Silence Is Golden But Music Is Great

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University of south carolina: film 470 | Silence is Golden but Music is Great: | Discourses in the aesthetics and commercialization of film and music | | John Eugene McKinney | 12/9/2011 | Motion Picture Music: History If the reason for the existence of music in film is to help define its meaning, what happens when commercial interests are also effortlessly rewarded by this association? Viewers are expected to associate the tones, sounds, and lyrics of different compositions with the emotions attempting to be conveyed in a movie. While this occurrence is continuously expected another has seeped into the forefront of the combination of the industries. As particular sounds become associated with particular emotions viewers begin to experience a somewhat subconscious associative combining to what they are seeing and hearing. The same is innocuously true for what is being heard and what is actually being screened. During the late 1920’s, at the end of the silent film era changes in both the music and film industries began to influence Hollywood’s marketing of popular songs. As the silent film era ended, studios opted for musical scores to be added to film. Consequently some aspects of motion picture music will undoubtedly remain intertwined and critical analysis has become essential: the comparative value of the aesthetics of motion picture music as well as the commercialization. If the original intent of combining film and music was to give film an aesthetic value, does the same presently hold true? In order to do so we must examine 5 dimensions of motion picture music with what holds true about the success of popular music displayed in film. What is it, exactly, that music contributes to a film? David Raksin has written that music's avowed purpose in films is "to help realize the meaning of a film." Aaron Copland has said that a composer can do
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