Who needs snow days when you can watch movies in class?

I have spent a lot of time this past week escaping from the ice and snow by watching various movies and television shows. In the spirit of this class, and because it is quite interesting, I started paying extra attention to the music that always seems to be present in the most touching, or most harrowing, situations. I also thought quite a bit about where the sound effects were coming from and how they were integrated into the general sounds of the show/movie. One of the shows I spent a great deal of time watching was Dr. Who. In doing some research on the music and sound effects of it, I discovered something I found incredibly interesting! One of the main sound effect of the show - the sound the TARDIS makes as it vanishes from the time and place it is in - is made by the scraping of keys up and down the strings of an old, gutted piano, and playing that recording backwards! I also learned that the incidental music for the revived series, composed by Murray Gold and Ben Foster, is performed by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. You were right, Dr. Berry! British orchestras make the best recording groups! I wonder if Gold and Foster own the rights to the score, or if the production company does?



I have been so in awe this past week with the sheer magnitude of the scores of the films we have seen in class, and how well these scores are integrated into the films. Take Casablanca, for instance. When the scene is taking place outside of Cafe Americain, the music makes the tension in the air audible and often has an Middle Eastern feel to it. When the scenes enter the Cafe, however, the music becomes cheery jazz meant to chase away the worries rife among the refugees who only wish to leave Casablanca. The music never seems to fit the mood until Sam plays As Time Goes By for the leading lady - it is then that the music begins to turn more tense and mood appropriate. One thing I particularly noticed in Casablanca was that when the dialogue is happening, the music is more piano, less noticeable. But when the dialogue is through, the music comes to the forefront again. That must have taken an unimaginable amount of detailed work to make the orchestra match so well with the dialogue in the film. Amazing! It was much the same in Top Hat and The Adventures of Robin Hood.

I think that one day, I should like to be a studio musician - that is, if everything isn't taken over by Finale MIDI files. It must be incredible to constantly play new music and to know that you are a part of something that could potentially reach millions of people. I should get to work then!

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