Crescendo That Matters

One of the most valuable things in life is music. Music plays so many roles, but is especially important in a telenovela. Music helps set the scene, establish emotions, and build character. Music is so important that even some individual characters have music related to only them in the telenovela. 

As I mentioned above, music helps to build emotion for both the actors and the audience. Think about the last scary movie you watched. Whenever a big event was about to happen or a big scare, I doubt you heard "Party in the USA" playing in the background. No, there was probably very suspenseful music that was speeding up and getting louder (crescendo) as the scene progressed. Telenovelas use this same concept, but for all different emotions. 

In my telenovela, Amar y Vivir, music is used to portray emotions as well as emphasize the main character, Irene. A few emotions where music plays a key role include sadness, happiness, and suspense. I have pulled a few clips from Amar y Vivir to demonstrate how different music genres can have completely different effects on telenovela scenes. 

1. Sadness: In the beginning of the video below, we see a girl on the phone with a man. Even without understanding Spanish, we can tell that something upsetting is taking place because of the slow piano music playing in the background, creating a sense of discomfort.  

1. Suspense: On the contrary, the video below displays a scene of suspense and nerves. Not only are multiple people at gunpoint, but there is also slow-toned music playing in the background to create a sense of quietness, emphasizing how on-edge the scene should put you. (Begin at 14:50)

By watching these two clips, we can easily see how music makes a scene more amplified, toned-down, etc. Music can affect scenes in different ways, so it must be strategically placed where it best fits and makes the scene better. 

As I mentioned before, the main character, Irene, has music that helps define her personally. She is actually a singer herself, so when she sings specific songs her dad wrote, the audience knows that the scene pertains to her. For example, in the beginning of the video below, Irene sings with her band. We can tell by the music that this scene has to do with her passion and music career. 

All and all, we can conclude that music has a great effect on other things, including telenovelas. Music can make or break a scene and without it, we, as the audience, would be left uninterested and underwhelmed. Music is an integral part of the Latin American culture and of course, telenovelas.