Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Introduction
Music can serve different purposes that are important on setting an emotional pace on a movie in order to enhance the storytelling and the experience of the audience. This is the film score’s strongest function as it can set the tone of the movie or a certain scene in the movie. With the film score, it makes it possible to classify the genre and the level of drama present in the movie. It is also used in order to create plot twists in the movie. Another strong function of music is by getting into the emotions of the characters so that the audience will also feel what the characters are feeling at a certain moment in the film (Hoffmann). This paper will discuss the effects of the music on the film “Resident Evil: Apocalypse.”
Film Synopsis
The film is the continuation of the first “Resident Evil” film and it is about how the main character, Alice finds a way to get out of a zombie-infested city with the help of her new found allies. Alice discovered that she was an experiment by the company called Umbrella and now she has enhanced skills that she will need to get out of the fallen Raccoon City. She meets a group of uninfected people and some of them were also part of the Umbrella Corporation before like Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira. Together, they fight for their lives against the army of the undead and try to end the evil of the corporation. One of the leading scientists for the Umbrella Corporation is Dr. Charles Ashford and they are tasked to find his daughter so that they can get out of the city safely. They will also need to fight a villain named Nemesis who like Alice was experimentally altered and was programed to destroy her ("Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) - Synopsis").
Film Soundtrack and Background Music
The soundtrack and the film score influence and stimulate the basic emotions of the person and in this case, it was fear. Despite the negative reviews of the critics on the film, the background music evokes in the best way every physiological consequence which comes with the emotion like heart racing and sweating. For those who have seen the film on theaters, the loud volume of the music makes it impossible for the body and the conscious mind to detach from these kinds of emotions. There are many instances in the film that shock effects and terrifying build-ups were present like the music getting louder when a main character is approaching possible trouble.
Using music for another artistic medium is not very new as it was believed to have even started since the primitive times. The relationship between music and the mood or the emotional context of the scene has been observed for many centuries now. For movies like “Resident Evil,” the music is used to polarize the emotional atmosphere of the film and it also influence the understanding of the film’s plot. The film was based on a computer game which also uses background music in order to enhance the gameplay and the gaming experience of the player. That is why the appropriate background music and soundtrack is important to establish the mood and the genre of the film.
The film is loaded with action scenes and the background music can enhance the emotions the audience feels during these scenes. There are scenes that show soldiers fighting with zombies and some of them even fight with them by hand. With the escalation of the fighting scenes, the background music can also become louder to show that more zombies may be coming or a plot twist can be expected. The background music of the film also gives way to the sounds of the heavy machinery that was used to kill the zombies giving the audience a more authentic feel to the scene. The music also gives anticipation to the audience as dozens of the corpses spontaneously rise from their graves.
Background music is also very important when introducing a film’s character. In this case, the music helped in introducing the villain Nemesis. It showed how he is an intimidating force and how strong he can be. Alice’s introduction to the other characters also had a distinct background music which shows that she is a hero and that she is there to help them survive. Music can also play a major role in the different scenarios present in the film most importantly the struggle of the people to fight the corporation who planned to end humanity. Appropriate music was used when people fought Umbrella Corporation’s guards or the woman who chose to end her life rather than being eaten by a bunch of zombies. The music signifies their struggle and the fight that they are facing.
Music can also help distinguish the change in space and time in a film. For example in the movie, the background music changes when Alice experiences quick flashbacks of her past. This provides a change in the emotion of the viewer and also provides important information to understand the plot of the film. By changing the background music they can immediately feel that the scene is in the past or a distant memory of one character. This happened several times in the film so that first time viewers will understand what happened in the first film and how the film continues the story.
Conclusion
Overall, the movie is one of the examples on how music can impact the audience. Without the background music or the soundtrack, certain scenes in the film would be boring or dull. It shows that integrating music into films can not only make the final product more interesting but it also allows the audience to connect to the film and the characters emotionally. For example, in the film where the characters are fighting or running away from the zombies, the audience can feel their fear and desperation to escape the horrifying situation. Aside from that, the music can also create an atmosphere for the action-filled sequences in the film. Music can help the audience feel the moments in the film.
Changing the background music can also add mood and change the audience’s perception of a certain scene just like what it did during Alice’s flashbacks on the experiments that were done to her. The escalation of the music can also give the audience a clue that something bad or horrifying is about to happen. Therefore, the correct music can inspire the desired effect upon the audience and in this case, fear and adrenaline. With that, it is very important to choose the right score or music for the film as it defines the mood and the genre of the movie.
Many directors and music directors work very hard on the music of the film. Some of them even test musical scenes on some audience to see if certain music can produce the emotions they want to audience to feel. Music plays a major role in a film just like the script and the acting. It sets the scene and also introduces the characters accordingly so that people will know who the hero and the villain are. Music can enhance the atmosphere and also explain the change in space and time in the movie. This is the reason why music is given so much attention in making one film.
Works Cited
Hoffmann, Robin. "What is the Function of Film Music?" Robin Hoffmann. N.p., 5 Nov. 2011. Web. 4 May 2016.
"Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) - Synopsis." IMDb. N.p., 2004. Web. 4 May 2016.
