The Muse in Music

I was watching a band the other day (Operation Aloha who played at The Troubadour and yes I am plugging them simply because they were rad) and listening to them helped conjure all of these images and ideas in my head. So I got to thinking about music and film and the collaboration of the two mediums and how important the two are together. Like peanut butter and jelly, mint and chocolate, or macaroni and cheese (I think it’s time for lunch as all my analogies are food based), music helps propel a scene to the next level and music videos helped MTV become the sad reality channel it is today (um yea).

So I wanted to take the next couple posts to talk about music for your film. What you should and shouldn’t be doing as a filmmaker in terms of the legal stuff, but also about music in general, what music inspires you as a filmmaker and what movie music moments have impacted you the most over the years.

This post is dedicated to the movie music moments that have inspired me, brought me to tears, and helped remind me why I decided to go into the business of making movies to begin with.

Movie Music moment # 1:
The End of SIXTEEN CANDLES

Whether in Spanish or English you still get the drift=) A movie moment that ANY teen girl and probably guy for that matter remembers with fondness. Sam gets the guy of her dreams, her ultimate birthday wish and as they move in for the kiss to end all kisses over birthday cake, The Thompson Twins IF YOU WERE HERE plays in the background.  I would love to have the Thompson Twins play in the background for my birthday over cake while kissing Jake Ryan…swoon!

Music movie moment # 2

GARDEN STATE

You may not like Zack Braff’s big fat face most of the time either, BUT I commend Braff for his use of music in film. Plus he seems a heck of a lot sexier in French=) This is one of several incredible moments that utilize music to take the audience that much further, helping us as audience members become even more emotionally invested into these characters and the movie as a whole. Some people may call this cheating, and I have had extensive arguments with film composer I know that by placing a song into a moment in the film, the filmmaker is actually taking the easy way out. I disagree. The right music and the right film moment can be simply magical.

Music movie moment # 3

E.T.

I mean who doesn’t love John Williams, and this piece of music will forever be synonymous with this particular moment in the film. This makes me wish Steven Spielberg would stop being so bitter and get back to the pure joy filmmaking obviously once brought him.

Music movie moment # 4 and probably one of my all time favorites since I was a small child. The song for the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz. There is nothing that needs to be said on this one folks

So question to those that read my blog…what music movie moment has inspired you?! Let me know!