Effects of Film Music

This source is not necessarily a book or article, but is just as useful as information to aid in the research of the effect of film music. In this experiment, participants viewed one of three versions of a certain film. The versions included one with no music, one with horror music and the third with documentary music. Viewers watching the music-entailed films had increased heart rates and increased and decreased anxiety levels.  This experiment would be useful towards my research essay topic of “How does music have an effect on films?” because it is almost directly related to my research topic and gives a prime example of people’s emotional responses to films with music. Compared to other sources in my bibliography, this one is unique because it is a physical example of music’s effects rather than someone just voicing their opinion or talking about their beliefs. I believe this source will be helpful in getting my point across and helps shape my argument due to the fact that people were involved and tested using different types of music and seeing which were most affected and least affected and what occurred in the body during the reaction to each film and its music. The fact that cardiovascular, electrodermal, and somatic physiological responses were all continuously monitored, has a big impact on the usefulness of this experiment. This experiment is also relevant because although it is not specifically stated, horror movies can also be considered as melodramas depending on the film, its elements, and how it is portrayed.