Considering the Music

Over the past few days I have been focusing on what music I would like to have as the non-diegetic sound. In Year 12 I used www.freeplaymusic.com to find the soundtrack for my opening title sequence and due to the experience I have of this website I have decided to use this website again.

When considering my music I am hoping to use two different soundtracks in order for the music to reflect the mood of the opening title sequence. For example in scenes where Jimmy is feeling low (visiting his biological father’s grave) I want the music to be very slow and touching so the audience gathers sympathy and hurt for Jimmy. Furthermore when Jimmy finally decides to leave and move away I want the music to be much more upbeat and quicker to reflect the beginning or a new, unknown adventure.

My Findings:

To begin with I created an account in order for me to access the different soundtracks available on the freeplaymusic website. I then typed ‘sadness’ into the search bar and listened to all the different soundtracks available on the 8 page result. Below are the tracks I liked and why.

For the scenes where Jimmy is feeling low/ worthless:

Page Number	The Soundtrack	Why did I like this soundtrack?
1	Serious Elevation	To begin with there is a range of tones used therefore it is nice and easy to listen to. By having the slow and acoustic guitar it reflects that Jimmy misses his father but when the more upbeat track is played it reflects that he is thinking about the good memories they had together.
1	Subtle Defeat	Throughout this soundtrack it is the same rhythm which follows the conventions of opening title sequence music. Furthermore, at the end it drifts out slowly which would be beneficial to me as it would make it easier for me to introduce the next soundtrack (ensures continuity of the music).
3	Essential Longing	This soundtrack reminds me of a Westlife song about losing someone special which obviously reflects the sad times Jimmy is going through at the moment.
3	Discover Tranquillity	This soundtrack stood out to me as I like the way the volume continuously increases then decreases. I thought this would go well throughout the scene when Jimmy is visiting his biological father’s grave.

As I am considering using two different soundtracks that are completely different I have decided that I need to also look for another soundtrack that fits in between the slow/ touching soundtrack and the upbeat/ quicker soundtrack. For this I searched for ‘adventurous’ music. After listening to a range of soundtracks there was one that specifically stood out to me named ‘Gray Knight’. I thought this was the best suited as the tone reflects Jimmy’s determination and unknowingness of what is ahead for him as he ventures on.

As I had found a number of soundtracks I liked I then moved on to searching for music that would be appropriate for the scenes where Jimmy’s life is much better after his decision to move away and leave his family behind. Unfortunately I have not yet found a soundtrack that I like and think would be suited for my opening title sequence. However, this search did not go to waste as I found a soundtrack called ‘The moment I knew’ (page 6) by an unknown artist, Jessica Labus. This track runs for around 4 minutes 58 seconds. After 15 seconds of the track playing lyrics suddenly appear saying “you were bold, you were different”.

As soon as I heard the lyrics I thought this soundtrack would be perfect for the scene where Jimmy meets Sadie as their relationship is extremely caring and loving. Throughout this soundtrack Jessica sings about meeting someone who she grew attached to and ended up falling in love with, this highly reflects Jimmy and Sadie’s relationship. I will hope to use the following lyrics “you were brilliant and you listened to me.” Additionally, I like the music without the lyrics also therefore I am considering whether to use the soundtrack without the lyrics throughout the scenes where Jimmy is attending his new school as the soundtrack is very calming and relaxing which reflects the way Jimmy is feeling with his new life. The lyrics will then begin when the scene of Jimmy and Sadie appears.

The final music choices will be decided when I have collected all of my images from all scenes.