You wouldn’t be here if you underestimated the power of music but it’s a topic worth exploring if you have a mo. At Bob & Barn we’ve analysed the integral part it plays in a rich filmic, televisual or multimedia experience.

We concluded that, at its highest level, it provides emotional content that would otherwise be hard to convey by alternative means. It allows the viewer / player to be absorbed into the experience wholly and sympathise on an emotional level, with all the on-screen characters.

More specifically, music can be used on many functional levels within a production.

Physical Function

• Providing clues as to the location / setting
• Providing clues as to the time period (past, present, or future)
• Parallel / mimic on screen action
• Intensifying / heightening the action

Psychological Function

• Providing clues as to the mood of a scene or character (underscoring)
• Commentary of director and inside jokes
• Unseen implications (to provide clues as to impending action)
• Deceiving the audience (leading the audience to believe that something is about to happen, but never actually transpires – horror films use this technique a lot.)

Technical

• Continuity between scenes
• Continuity through the film [E.T.]
• Source music–music the characters are aware of (band, TV, radio, sometimes visually apparent, sometimes not).