In class today, when we were discussing the most important element of an advertisement, my response was that an appropriate soundtrack can make or break any attempts that you make. I strongly believe that having an appropriate soundtrack is of vital importance to the message of any work of film, be it a full-length, big budget Hollywood feature or a small-time local commercial; or in any work of theater. When I got home today, I encountered this video on the internet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKNDml12Big
If you saw this in a movie theater today, you would think it would be for an epic summer blockbuster, not Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which is arguably one of the funniest movies of our time, fondly remembered for the memorable bridge scene and the unforgettably hilarious Holy Hand Grenade, among other jokes. But all of the clips and dialogue in this piece come from the actual film itself, with no editing on them. Granted, the maker of this clip conveniently chose to put in only quotes that could be interpreted as epic, with the right soundtrack. The soundtrack is everything in this video; the only thing that makes it seem epic. Try playing this video, muted, with the real theme to Monty Python and the Holy Grail (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHDycUXzNs0) in the background. Still epic? Arguably, but certainly not in the same way - it loses the suspenseful quality, shall we say, and gives the video a whole new meaning, as to being more about adventure and less about action, at least in my opinion. Countless examples of this exist throughout film and television. For example, after all these years, Darth Vader's theme, "The Imperial March," (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bzWSJG93P8) has become synonymous with the menacing figure widely renowned as one of the greatest villains of film history. The theme song from Jaws is another such icon, which made people afraid to go in the water for years (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb8t3Lt8iJw). But imagine replacing Vader's theme with another iconic George Lucas character's (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bTpp8PQSog), and suddenly the Evil Empire become the heroes of the Star Wars trilogy. And substitute the iconic shark's theme with this song during Jaws, and the horror-thriller becomes a comedy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK6TXMsvgQg. Granted, these examples are extremely exaggerated, but the point remains the same. For a less exaggerated one, imagine swapping the iconic theme song from Ghostbusters (I don't really have to post a link for this one, do I?) with this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZoNRbSEvX8. Definitely doesn't sound like the light, happy-ending comedy that it is with Ray Parker Junior's song, does it?
Musical theater is a great example of the importance of soundtracks as well. One of my favorite shows of all time is South Pacific. If you don't know the plot...well, I would like to say some mean things about you if you don't, but I digress. In addition to an unprecedentedly powerful storyline, the musical is remembered for such classics as "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger than Springtime." My personal favorite from this classic is the song "This Nearly Was Mine," in which the male protagonist expresses his regrets at losing the girl of his dreams (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drv-NgfLtNw). But imagine this scenario - what would happen if that rotten Justin Beiber song "Baby" replaced this masterpiece? It makes me sick just thinking about it, and South Pacific wouldn't be anybody's favorite musical. But deep down - and you'll have to dig right down to the basics - they say the same thing, only in very different ways, and I think we can all agree that Rodgers and Hammerstein weren't the ones who got it wrong.
What I'm trying to say...don't underestimate the impact that music can have. A soundtrack can make a good film better, a bad film mediocre, or just plain capture the audience's attention. The soundtracks we have when we create videos should definitely be something to consider when we have a more definite game plan. Food for thought.
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