Something I think is interesting to talk about is whether music helps raise the impact or if it just feels bloated. Some prefer there to be a score accompanying it since it drives the emotion home while others prefer it to be quiet and let the scene speak for itself.
I fall in a camp of inbetween. I think both are valid ways of handling dramatic moments, but it requires a level of confidence from the director that the drama can stand on its own whether the music is there or not. For instance, in My Sister's Keeper the music is so over-the-top in tone that I get the impression Nick Cassavetes doesn't trust the material enough. As a result it feels hollow and kinda phony as a whole.
Meanwhile with Titantic I'm very well aware that the score is trying to give you these ecstatic or painful emotions (I consider James Horner's work on this movie to be some of the finest of all time), but the scenes weren't impactful enough as it is already, even the best possible score wouldn't get to me. I think some of these moments even without the accompaniment of music would still be quite powerful. Horner is simply there to help them out, which is a sign that your movie has a good sense of understanding how to get its point across.
The same logic applies to horror movies. The music can sometimes make them even scarier, but they need to be scary on their own too.
I fall in a camp of inbetween. I think both are valid ways of handling dramatic moments, but it requires a level of confidence from the director that the drama can stand on its own whether the music is there or not. For instance, in My Sister's Keeper the music is so over-the-top in tone that I get the impression Nick Cassavetes doesn't trust the material enough. As a result it feels hollow and kinda phony as a whole.
Meanwhile with Titantic I'm very well aware that the score is trying to give you these ecstatic or painful emotions (I consider James Horner's work on this movie to be some of the finest of all time), but the scenes weren't impactful enough as it is already, even the best possible score wouldn't get to me. I think some of these moments even without the accompaniment of music would still be quite powerful. Horner is simply there to help them out, which is a sign that your movie has a good sense of understanding how to get its point across.
The same logic applies to horror movies. The music can sometimes make them even scarier, but they need to be scary on their own too.
__________________
Bird Bod