The musical techniques Essay Example

The musical techniques Essay Example The musical techniques Essay The musical techniques Essay There is only one similarity between the two films in the musical techniques which occurs when Miss Havisham asks to see some play, when both films have a small crescendo and both use many notes in a short time which really makes an impact. There is a large build up in questioning, as if to ask, What is your fancy? Making this moment in the film very suspicious where Miss Havisham could either be a complete psychopath with a sick bordering on perverted mind or just an over-interested old woman. Both films use music to build suspense but the 1946 version uses considerably more music than Jarrold, however, the music Jarrold does use is very effective. As Pip enters the room in Leans version, there is an enormous crescendo on the brass and strings which gets louder as the door opens and more of the room is revealed and only quietens when Miss Havisham talks, and increases further until you actually see Miss Havisham, when it comes to an abrupt halt, this music builds tension and really gets the viewer going because nobody has any idea of what is lying behind the door. There is total silence as Pip and Miss Havisham talk, making the scene spooky and totally unpredictable. As Miss Havisham puts her hand on her heart and makes the viewer feel sympathetic towards her, there is some sad, depressing music on the strings and a small trill (alarm sound) to increase this potential sadness. A very delicate, melodic piece of music is played on the woodwind until the end which creates a sense of confusion and slight bewilderment. This is in contrast with Jarrolds 1999 version where a quiet, magical, mysterious piece is played using a piano which emphasises the questioning aurora of the room, i.e. the room used to be so beautiful and involved in the happiest day of a life and now it is almost discarded and uncared for. As the camera shows the purposely stopped clocks, a cymbal is hit gently to emphasise them and this noise is weird which is a perfect match with the clocks. As Pip opens the jewellery box, the music completely stops which makes the viewer expect Miss Havisham to appear at that point but Jarrold keeps us in suspense, and keeps us hanging on the end of our seats for a little longer. From the point of Pip entering to him opening the box, there is a constant drone in the background which makes the viewer think another person is present besides Pip; this coincides brilliantly with the high camera shots mentioned in the last paragraph. When Pip is looking in the mirror, there is a roll on the kettle drums to create a sweeping sound as Miss Havisham appears. A very ghost like noise, for a very ghost like person. The notes on the piano get quicker at this stage, as does Pips heart rate and leaves us with the question, Is Miss Havisham going to shout? Lean and Jarrold use a few visual effect similarities with almost identical characteristics. The main similarity in both extracts is that lots of shadow is used to create corners that cant be seen and cast shadows that add to mystery and makes the viewer question what is hiding behind the cover of darkness.  The 1946 version takes a much darker, silhouetted approach, to bring out Pips pathetic appearance in comparison to the room. Lean creates a silhouette of Pip as he enters, from dark to light as he walks into the room, showing Pip as a patronised young boy, lost in a huge and scary room, again, Pip looks patronised by his silhouette, at this point the spotlight focuses on Miss Havisham, portraying her as the main part of the room, and then jumps to Pips face as he starts talking. As Estella enters, she walks into the spotlight. When the card game appears on screen, the spotlight focuses on Miss Havisham even though she doesnt speak; this is done for three reasons. Firstly, to show Miss Havishams expression when Pip is being insulted. Secondly, to prove that Miss Havisham is still the most important person in the room even when she has no participation in the main activity (the card game) and the light draws the viewers attention to this. And finally, it adds to the dominance of Estella and Pip, that she is that much greater she must be the focal point. This is in contrast with Jarrolds ideas, which predominantly has brighter lights and a lighter atmosphere, however, the amount of shadow he does use is very effective. Jarrold begins by putting a spotlight on the door before Pip enters, this is simply to point the door out to the audience, and show it is the entrance. The rooms interior is quite dark and lit only by candles; this creates a vast amount of tension, which is added to by Pips position in a dark shadowed area. Pip creates long shadows, making the whole process of fumbling around the room a lot scarier, elongated, twisted shadows build up creepiness and mystery. When Pip sees Miss Havisham, full light is on both of their faces to show both reactions at once. When a long shot shows Miss Havisham and Pip fully, Pip is stood in her shadow which shows power over Pip and makes a very daunting image of control. Pips face is only half lit up which again creates tension as we dont totally know what facial expressions Pip is making. When Miss Havisham tells Estella what Pip said about her, the spotlight zooms onto Pip showing his mortified and embarrassed expression and how he reacts when he realises he has been used. Estella is shown in the dark during this as she is not involved in the conversation. I think both extracts build up mystery, tension, confusion and audience questioning superbly. Both have used their independent filming techniques to create as good an interpretation of the book as possible and although both are very different, both get the important points across well. Each scene has portrayed each character as they should be, i.e. over-confident, snobbish Estella, unconfident Pip and powerful, intimidating Miss Havisham. The rooms appeared totally different, Jarrolds interpretation was much more glamorous and pretty at one point and Leans was dull and old, and, I agree more with Jarrold, the room, like Miss Havisham, was beautiful at some point but is now messy and discarded, and Jarrold shows this perfectly. Miss Havisham appeared much stricter in Leans version, and I have to say I dont agree and think Jarrolds Miss Havisham was better played. Although very different filming techniques were used, both portrayed all the necessary emotions very well. Both directors use totally different approaches in all aspects, but it is necessary to look a little deeper into the reasons for using each option. Although Jarrold uses a lighter approach to shadow techniques and his silhouettes arent as bold, the effects put across to the viewer are very strong and portray the correct atmosphere for Pips belittlement. The music used by Jarrold is minimal compared to Leans interpretation but the delicate tune is more of a background noise that increases tension to a greater amount than a full orchestral approach, it just sits in the back of the audiences mind and is almost spooky.