You don’t hear it, but you feel the vibe, but here’s why the background score of a movie helps it unfold
A threatening gong for a grim event, raising a crescendo for a suspenseful draw, or violins for falling in love – with music, every setting is complete. When it comes to the silver screen, without music in the background, a film is a blank canvas. And so, a soundtrack or background score is as essential as the visuals. Remember the John Williams score for the original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy or the tunes capturing the tragedy of ‘Titanic’, the movie?
Today, background score is honoured with Oscar gold and has its own weightage. Underscoring a movie serves all the emotional and dramatic needs of the film, reflecting its world, characters, visuals, and moments that dialogues can’t quite explain. This is why NIE turned to you to know why background score is essential to a film, and which ones have impressed, and why its subtle varaitions are a movie’s most important takeaway. Over to you, guys!
Highway: Background music enhances the appeal of a sequence in a film. It is a powerful tool to help portray emotions on celluloid. I loved the background score of ‘Barfi!’ and ‘Highway’.
Bhavna Kankaria, class XI, Lakshmipat Singhania Academy, Kolkata
Mr Bean’s Holiday’ and ‘Ghost Protocol: MrEven before a movie releases, it is the background score, as depicted in the promos, that gives away the genre of the movie. I loved the background score in movies like ‘Mr Bean’s Holiday’ and ‘Ghost Protocol’.
Arpit Bachhawat, class XI, Don Bosco School, Kolkata
Barfi!: Background music has the potential to transform an okay film into a good one as it sets the tone right. A happy background score will anticipate a positive scene, whereas a gloomy score will help the audience get ready for a sombre scene. And that’s why I love Barfi!’s score.
Arka Chakraborty, class XI, TFFS, Kolkata
Lagaan: Background score can make or mar a film. However, it shouldn’t encroach upon the story, only enhance it just the way it was in the case of ‘Lagaan’.
Dhara Kapadia, class X, New Horzion Gurukul, Bangalore
Prisoner of Azkaban: A movie without a background score is completely blank. I love the Harry Potter movies, and I love the score in ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ especially. I love the Hedwig’s theme.
Reena Dori, class XI, NPS, New Delhi
Bhoot: While studying and reading, I need to listen to a subtle background score. And in the movies, this music helps in accentuating the mood by not interfering with the scene itself. I love the music of ‘Bhoot’, the movie, as it captures thrilling moments with soft shades.
Rajan Gaur, class XII, Somerville School, New Delhi
What is a background score?
A background music is original music written to accompany a film. The score also includes sound effects, and comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental or choral pieces, which are timed with the dramatic narrative of the unfolding story.
Which is your favourite background score? What is the kind of music you like to listen to? Which are the tracks that you guys are listening to right now? Register to share your list