Film Scores/Incidental
Music
The art of
incorporating music into a motion picture is fascinating for me because of the
ability to evoke highly intense emotions in the audience. Music is used to
enhance the moods of different scenes and it connects the viewer to the story
so that they almost feel they are part of it. The music is meant to be subtle
so that it does not distort the idea behind the film but at the same time
directs the feelings of a viewer. This is why one of my favorites for the 2014
Oscar Original Score nominees is John Williams for the movie The Book Thief. He
has composed music for movies such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,
Saving Private Ryan, and most recently Lincoln. This being his 49th
nomination, he has won five Oscars for Schindler’s List, Star Wars, Jaws,
Fiddler on the Roof and The Extra-Terrestrial.
It is surprising
to learn that at first, background music was used to drown out the noise of the
projector and it became a standard practice to have musician play according to
the script during a screening. With my interest in the music industry, knowing
how to integrate music and film gives me a wider perspective of the
opportunities for potential clients.
Voice acting
It is interesting
to me how animated movies come to life through voice acting. So much so, that I
find it fascinating to watch those little snippets of the voice actors in
studio recording their lines. Casting is so different in this case since no one
cares how you look as long as you sound perfect for a role. The actors are
usually videotaped while recording for reference during other production
stages. Voice actors are expected to be aware of the way they sound to others
otherwise, artistry will be limited since there is no change. Change is
necessary in order to adapt to different characters and situations the goal
being to sound believable as a character [VAM].
Few realize that voice acting allows one to play roles that they would probably
have very little chance of playing in live production. It is also a form of
acting that lets you do what you love while maintaining some privacy and
anonymity. Actors rely on the social skills developed over their lifetime to
bring believability to their performances.
I learned a fun
fact, that several DreamWorks Animation
directors lend their voices to Madagascar characters. Megamind director Tom
McGrath plays the lead penguin, Skipper; Shrek 2 director Conrad Vernon voices
Mason the monkey; and Puss In Boots director Chris Miller gives voice to
Kowalski the penguin. Chris Knights, associate editor for Shrek Forever After,
gives voice to the cute and cuddly penguin, Private.[DWA]
Hollywood Movies
in Kenya
Movie libraries
in Kenya are the business of the day. High grossing and enjoyable, it has
become one of the most lucrative ways to make fast money. But what is
interesting to many foreigners is the fact that Kenyans, especially in Nairobi
can walk into a movie library a day after the release of a major film in
Hollywood and get themselves a copy. All it takes is a business permit and a
license from the Kenya Film Classification Board. Unless a Hollywood director
walked down the streets of the city, no one would stop a vendor from selling as
many copies of the same movie. When it comes to the Kenyan produced films, the
fine on piracy is so steep, that it takes months before you would get a copy.
It is my opinion that, at least someone benefits from digital piracy. Michael
Moyer refers to a study that establishes that people turn to digital piracy
when that is the only way to view the content. This is mostly because going to
the movies is expensive and is considered a luxury among the middle class of
the country and secondly, it is a business that seems to be growing the
economy.[Ebsco]
Social Media
Self-promotion
has become the norm on today’s social media. The essence should be to inspire
others into action and to have hope. However there is a fine line between self-promotion
and self-glorification, which more often than not is crossed creating
opportunity for criticism. According to Emily Dreyfuss, humility is out.
Self-advocacy is in. Although this is unconventional, it works for the
entertainment industry and quite well. For upcoming artists, social media is
where they spread the word about their talents and hope their music reaches an
important ear so to speak. I learned that directed self-promotion is more
effective. It works because once you tell the world to watch out for you, they
actually do. Tell people to listen to your music or watch your video, they
will.
It is essential
to learn how to do it right and use social media to your advantage and not just
for keeping up with friends, family and embarrassing photos.
Social media is
especially important in the entertainment industry to grow a fan base maintain
relevance.[Cohen]
