety he's under at the time. I tried to match that with the music score. The way I intended the music to go for the scene was to begin with silence. It would start playing when the character puts the phone down and begins to walk towards the door. During this part, I used stings in SoundTrap and made gradually go lower every couple of seconds to capture the intensity of the scene because it seems like anything could have happened at the time. Then, when he starts to listen to the door- I went back to silence and add intrigue that this could be the part where something happens, but nothing does. Then, for the last 15 seconds, I added a drum beat and symbol that repeats- but goes faster and faster to feel the intensity that might be going through the character's head at the time. I felt that I did a decent job at capturing the feel of the scene and am satisfied with how it turned out.
Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen, directors. No Country For Old Men. Youtube, Miramax Films, 2006, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL9w-3pQb5U
Swiss Army Man
For this clip, I did the opening scene of Swiss Army Man. The emotion of the scene is fairly emotional because it starts with a man wanting to snap his neck until he sees an escape from his island. It then becomes more serious and almost triumphant when he starts riding the body on the water. The techniques I used to achieve this emotion were using the guitar on heavy 808, and string ensembles towards the end. What I learned in class to achieve this was the general knowledge of using both music-making softwares like SoundTrap and using Adobe Premiere Pro. They made the video come together. The process I went through making the piece was going into SoundTrap and firstly making the opening note that I wanted to feel more serious. It then cuts when the character begins to take off his noose and starts to get grander. I don't know much about making music still so I played around with the strings until I ended with something I liked. I thought the score represented the sections of the opening scene and fit in nicely. I think that the score could have different interpretations- some might think it could give off a sentimental meaning, which would also be a nice fit for the scene in my opinion.
Kwan, Daniel and Daniel Scheinert, directors. Swiss Army Man. Youtube, A24, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMBOsy-uZ5g
