Anyone with even a vague interest in film will tell you that it’s imperative that the visuals on show are complimented expertly with a soundtrack (be that an original score, or a soundtrack stacked through with classics) in order for the marriage of the two to truly make a movie really stand out.
This is perhaps even more key when it comes to your own social video posts, which are of course a damn sight less lengthy and as such you have a smaller window of opportunity when it comes to reeling in your audience.
Whereas a movie has 90 minutes plus to paint, and score, an idea a social media post has a fraction of that time to capture and retain its audience. This means that selecting the soundtrack for your posts is key.
To help you get yourself in the mood for such an endeavor, here are four movies who’s soundtracks are simply out of this world!
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino was already doing his best to get soundtracks back in fashion when he set about scoring Reservoir Dogs but he took it to another plain with the soundtrack to 1994 hit Pulp Fiction.
Tarantino has a very particular ear when it comes to the soundtracks of his movies. He is usually looking to pay homage to one film genre or another or making more subtle references to the cultural era he is looking to play up.
Pulp Fiction is pretty much flawless when it comes to its musical set-up and the additional bonus of the key scenes in the movie also being included into the soundtrack is the icing on the cake on this one.
Purple Rain
Now, Purple Rain is somewhat unique in this field given that this IS a film soundtrack albeit one that is played by both the musician and the protagonist in the film itself. As albums go, Purple Rain is simply mind blowing, and the enjoyment of it is exponentially more wonderful when you watch it (and listen) within the confines of the movie itself.
It’s not just the title track, which is of course a masterpiece, it’s also classics such as When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy and I Would Die 4 U. Truly astounding.
O Brother, Where Are Thou?
Now this is an interesting one. The Coen brothers are well known for putting together supremely iconic movies and the soundtracks they use are similarly superb, the likes of The Big Lebowski really standing out.
With O Brother Where Art Thou they needed music to be front and centre and they enlisted the help of T Bone Burnett to get it just right and frankly the results are astonishing. Getting a film score to match the visuals is one thing, but if the characters in the movie itself are the musicians (though to be clear, George Clooney and co aren’t actually performing) then it becomes even more of a magic trick.
The results were so phenomenal that the soundtrack sold over eight million copies in the US alone and helped to perfectly complement the movie itself.
Midnight Cowboy
One of the key ingredients to a perfect soundtrack is a choice of music that can convey the sights, sounds and ambiance that best relays the essence of the film itself.
Midnight Cowboy does this expertly. It’s a film that is exceedingly seedy and the selection of music within the film acts as another dimension to the visuals. John Barry’s original score is both haunting and spare and that coupled with a selection of accompanying tracks, such as Harry Nilsson’s retelling of the classic Everybody’s Talkin’, really help this film hit the high notes.
It is one of a select few soundtrack scores that when listening without visuals, still tells the same story, almost as if the musical notes are themselves the actors in the drama.
Your Own ‘Little’ Movie
When it comes to your own social media video posts you are essentially making a short, handheld, movie of your own and the inclusion of a musical score is crucial and the use of the perfect background music shouldn’t be an afterthought.
You should think long and hard about what style and genre of music you wish to use and you should be mindful of an audience bigger than yourself. By this we mean, think about what works in the context of the visuals and not JUST about what you personally like the sound of.
