Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Sound and Music in Tsotsi (2005)

         Within movies sound and music are very influential elements. Each of these are elements that help provide the  engagement of the viewer. The use of music and sound can be used as a non verbal medium.  This is because each of these elements lets the viewers  build their connections and can help them to bridge their insights about the movie's various concepts. Then they can apply them towards other elements within the same movie. In addition these two elements can set the emotional tone, create an atmosphere, or even convey a non verbal dialogue of a movie's main plot.
  
       While watching the South African film Tsotsi (2005) there are several scenes where the use of sound and music are present. However,  two scenes stood out to me the most while watching this movie. One of these scenes has music that is connected to the action which is taking place, while the other scene has music that seemed to be an inappropriate choice for the action.
  


       The scene I chose to analyze first was the scene that  had music which connected and supported the action. This was the scene where the main character Tsotsi leaves the club after beating up Boston due to Boston making demeaning comments about Tsotsi's family. Tsotsi leaves the club running and the music starts to be up beat with a base as if it is mirroring the action of Tsotsi's heart beating faster from running. However, as Tsotsi slows down and hides while hes planning to steal the car the music becomes softer. This can connect to how Tsotsi is being sneaky as he is about to steal the car.




        The scene I chose to analyze second was the scene that  has music that seemed to be an inappropriate choice for the action. This was the scene where the main character Tsotsi is at the club with his friends and he is listening to Boston talk about the man he just killed at the train station .  The music that is playing in the background  is upbeat and has a happy tempo. This type of music contradicts the conversation topic of Boston. This is because unlike the happy sounding music with people dancing; the killing of the man which took place at the train station is a depressing situation.

       Overall, sound and music are very influential elements which are used within Tsotsi (2005). Each of these  elements were used as a non verbal medium within the movie. By analyzing the music and sound within two scenes of this movie I was able to build my own connections towards the movie's various concepts  In addition I could see how these two elements did or did not coincide with the setting of the emotional tone, the creation of the atmosphere, or even the conveying of  a non verbal dialogue of Tsotsi's main plot.

2 comments:

  1. This is a fantastic post! You're writing actual essays on the films and film elements. This post have a wonderful balance of text, video, and stills. You have some excellent insights into both this movie, and the use of music in movies. Mimi

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    1. Thanks I enjoyed watching the movie so I figured why not write everything I found insightful about it.

      -Morgan

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