Cold Open Music

For the music in the cold open, we wanted a subtle, slow soundtrack just to be in the background to enhance the emotion that should be impacted on the audience as the visual is a considerable shocking opening. We wanted the audience to feel a sense of mystery, slight sadness and enhance the drama of the mise-en-scene. Because of this, me mainly listened to the AKM CD entitled Suspense and Drama because we believed none of the other titles I had, fitted as well as this. A song from this CD was also the music in our preliminary task, so we had already listened to the CD for that and knew it contained suitable music.

The front cover of the Suspense and Drama CD

The back cover of the Suspense and Drama CD

Apparition from the AKM CD- Suspense and Drama

We thought this sounded a little too like sci-fi music. As if an alien was being revealed or similar. At around 0:25, it also becomes to sound more like a horror, with the whistling sound. This track seems to build tension and would be suitable for a horror or sci-fi. But doesn't match the atmosphere of our scene.

Ghost Story from the AKM CD- Suspense and Drama

We liked the slow piano introduction at the beginning of this track because it made the opening sound sad. But as the track progressed we realised the piano track made the scene sound too sad, rather than dramatic. It made you mourn for the character opposed to wondering in the circumstances behind the death. After about 1:05 the tempo increases in the song, making it sound happier, and even less like atmosphere we wanted.
 
The Counts Castle from the AKM CD- Suspense and Drama

We liked the beginning of this track, the contrast of the low against the higher notes makes the piece sound sad, yet mysterious. But as this arrangement doesn't change in the length we would need to track, it sounded repetitive and slightly boring. Also, when the music did begin to change, the lower notes became more prominent making the tone change to intensify the sadness opposed to the mysteriousness.


The Haunting from the AKM CD- Suspense and Drama

Again, the melody in the introduction of this sets he mood to begin with, and the underlying higher notes accent mysteriousness. One problem was at 0:16 when the pipes come in, we thought it begun to sound a little corny, and didn't quite fit the atmosphere. Later in the track, at around 1:35, when the cymbals come in, the track seems to fit a more sci-fi atmosphere, which also doesn't match what we wanted.


The Plot Thickens from the AKM CD- Suspense and Drama

The introduction to this piece, we especially liked as it crescendos into the song making it subtle to when the music begins. We liked that there is parts where the music is almost silent, just with a continuous bass line because this made the track feel minimalistic rather than taking over the whole scene. This track creates the mood we wanted  with the mysteriousness, slight sadness and drama.

Needless to say, we chose The Plot Thickens for the soundtrack to the scene because of the positive points mentioned above- and the lack of negative points that we could see.