There’s a trailer floating around the internet of Harry Potter wittily edited into a “Teen Comedy.” It’s funny. The smart cuts underline the moments of humor and levity the films contain, which can be overwhelmed by the grave themes the stories also handle. Without new footage, the audience perceives Harry Potter as humorous, rather than serious and fantastical. Sans any new lines, what makes this clip successful?
I’ll give you a hint: it’s the music. The trailer starts with an attention–grabbing, upbeat electric guitar strum. You know the kind and guitar strum I’m talking about. It’s the same type employed by every given YA/Rom-Com show Soon Coming To Theaters Near You. The bubblegum rock jam optimistically sets a tone that alters how we interpret the intentions of the characters.
When it comes to movies, the soundtrack is the subtext. The success of the Harry Potter film franchise owes much to the brilliant scoring. The iconic, tinkling four–bar line John Williams composed for the The Sorcerer’s Stone automatically transports an entire generation into the wizarding world. Over the course of eight films the orchestral accompaniment, like a Firebolt, sweeps you up in the magic and takes you along for all of Harry’s adventures. The four composers who scored the various pictures are consistent in effecting a sense of magnificence and fantasy. Sometimes sinister, sometimes delightful, and often everywhere in-between, the music enriches the stories beyond measure.
There’s no doubt that without the soundtrack, Harry Potter would not be the extravagant, beautiful and comforting series we cherish as a best friend or lover. The magic continues this November as Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a prequel to the series based on the eponymous supplementary book by J.K Rowling, is screened in theaters around the globe.
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