How to add sound to amateur films (1954)

Music Libraries When choosing music for a given film, it is useful to have access to a library of recorded music. A good collection of gramophone records is a convenient basis. The more comprehensive the collection, the more important it is to have it catalogued adequately. This does not mean merely listing the records under their titles or composers even though you can often find inspiration by looking down such a list. A catalogue is more useful if it classifies the records according to mood. So tabulate your records under the following headings : Sad, tragic Gay, bright Eerie, weird Festive Sinister, foreboding Peaceful, pastoral Disaster, pain Triumphal Storm, fire Serene, dreamy Spiritual, religious Martial, circus Hurry, pursuit Grand, majestic Fanfare Dainty, pretty Slapstick Children Each record usually embraces several moods and a considerable amount of cross-indexing is therefore necessary. For example, Dukas' " Sorcerer's Apprentice " begins and ends in a mood which should be classified as "eerie, weird". The greater part of the piece, however, could be described as "slapstick", as "hurry, pursuit" or as "storm, fire". So do not be misled by titles. The name on the record does not make the music sound any different. Just shut your eyes, use your imagination, listen to the record and list it accordingly. Final Choice You are justified in using any music with any film provided it fits its context. You should therefore collect records covering a wide range of moods and without consideration of the titles. Try to avoid the more popular works, even in classical music. Symphonies such as DvoMk's "New World", 113