Whether I watch a movie, TV show, or documentary, I never really paid close attention to the cinematic elements that make up a film. After sitting down and digesting my documentary of choice for this project, Cartel Land, I found that devices such as sound or music greatly contribute to making a film enjoyable to watch that keeps you thinking afterwards.
I went back and rewatched a couple scenes from Cartel Land for analytical purposes with a strong focus on the filmmaker's choices of music. There were two scenes in particular in which music played an instrumental role in forming how the audience should view certain people. One scene used upbeat, triumphant music while Dr. Morales, the leader of the Autodefensas (armed citizenry) gave a speech in a town square in front of the local people. Without music during this scene, the audience would likely have had to come up with their own interpretation of Morales' character. Similarly, when the film introduced self-appointed border defender Tim "Nailer" Foley, soft, almost depressing music played while he described the sequence of events in his early life. And yes, while his early life was pretty depressing, it was the music that established tone, and not so much the words Foley was saying as it was all intertwined. An article attached below describes just how important music is in film and how it establishes tone, along with how we should perceive the visual imagery presented to us.
I've always noticed music in films, but I never really noted the significance it has to the overall production of a film and how it can shape entire scenes. Music is powerful, and is often overlooked, but this project opened my eyes to it.
During the documentary paper, I would also re-watch my film so that I can do my summary and analysis. It's quite interesting that you were able to see the multiple film techniques Cartel Land used. I'd wished I got to use these techniques but my film primarily uses logos, unlucky.
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