What Can Music Tell Us?

Rocky III


Music can tell us what has happened in a film, what is happening in a film and gives us clues to what may happen in the next few moments. For example, strings or piano played in a soft manner can let us know that there has been a sad meaningful moment in the film (not always) and this use of music may invite the viewer to be more empathic with a certain character or scene. In the same way, an orchestral march could begin to play which may show that; things are going to get better. 
In the film Rocky III, for most of the film, Rocky Balboa played by Sylvester Stallone has met a ferocious opponent who he feels is a better fighter than him and one that he is scared of getting into the ring with. As an audience, we know that at some point Rocky will sort himself out and get on with beating this Clubber Lang, we are just waiting for it to happen. 
Two scenes that show how the mood of a film is changed by music are when Rocky has a failed training session with a previous opponent and now friend, Apollo Creed, which is followed by a heated conversation with his wife where he admits for the first time that he is afraid. The pace of this conversation slows down when Rocky is told that he has to ‘believe in himself’ and not ‘blame himself for things’ which is a sad moment and supported by the piano solo that is quietly playing in the background. Booming kettledrums and trumpets just wouldn’t have worked in this scene. However, a few moments and a kiss later is when the scene and music change.
The first few notes on Rocky’s trumpet theme can be heard over the transition of scenes, and what was two adults having a hug is replaced by two boxers having a run and all of a sudden the mood has changed dramatically. The sadness we may have felt with Rocky has disappeared and now we feel like he can do it. I guess that by listening to the music now being played, we feel like we could do it ourselves. At this point we already know that he will go on and win the fight (previous films would have told us that Rocky tends to win at the end) and the music has played a huge role in making us believe this. 

It would be a very interesting observation to see how people may have been watching this at the cinema. As soon as the trumpet theme starts, I imagine that slumped shoulders and thoughtful faces would have been replaced by an expression of hope and excitement, and possibly a thrill as to what was going to happen next. 


Would this have been the same if these scenes had the music of one another? 
I don’t think so!! In fact it just wouldn’t have worked at all and I can’t see any director or composer doing anything different (unless it was a film/musical spoof). 
These two scenes with no music wouldn’t have had the same emotional effect on the viewer, and by listening to the music with no picture would have been a different experience. By marrying the two together, we can seem to be more involved with the characters as we watch a couple of powerful scenes where the combination of music and picture compliment each other.
Concerning the effect a film score can have on a film, Caryl Flinn , a professor of Media Arts writes : 

'Picture and track, to a certain degree, have a composition of their own but when combined they form a new entity. Thus the track becomes not only a harmonious complement but an integral inseperable part of the picture as well. Picture and track are so closely fused together that each one functions through the other. There is no separation of I see in the image and I hear on the track. Instead, there is the I feel, I experience, through the grand total of picture and track combined.' (Flinn, p.46)    



 

Rocky - YouTube Link - In this clip, you can see the final moment of Rocky’s conversation with his wife and the lead in to his training session, complete with positive music. Note the last note being played at the beginning of the clip, which is the end of the slow piano piece.
(note - I would embedded the video itself but it had been disabled)