Films and Music: Two Peas in a Pod
Films and Music have had a long history of complementing each other. Today we look at some of the iconic performances by musicians in films and how Music plays an important role in filmmaking.
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Happy Friday Everyone!
This week we saw multiple Academy Award-nominated American director David O’ Russel, known for his Oscar-nominated movies American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook, announce his upcoming film called ‘Canterbury Glass’.
Based on a period drama around the unlikely partnership between a doctor and a lawyer, O’Russel has finished the screenplay but is yet to announce the release dates.
The most interesting part? It’s casting.
O’Russell has managed to pull off an ensemble cast like no other. Check this out 👇🏻
Christian Bale, Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, Margot Robbie, Chris Rock, Zoe Saldana, and even Taylor Swift is playing a part in this film 🤯
With multiple million-dollar franchises between the actors and unquestionable star power, this is one film to keep an eye on.
The most interesting selection perhaps was of Taylor Swift, who despite having previously acted in films, was an unusual choice for such an intense drama film.
Which begs the question: Are Musicians also good Actors?
Let’s look at some of the iconic performances by artists in Films to answer that 👇
1) Eminem in 8 Mile- 2002
We start our list with Eminem performing as Jimmy “B-Rabbit” Smith in the 2002 film “8 Mile”
This was Eminem’s debut film and was loosely based on the Detroit-born rapper’s own life.
‘Loosely’ is the keyword here, as an aspiring rapper with a messed up life, Eminem used his skills to win rap battles as his last chance of making it out of the “Ghetto”- the part that Eminem played all too well in his early life himself.
The fact that he plays a fictionized version of himself may have made it easy for the rapper but the performance was no joke. Look at the fierce rap battles that take place throughout the film in the clip below 👇
2) Ice Cube in ‘Boyz N The Hood’ - 1991
Boyz n the Hood is an unflinching look at life in South Central Los Angeles, where a community just trying to get by is marred by sudden, unnecessary death. Anchoring this is legendary American rapper Ice Cube, whose hip-hop music covered similar Gangster rap themes.
Although the film is not a true story, the scenes draw a lot of inspiration from director John Singleton’s real-life experiences. The film became a critical and commercial success, praised for its emotional weight, acting, and writing.
It grossed $57.5 million in North America and was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the 64th Academy Awards, making Singleton the youngest person and the first African-American to be nominated for Best Director.
Ice Cube’s own experiences growing up in the shady areas of California make his performance look authentic to the character, and it launched his career in Hollywood.
Take a look at the iconic scene “We got a problem here?” below 👇
We could list 100s of films here, but you get the point. Let’s have a look at one last one before we move on to talking about the significance of music in films:
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3) Jamie Foxx and Michael “Flea” Balzary in Baby Driver, 2017.
Though Jamie Foxx is an actor first, he is very familiar with the Billboard top 100 as he went double platinum with his second album “Unpredictable” in 2005 and has been credited with launching the career of Kanye West.
Acting alongside him was Michael Balzary, better known as “Flea”- bassist of the iconic rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Check out their robbery scene in the film below 👇🏻
If you see the clip attached above, you will notice how the music changed the whole atmosphere of the scene. Most heist scenes are serious and ominous, however, with the tone of the song, the director managed to pull off something more fun and jaw-dropping.
The exciting chase scenes in Baby Driver are just one of the few examples of why music is so important in a film.
Let’s take a closer look 👇
Accenting every movement seen on screen with music is called ‘Mickey-Mousing’ (coming from a scoring technique that was often used in Mickey Mouse cartoons).
Hearing xylophone “plings” when someone raises their eyebrow, feels very comic, however it can be great in slapstick moments and when done well even in dramatic situations.
In the following clip from Baby Driver the music syncs up with motion on several occasions:
Music also helps dictate how the audience feels in a scene, setting the tone and hinting towards something while building up anticipation.
This scene from Uncut Gems, 2019 starring Adam Sandler and legendary basketball player Kevin Garnett, perfectly describes what I am talking about.
If you look toward the end of the clip, the music perfectly builds up tension in the viewers and pushes them back to reality when Garnett accidentally breaks the glass he’s leaning on.
The music in a scene can also set the time period and location. Look at the opening scene from Prince of Persia- Sands of Time, 2010.
The background score is appropriate to the location as it accentuates the culture being displayed. This is just one of many examples of how regional music is used in films to convey the location of the scene along with visuals.
Let’s end this segment with a scene that carries almost a decade of buildup- “The Avengers Assemble Scene” from The Endgame, 2019.
The music goes from ominous to completely in favor of the protagonists. The mood of the film changes from “all hope lost” to “there is no way they can lose this battle now”.
Check out the iconic scene below 👇
Our Take on this?
Music has, and always will remain an integral part of films. Look at the silent films from back in the day, for example, they completely relied on sounds and no dialogues.
The film and music culture is one that has been built up over decades and we stand in a golden age where we have all the necessary tools and knowledge to put this tested theory of “Music in Films” to practice.
To quote from one of the most influential filmmakers of our time, Martin Scorsese:
“Music and Film are inseparable. They always have been and always will be”
Who can challenge this guy?