This semester I took an interesting class about elements within films. Ever since I took this class I have paid more attention to the detail of these elements I see within the films I watch. I find it amazing how the use of film elements such as music can be used to aid the film's plot line and also the emotions that the characters feel.
For example, within the movie "Finding Nemo" there are several scenes which music is used to express the emotion and to create a connection to the character and their surroundings. However, the scene I analyzed in "Finding Nemo" that used an interesting effect of music is in the opening "Finding Nemo" egg scene. This is the first scene of "Finding Nemo;" where the barracuda attacks Nemo's mom and then destroys all the eggs except for Nemo's egg.
When Marlon and his wife Coral are inside the pink sea anemone flirting with each other the background music that is being played is very upbeat and happy. This reflects the happy mood of each of these two characters and their positive relationship with each other. However, when Marlon asks his wife Coral "Where'd everybody go?" The very upbeat and happy background music stops abruptly. This is a signal that the upcoming mood of the characters is about to change because the barracuda fish is about to attack them. In turn, this action sets forth a new scene within the movie's developing plot line.
As the barracuda fish swims towards the pink sea anemone and attacks Carol who's trying to protect her eggs the background music becomes brash and edgy. This shows that the event is bad and that Coral will not survive with the majority of her eggs. The music also shows the struggle that Marlon is having against the barracuda attack as he is trying to save himself and his future family from its harm.
The scene then transitions to Marlon laying on the floor of the pink sea anemone. The music becomes more somber and sad to show he is upset about his wife not surviving the barracuda attack. The music remains the same as Marlon swims to see if his eggs have also survived the attack or not.
However, as Marlon nears the cave he knows the majority of his eggs have been lost except for one semi-cracked egg; which is Nemo's egg. This discovery makes the background music sound less somber and a little more upbeat sounding. Although it is not the same upbeat background music as before, it is played at a tempo that signifies that Marlon still has hope. This is because at least one of the eggs survived the attack that killed his wife and the other remaining eggs. So Marlon has to have hope for Nemo to thrive.
