Nonlinear Music In Film Jaws
In the movie Jaws, the most intense scenes are accompanied by nonlinear music. As I watched a shark attack scene without sound, I noticed that I wasn’t on the edge of my seat as I usually would be. With only visuals to watch, I couldn’t understand what was going on and the scene was surprisingly boring. This experiment taught me that music is a crucial part of making a scene scary. Steven Spielberg’s choice of music not only adds to the meaning of the film but it foreshadows a terrible event. While watching the scene with the sound, I was intrigued and anxious. When the music escalated my interest increased. I became tense and more fearful of the event that was about to take place. When the music became ominous I knew that the shark was getting closer and it inflicted fear and suspense.
As the music slowed, at the end of the shark attack, I was able to infer that the incident was over. Without audio, I was unable to tell the exact moment when the shark attack ended but with the music, sadness and empathy were evoked within me. The addition of music, indeed, evoked stronger emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness. Until this summer, I didn’t know that a song could evoke both happy and sad feelings. When I was six or seven my great-grandma taught me a song. It was a silly folk song with made-up words so it brought joy to my sister and me as we laughed every time we sang it. When my great-grandma passed away this summer, our emotions of the song changed from joyful to sentimental. The song is so silly but when we sang it with her on her last day it also made us cry. Love and peace are some of the emotions we feel now as we sing the song. When the song comes to our minds so does sadness and grief but it also makes us hopeful because we also know that she is in heaven and we will be able to sing the song with her again.
The type of music played at a business not only impacts the customer’s experience and overall atmosphere, but it also changes the mood and emotions of the customer. While visiting a fancy restaurant, I noticed how much the slow pace of the music changed the mood of the customer. When the customer walks into a business that greets them with soothing music, it can put them into a relaxed, peaceful, and contented mood. A great example of the power of soothing music is a spa. Their goal is to relax the guest. Their calming music is intended to help the customer enjoy the experience. This type of music would not be suitable for a place such as a burger joint who usually plays fast upbeat music. The music at a burger joint should make the customer feel enthusiastic. If the music boosts happiness, it may also boost sales! It is scientifically proven that music over 120 bpm can increase the motivation and energy of someone who is exercising. When I tested this theory I noticed a drastic change in my workout capabilities. I usually listen to music while I work out but I never knew how much it impacted my workout. This experiment showed me the drastic difference in my motivation to continue to do jumping jacks. On the first day that I did jumping jacks, without music, and I completed 65. The next day, I listened to upbeat music and was able to complete 115. My results made it easy for me to determine that upbeat music has a positive impact on exercise and, furthermore, increases an individual’s endurance level.
