In the sphere of the cinema, a visual factor prevails, and music is completely subordinate to it; nevertheless, they form a single whole. A sound effect enhances the impact of a specific image. In the first film, the music influences mood significantly, helping the audience to feel the tense moments and additionally affecting viewers’ emotions. It changes the idea of what is about to happen, and new rhythms make it possible to understand this or that situation better.
The absence of music will not have such an effect on the perception of pirate adventures. The same situation is in the film about the Lion King, where quite naive melodies help to understand the change of mood accurately. New rhythms allow determining the plot turn, and all the new melodies give an opportunity to recognize danger, triumph, and other emotions easily. The absence of music, on the contrary, would make the film more boring. According to the study conducted by Vuoskoski and Eerola (2015), “the sad narrative description appeared to intensify the sadness induced by the sad-sounding piece,” and this assumption suits the story about the Lion King (p. 262).
In the story of Star Wars, in scene one in the Throne Room, the intense and bravura music makes it clear that a battle takes place, and excitement appears. Any new sounds can change the perception of the plot and either lead to the expected final or surprise the audience. The lack of music in this episode would not have such an effect. In scene two, the triumphant nature of the music sets the viewers and listeners in a specific mood.
The melody is unlikely to affect the perception that something is about to happen, and if this music were absent, the proper effect would fail. However, in case a new sound series appears, it will influence the overall impression significantly and will give an opportunity to understand the abrupt change of the plot. In general, this exercise has made me convinced once again that sound effects help to immerse the audience into a specific atmosphere and are the important component of any plot.
Reference
Vuoskoski, J. K., & Eerola, T. (2015). Extramusical information contributes to emotions induced by music. Psychology of Music, 43(2), 262-274. Web.