Media Studies : Finding The Right Musical Piece (Blog #43) RESEARCH/ PRODUCTION

Choosing the music for my film was one of the most challenging parts of post-production. Since I don’t casually listen to classical music, I didn’t have much prior knowledge going into the process. The main thing I understood was the effect music can have on an audience, especially how fast-paced classical music can create tension, urgency, and emotional pressure. Because of that, I decided to start by asking AI to generate a list of fast-paced, tension filled classical songs that could potentially fit the tone of my film.

Here's the list ChatGPT created

Fast-Paced Classical Music

Summer (The Four Seasons) – 3rd Movement – Vivaldi
Night on Bald Mountain – Mussorgsky
Danse Macabre – Camille Saint-Saëns
Symphony No. 7 – 4th Movement – Beethoven
Caprice No. 24 – Paganini
Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 – 1st Movement – Bach
Symphony No. 25 – 1st Movement – Mozart
William Tell Overture – Finale – Rossini
Moonlight Sonata – 3rd Movement – Beethoven
Little Fugue in G minor – Bach
Winter (The Four Seasons) – 1st Movement – Vivaldi
Rage Over a Lost Penny – Beethoven
Caprice No. 5 – Paganini
Symphony No. 40 – 1st Movement – Mozart
Barber of Seville Overture – Rossini

After getting the created list, I went to YouTube and listened to each song individually while watching my video at the same time. I paid close attention to whether the music matched the overall vibe and emotional direction of the scene. If a song didn’t work, I immediately moved on. If it somewhat fit, I saved it into a folder on Youtube so I could come back to it later and compare it with other options. This trial-and-error process helped me slowly narrow down the choices without settling too quickly.

Another important part of this process was making sure the music was copyright-free. I researched copyright laws and learned that under U.S. copyright law, music becomes part of the public domain 70 years after the composer’s death. This meant I specifically looked for classical composers who passed away well over 70 years ago, ensuring that the compositions were legally safe to use. Making sure the music was public domain added another layer of decision- making, but it was necessary to avoid any copyright issues.

After testing multiple fast-paced classical pieces, “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saens stood out as the strongest choice for my film. The song’s steady build-up and rapid tempo helped create a sense of tension and unease that matched the emotional direction of the scene. As I played the music alongside my footage, it naturally enhanced the pacing rather than overpowering it, which made the visuals feel more intense and purposeful. The darker tone of the piece also reinforced the mood I wanted the audience to experience, making Danse Macabre the most effective option after a long process of trial-and-error.

This entire process was really stressful and ended up being the hardest part of post-production. For a while, I couldn't find a song that fit the video whatsoever, which made me second- guess my choices and was even thinking of simply recording diegetic sounds for the video. The whole process took me about a week to complete since I started working on finding the perfect song before I was even done filming, but I didn’t want to rush it since I believe music has a huge impact on an audience and strongly influences how they feel about a film. In the end, all the time and effort paid off, and I was able to find a song that truly enhanced the tension and mood I wanted the audience to experience.