Introduction
Music is undoubtedly an essential part of cinema. The musical accompaniment significantly affects the scene’s atmosphere and how the audience will perceive it. This emotional influence is often so strong that aspiring directors at the university are even forbidden to use music in their work to learn how to create an atmosphere using other techniques.
Discussion
As an example of a movie scene where the soundtrack plays a crucial role, I would like to quote a set from the 2019 Joker movie. In this scene, the protagonist, Arthur Fleck, played by Joaquin Phoenix, runs into a public restroom after his first murder. He is shocked by what he has done and suddenly begins to do something strange – the Joker starts to dance. Typically, film music is divided into two types: those that have a source within the world of the film itself, the characters can hear it, and those that sound for the viewer. At this point, the movie partially breaks the so-called fourth wall: there is no sound source in this scene, but the character hears it, music plays right in his head.
Conclusion
This scene reveals the development of the protagonist’s madness, the Joker takes control of Arthur for the first time. Even though I like the slightly clichéd use of classical music for the maniac, I would suggest a different composition for this scene. Namely, the track “Poppy” from the movie “Kingsman. Golden Circle. The melody’s tempo is much more aggressive and dynamic than the original soundtrack. Its timbre is sharp and cold, and the pitch changes now and then, creating a feeling of menace. The song harmonizes with the scene’s message, informing that the beast has awakened in this man.