Hello friends, welcome or welcome back to the blog! Long time no read! Today you'll read about my research of the film genre: Musicals. Since I was young, I have been fascinated with performing arts and once I went into middle school, musicals became a huge hit for me. I was in theater all 3 years, going to local and professional musicals at least once a month, and performing in my school's yearly musical; you could definitely call me a theater kid. Once we started to learn about genres in Media Studies, I thought it would be only fitting for me to research more in depth about musicals.
The Musical genre in film consists of music (as the name suggests), dancing, singing, and acting to tell the story in an engaging and entertaining way. It often features musical numbers with elaborate choreography where the characters break into song to show their larger than life problems.
Musicals- Content:
The opening number of a musical is a key element of a musical. This number sets the tone for the rest of the movie, introducing characters, their motives, and the setting. The opening number is the hook that grabs the audience's attention and lures them in to keep watching.
Example: Hamilton's opening number is "Alexander Hamilton", which introduces Alexander Hamilton (you guessed it), and the other main characters such as: Aaron Burr and the Schuyler sisters. One iconic lyric also introduces the setting, "In New York, you can be a new man".
Another key element is breaking the fourth wall. Breaking the fourth wall is when a character acknowledges the audience to create a deeper connection with them, it is similar to a monologue, but can sometimes consist of a character singing to the audience. This also makes the audience more engaged in what they are watching, and makes them feel like they are on a personal level with the character. Breaking the fourth wall can add a playful or more dramatic mood depending on the overall tone.
Example: In Dear Evan Hansen, Evan Hansen breaks the fourth wall during "Waving Through a Window" by singing about something that he cannot talk to anyone else about. This develops a deeper connection with the audience because they are able to understand his emotions better than any of the other characters.
The big finale is another key element to the musical genre. The finale will end the piece by resolving the problems and providing closure. The finale sometimes will also reprise an important song, and show the contrast between the original song and ending, showing character development and growth. The goal of the finale number is to end on a high note and wrap the show up.
Example: "Do You Hear the People Sing" from Le Miserables, is an iconic big finale that starts as an inspirational battle cry and ends as a hope for a peaceful future which provides emotional release for the audience. It reunites the characters back together for one final time for emotional unity.
Musicals: Production Techniques:
In musical productions, they often use cross-cutting to show action happening at the same time in different locations. Usually characters are breaking into song with similar verses to show the similarities of their different situations. It is usually used to show two characters having similar discoveries or going through similar situations at the same time. It is also used to show the moments leading up to the climax of the production, or the high point of the show.
Musical productions are often formalist productions. They prioritize style over capturing realistic aspects of life. The formalist style presents the larger than life ideas of the production and gives the audience a sense of fantasy, which is a common theme among musicals. The set, costume, and lighting designs all work together to create different emotional responses from the audience.
Musical Marketing:
Musicals have a wide audience because there are many sub-genres within the genre. They are generally marketed towards women, from ages 15-50. Depending on what type of musical is being marketed, there will be a different target audience. People of all ages have fallen in love with musical theater, so it isn't hard to market it towards a wide range of ages and people. Live musicals gain popularity and have their own fandoms, so when there is a new musical film adaptation, that fandom immediately flocks towards the film.
This genre often uses snippets of the showstopping number in the background of the trailer, to hype up the audience for the specific number. On the movie posters, they use colors that will give viewers a specific emotional response that the movie will also give. For example, the Sound of Music (1965) uses a lot of bright blue, which has a positive connotation for most people. This shows that the audience will experience positive feelings while watching.
The Sound of Music (1965)
A short summary of a couple of my favorite musicals:
Dear Evan Hansen (2021) is a musical film about a high school boy named Evan, played by Ben Platt, who is struggling with social anxiety and ends up getting involved with a big lie after a classmate, Connor, played by Colton Ryan, tragically commits suicide. This musical has the key elements of a notable opening number, "Waving through a Window" which introduces the main character and setting to the audience.
Hairspray (2007) is set in Baltimore in the 1960's. It follows Tracy Turnblad, played by Nikki Blonsky, who auditions for her favorite show "The Corny Collins Show" and gets in. The movie brings in ideas that are larger than the production itself such as racial integration and inclusivity. Hairspray uses a plethora of bright colors to show the playful, positive connotation of the movie. It features a big finale, "You Can't Stop the Beat", which brings all of the characters together for one final time, giving the audience a sense of satisfaction.
Films in the Musical genre for you to check out!
Wicked (2024)
West Side Story (2021)
Le Miserables (2012)
The Greatest Showman (2017)
La La Land (2016)
- https://nofilmschool.com/musical-genre
- https://www.watchmojo.com/articles/top-20-best-musical-finale-songs/who-lives-who-dies-who-tells-your-story
- https://www.mandy.com/magazine/article/musical-genre-in-film-and-tv-79233/#section3
- https://www.studysmarter.co.uk/explanations/media-studies/filmmaking/musical-films/
Thank you so much for reading and I cannot wait for my next adventure!
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