Thursday, February 23, 2023

Marvelous Music

This blog post is going to detail the music used in my film opening. I hesitate to call it a score because the music in my film's opening is not written by me for the specific use of my project. Whether it's a score or other music, it still has an important use in films. The music in a film can develop the themes and tones and bring a production to life. Without music, a film wouldn't be engaging and would be unsuccessful, not only financially but also in its storytelling. Without music, a film's story, would not be clear. 

In my film opening, I am planning on using one song, however, this post is going to discuss three songs I am considering and have chosen. 

The first song I may use is Passerine by The Oh Hellos. The Oh Hellos are one of my favorite musical groups. They are a brother and sister duo named Tyler and Maggie Heath from Texas. They create folk music. When I first came up with my idea for the project, their music was the first I thought of. They have a whimsical almost magical vibe to their music that I love which fits perfectly with my idea. I listened to some of their songs and the ones that stood out to me were Soap, Eurus, and Passerine. After deliberating and listening to them several times, I settled on Passerine. My next step was to contact them. I direct messaged them on Instagram, and I’m still waiting for a response. I doubt I’ll get one from there but their website has their managements information so it may be beneficial if I can email them directly. I love their music and if I am able to use their music for my project, I will be over the moon happy. 

Passerine by The Oh Hellos

If I am unable to get a response from the Oh Hellos, I wanted something else to fall back on. I racked my brain thinking of small artists whose music I listened to and liked and I thought of Beetlebug. Beetlebug is a small musician who is known for their songs and covers online. I heard of them because they made a fan song for a game that I was really into and they were the opening act for my favorite band’s UK tour. I listened to their songs and it once again came down to three options, those brown eyes, a letter from a notable source, and my dear friends. This one was a little bit trickier to pick out but I went with, a letter from a notable source. Even though the song isn’t as lively as Passerine, I thought the lyrics fit and that the rhythm of the song would enhance the contrast between the two worlds better. Knowing they’re a smaller artist, I realized the only way to contact them is through social media. I messaged them on Twitter because that is the platform they are most active on. If I don’t get a response in a week, I’ll message them on Instagram as well. Their music has a softness to it that would work well with my film opening.
a letter from a notable source by Beetlebug

If all else fails and I can’t get permission from the two artists by the time I’m editing my project, I found a copyright-free, instrumental song that would work. I don’t love it as much as my other two options but I think it’s well suited for my film opening. I researched copyright-free folk music and looked at a couple websites. It took me a few tries of just listening to songs on websites, but I finally found one I was satisfied with. It’s called Thingamajig (the name caught my eye almost immediately) and I found it on Audionauti. It has an upbeat, whimsical vibe and reminds me of something I’d hear at a renaissance festival which is what caused me to choose this particular song. I think this elevates the “vibe” of the opening and provides a fantastical feeling to the opening that would, theoretically, continue throughout the film. I am unable to display the song as a video because it is an mp3 file so I have linked it here, for you to listen to.

I believe the music is one of the most integral parts of a production and can make or break a film. I loved exploring different songs and thinking about the approach they would allow me to take for my film opening.


Sources: 
Steven, Steven. “The Importance of Music on Film & Emotion.” Raindance, 23 Apr. 2022, https://raindance.org/the-importance-of-music-on-film-emotion/. 

The Oh Hellos, http://theohhellos.com/. 

Shaw, Jason. “Free Folk Music.” Audionautix, https://audionautix.com/free-music/folk. 

Toasty. “The Oh Hellos - Passerine (Lyrics).” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Nov. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra3kbQJQ-B8. 

beetlebug. “A Letter from a Notable Source - Beetlebug.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Oct. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ0i1l7JfHQ. 




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