Cinthia Álvarez Ramírez

c.c. 1035235224

Final text: The importance of soundtracks

Soundtracks have accompanied our film experience since we have memory: who does not
remember “You've got a friend in me” from Toy Story or the famous imperial march that
accompanies Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga, similarly it is impossible to ignore the
incredible soundtrack of A Space Oddity and of course, the sounds that have accompanied
any of the Disney films, which usually end up being a global success, as all their releases
have shown for consecutive years.
However, long before sound became an essential part of the film experience, even long
before there were dialogues in the movies, there was always music. Behind every scene,
behind every emotion, cinema always had the need to have an element that created tension,
nostalgia and emotion. It turns out that in 1894 they realized that this missing element was
a harmony. For that reason since that time the directors and owners of the cinemas insisted
on making the experience unforgettable: live symphonic bands, a pianist who accompanied
the film, someone who sang to the sound of what happened in the film.
But why did they think of this brilliant idea? According to film critics, three main
reasons have been found: First, it turns out that the old projectors made too much noise for
people to concentrate. Second, the music gave a feeling of complete immersion in the film,
fusing reality with the second dimension. And finally, the soundtracks also produced much
more revenue, since there was no longer only a gain in the sale of the films, but also for the
sale of their respective soundtrack, however, this was many years later.
This is how in 1908, the silent French film "The Assassination Of The Duke of
Guise" premiered for the first time a live soundtrack composed by the French Camille
Saint-Saens, marking the beginning of an era that would last thirty years. However, its
duration was told, since the world of cinema progressed hand in hand with rapid
technological progress.
In 1930 the films appeared with dialogues included for the first time, leaving aside
the orchestras and pianists that accompanied the films, to be replaced by a soundtrack
incorporated and pre-produced along with the film, achieving a more precise control of the
emotions and also marking the cusp moments of the narratives. That is, this allowed
producers to control the emotions and reactions of the public, they found the perfect
element to have the effects they wanted in the audience.
In the same way, this allowed the films to be sponsored on the radio, as the “Moon
Song” of Breakfast At Tiffany's and also, this allowed the audience to take a piece of the
movies to their homes, a memory of the experience lived.
However, given this necessary introduction we return to the initial theme of the text:
How important are the soundtracks in the life of a person and in his cinematographic
experience?
For this analysis I will use the movie Drive, which had a huge impact on my life,
especially for the perfection of its soundtrack and those images that have not left me since I
had the opportunity to see it unexpectedly this year. Even so, since its premiere in 2011, its
soundtrack has always accompanied the most precious and nostalgic moments of my life.
Thus, by the time he premiered the film, the success of M83, "Midnight City", was
booming, so it was not difficult for me to reach Kavinsky's "Night Call". I remember as if it
had been yesterday when I looked at that image of a neon red eye in the background of a
YouTube video and felt the vibrations of music go through me and make me imagine a
thousand scenarios. It is from there that my memories jump to my nightly getaways at
school, where with friends, we walked the city to the rhythm of the French composer. Nor
could I forget the first time I sang Drive a song that we composed with my band, based on
duality and of course, based on the movie's neon-noir beats and the musical culture behind
it. It is also difficult not to travel to the year 2017 when the official soundtrack of my life
was Under your spell by Desire, this magnificent song was my comfort in the hard nights
that accompanied my sadness, from its lively but melancholic rhythm to its obsessive
lyrics, in the which I felt warm. And finally, it is impossible not to thank Nicolas Winding
Refn for letting me know Electric Youth and of course, College, who since I could see
“Drive” have accompanied all the musical days of my life since then, allowing me to meet
many more artists related to gender. In conclusion, if it is a matter of what this film has
achieved in one person, it is inevitable that a culture was born around the film edited by
Mat Newman.
 It is necessary to call it culture, as I demonstrated with the case of Rosa Pantera, the
soundtrack of Drive has become a strong musical influence even in bands like The
Backstreet Boys. It is for the perfection of its sound that despite having spent eight years
since its premiere, it is still relevant: it perfectly captures nostalgia for the past and
combines it with contemporary templates, such as “engaging aesthetic - colourful synths,
great voices, tight beats, a comforting earnestness, and an unrepentant minimalism
”achieving a perfect balance.
In conclusion, the soundtrack in the films are made pieces without time, where they
can inhabit people's emotions forever and return a two-hour film a unique life experience,
demonstrating that in effect, the soundtracks make the second dimension invades our reality
and lend it some of its magic.

Bibliography

https://www.google.com/amp/s/vehlinggo.com/2016/09/07/drive-movie-fifth-anniversary-
feature/amp/

https://www.tracksandfields.com/blog/2016/02/10/history-power-soundtracks/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundtrack