How music influences the perception of a scene

by | Apr 19, 2021 | Film production | 0 comments

Exploring the effects of music and sound on the perception of motion picture has always fascinated me. This short clip is an example I put together just for fun, comparing two identical film excerpts with different music and sound effects applied. Depending on your state of mind the joyful music in the first example can have an almost creepier effect than the “ordinary” sounds in the second example to be expected in this kind of film genre. But decide for yourself:

The footage is taken from “The Rest Cure”, a short film based on Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892) that I directed and co-produced in London, together with C. Henrietta Jones. None of the audio in the above example is taken from the original film. I put it together specifically for this illustration. Special thanks to Kapelle Oberalp Switzerland for their kind permission to use some of their music.

The original film music for The Rest Cure was composed by Niklaus Vogel and recorded at Mazzive Sound Productions (www.mazzivesound.ch). The film’s new release will be in 2021.

Film music recording for “The Rest Cure”. From left to right: Niklaus Vogel (conductor), Michaela Paetsch (violin), Rebecca Aeschbach (violin), Franziska Grütter (viola), Andreas Graf (violoncello).

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