I remembered something else that I wanted to talk about. Like the three methods I would rather discuss this later on, but I think I should get into it now so I can hopefully get into the soundtracks I'm talking about with more detail.
I'm not really sure how to explain this properly or even what I should label it. I've already spoken of the language of music so that's been used. I can simply describe it, using examples, and hope that some sort of a label comes to mind at some point.
Basically, imagine yourself watching something scary. It might be a horror, a thriller- it might be something that only has a scene or two of scariness. So lets say a character is 'alone' in a room, expecting some sort of an attack, and then, as has been seen often before, you see the villain standing behind the hero.
Now, like I said, you've probably seen lots of scenes like these. When a character's slowly looking around, just starting to think she's safe, you're yelling at the screen "look behind you!"
Now, when you see the villain standing behind the hero, it's exactly what you've been expecting. But for some reason, it's not what the viewer next to you was expecting and when she sees the villain standing behind the main character, she jumps, which in turns makes you jump. That's what the music is for too.
Imagine the same scene, but it's accompanied by a huge bang of music. You practically don't remember that there was music, but it was there, just as though it was an extra viewer and reacting to the scene. And there's the example I have for you.
Obviously music is supposed to enhance stuff. Music is like a bridge between the movie and the viewer, because it shows us- makes us- feel what we're supposed to. But there's a pattern to it- there always has to be.
For instance, a scene like the one I described is most likely to have a sudden bang of music and it's extremely unlikely to have a soft piano melody. But- besides the fact that it simply wouldn't fit- why is it likely to have a bang rather than the piano?
And it's not just in scary scenes where this pattern occurs (though it's one of the most noticeable) and this pattern can range from the bang to make someone jump to a recognizable theme. Keeping with the horror-like movie, even though one horror movie doesn't use the same music as the last horror movie, it uses a sense, a style that the viewer immediately recognizes as scary, menacing. The same goes for any type of music. In order to make music for a movie, the music has to keep to whatever style works with the movie it's accompanying.
Now I could get into all sorts of detail, talking about the keys people use or why making the orchestra go down rather than up can make a situation feel more doomed (that can actually be quite interesting) but it would take a while to get into it and I don't need to. But what I'm interested in is what all of that, the key, the tone, the volume, the direction the music is going in, what that overall creates and what it makes you feel. I am fascinated by what sequences or tunes or instruments are used to make a theme that is majestic or a theme that is frightening or villainous. What is it in Darth Vader's theme that says: "Villain" as well as the Joker's theme? They are completely different, and yet, when you hear them separate from their respective movies, you know they are themes that go with villains.
I think I will be studying this topic for a little while, simply so I can try to explain it (to myself more than anything). But I will also be using it in other ways, such as bringing up questions like: "After the city's been destroyed, why is the music going on with the 'destructive' theme rather than starting something tragic? What is it trying to say?
Anyway, I will return to this topic (hopefully come up with something I can call it) and figure out something more definite.