Sound

Comedies use many different scores to make people laugh. One big way they do this is through the element of surprise – pitting two very different ideas against each other can be very funny, or at the very least it can draw attention to something funny happening. Comedies may also make use of clichés – although they may sometimes be overused, they convey a message to the audience, saying it should be funny. This helps create a lighter atmosphere, as the audience are almost being told how they should be feeling through music. Scores for comedies also don’t have to be as cautious as they do in lots of other genres – the mood, if too serious, can also be funny, so there is no need to worry about over exaggeration, as it often only adds to the comedic value.

The opening of Dumb and Dumber (1994) makes great use of upbeat, funny music to set the mood. After the first minute or so, when Lloyd tells a girl the driver of what we assume to be his limo is late, and then climbs back in the front turning out to be the driver, the music starts – this greatly adds to the comedic value of the scene. It’s a great way to open the film, as it almost straight away uses comedic music to set the feel of the entire film.

Horrors tend to all use the same music for effect. Often, the music is high and screechy - the audience subconsciously associates this with animals in pain, therefore setting them on edge and making them scared. Music with extreme vibrations is also proven to induce anxiety and fear, and so this technique is used when building up to a big moment, for tension. As with comedies, this type of music has been used for so long, people automatically associate it with an emotion - we are almost telling them they should be scared.

In Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), the scene in the shower demonstrates perhaps the most well known example of conventional horror music. Originally, Hitchcock intended this scene to be silent, however, adding the music creates a great effect - it's filled with tension, fear and surprise, just as the scene in the film is.

Insidious (2010) replicates this style of music in it's opening. The music first is eerily quiet, with a few violin noises in the background, and they then follow on with the famous slashing of the violin strings. This makes it very clear it's a horror, as the music is tense, quiet, and sets the audience on edge.

Action movie music conventions are fast paced, upbeat and often very repetitive. This is great for engaging the audience, as it tells them something exciting is happening, so they pay more attention. Studies have proven that fast paced music can even increase heart rate, acting as a mental and physical stimulant, making the audience wide awake and alert to what's happening.

The opening to Casino Royale (2006) reflects the conventions of action movie music quite well. The music starts right at the end of something dramatic, maybe to carry on the excitement and effect from what just happened. There's a lot of heavy guitar music, with short, repeated notes, which makes it a lot more intense and exciting, and probably makes the audience pay more attention.

Music in drama films has the specific role of making people feel things. It does this by playing music that provokes emotion - usually sad music, as that tends to be the main focus or climax of the film. However, drama films are often mixed with other genres - for example, romance, teen or action. This greatly changes the score of the film - making it more romantic, modern, or fast paced.

The opening music from Titanic (1997) reflects the genre very well. Since it's a romance-drama, the score of the whole film, especially the music for the opening titles, is emotional in both dramatic and romantic senses of the word. It gives you an idea of what's going to come, as the main plot is about two people falling in love.

Romances are difficult to find a typical score for, as nowadays they're often combined with other genres, and so it really depends on those. However, romance films often have emotional music, to get the audience to relate and feel for the characters - both happy and sad. Cliché music may be used for emphasis, for example, at a wedding, or when the characters first meet, as it is reminding the audience of both the characters feelings and the importance of the situation.

Love Actually (2003) is a very stereotypical rom-com. In the opening credits, it uses music which makes the audience feel happy and relaxed, to get them into it. However, there isn't really anything in the opening music that indicates the romantic side of the genre, apart from the fact that the singer keeps making mistakes - saying, 'love' instead of 'Christmas'. This could be giving away the genre, as it is technically a Christmas themed rom-com, but the type of music doesn't play a part in this, only the clever misuse of words do.