The film I chose to musically analyze was Venom, directed by Ruben Fleischer and scored by Ludwig Goransson. I saw it on Monday, November 5th at 11:20 PM at Southside Works Cinema. I found myself in a theatre with about 150 seats only filled by about 20 people scattered around in the general middle area. I got there early and was lucky enough to be the first in the theatre so I sat dead center. To my left was the only aisle going up and down. In front of me was another row and the middle aisle going left to right. The theatre was very bland with blank walls, a projecting screen, and red seats somewhat similar to those found in the Frick Fine Arts auditorium in which we have class. The space however catered to sound very well. There was surround sound coming from both the screen and the walls as well as behind me towards the projector itself which yielded a really full, comprehensive sound. The percussion vibrated the ground and the armrests which gave the music a physical experience. This movie theatre was obviously set up in this way for three reasons, to maximize the viewing experience, to maximize the listening experience, and to minimize the cost of the building. Nothing extra was put into this theatre, there was no fancy tapestry or elegant carvings on the walls. It was plain and effective.
For the most part, the score of Venom is very intense. Although there are a few soft piano movements as well as other variations here and there, the score is generally meant to accompany mostly action sequences and dramatic buildups. Stylistically, the score of Venom reminded me of the works of John Williams in the Star Wars movies. I frequently noticed melodies sung by an all male choir, particularly during intense action or horrifying violence, which gave an epic and emotional backdrop to the action. This same technique is used in Star Wars during the lightsaber fights and large scale military battles. Likewise, Venom’s soundtrack was easily characterized by single note bangs often played without an actual instrument but rather a modern computerized sample. These bangs usually added effect to some sort of similar noise in the movie world such as a punch or kick. Although they match with the events on screen, these explosions are still non-diegetic as they do not take place within the movie world. On the other hand, there is only one instance where the music is diegetic, meaning taking place in the movie world, which is when Eddie Brock’s neighbor is playing guitar very loudly and poorly. It happens twice. The first time, Eddie is having a terrible day which is exacerbated further when his neighbor starts playing heavily distorted heavy metal guitar at an unreasonably loud volume. Eddie simply yells and puts his head under his pillow. It happens again after Eddie has become Venom, in this instance he walks over to his neighbors door, pounds on it, and proceeds to roar in his inconsiderate neighbor’s face promptly stopping the ear splitting music.
The Venom movie frequently utilized the technique of music and structural unity. This concept is applied in almost every fight scene, but most notably in the first, which takes place in Eddies apartment. I noticed that the music was matching directly with what was happening on screen. For example, when a character would land a punch, the music would surge in a single note slam that perfectly mirrored the timing of the hit. This is further enforced by the fact that this fight was taking place in an apartment not much bigger than the average dorm room. The close quarter combat made these short blasts of orchestration far more effective. It almost made me feel like I was the one receiving the punch due to the loud volume and vibration on the ground and chair. This may seem trivial, but during an intense fight scene it made the action exponentially more intense.
Similarly, during the motorcycle chase scene, the action is accompanied by only percussion played in a fast, African style. This choice of music is absolutely perfect for the scene at hand. Not only did it serve as a nice change of pace from the orchestration, it also was effective on its own mimicking the frantic vehicular chase through well known streets in San Francisco. The beating, pulsatile rhythm and the fast tempo all effectively reinforced the high speed action happening on screen. Another good example of the music matching the on screen action is when Venom is knocked off the rocket and plunges into the bay. The background music is a slow and somber solo piano melody with dense reverb to almost sound underwater. This music however, helps to reinforce the implicit content of the film. If someone had begun watching the movie at that moment, they would be very confused as to why a sad song is playing while the bad guy is defeated. However, the audience is meant to be somewhat invested in Venom and Eddie’s relationship which is why the sad piano music mirrors the sadness felt when they lose the battle.
During scenes of dialogue, music rarely played. When Eddie speaks to almost every character in the movie there is no music with the exception of Venom. When Eddie speaks to Venom there are dark terrifying melodies played on either synthesizers or brass instruments. This is very useful in creating fear in scenes involving Venom and also setting him apart from the other characters.
Another useful tactic used in Venom is “sneaking in” which is when the music starts at a volume too quiet to be heard by the audience and is slowly and gradually brought up in the mix until it is heard but not explicitly noticed. I caught an example of this during the scene when Carlton Drake is testing the symbiotes compatibility with the poor people. As tension in the scene built, I first heard nothing, but then gradually began to notice a collection of violins playing a sustained high pitched note. This did a tremendous job of building tension but does so in a way where it is only noticed by someone looking for it.
I was able to identify three distinct musical themes in Venom in which all of the pieces fit. These were “yearning”, “tension”, and “action.” The music associated with yearning was usually played when Eddie was either fighting with Annie or trying to win her back. This usually consisted of a slow tempo and sad melodic lines played in a minor key by either strings or a piano. The tense theme was usually exhibited when action was building to either a scary or electrifying climax. This is the most musically simple theme being usually one monophonic, sustained note played either high on strings or low on brass. It would then usually build to one of the “bangs” of percussion discussed earlier during the scene’s climax. The last theme I noticed was during action sequences. This musical motif is usually presented during fight scenes and is representative of loud, grand orchestral melodies with belting homophonic brass lines mixed with string flourishes and the occasional percussive slam.
The score of Venom was very effective in creating a mood for an intense action movie. However, by far the most important effect of the music is differentiating what is to be perceived as funny and what is to be perceived as serious. In a move that has such a vast range in terms of tone, it can be hard to tell what is serious and what is humorous. Luckily, the music helps to create a feeling that is associated with how the scene is to be consumed. For example, during an intended funny dialogue between Venom and Eddie, the music is jovial melodic lines with consonant harmony. On the other hand, if a certain dialogue between Venom and Eddie is to be perceived as serious or scary, the music is deep dissonant lows played with mostly brass. At its core, Venom is an action movie filled with intense sequences in need of intense musical accompaniment. It is in this that the music of Venom truly succeeds. Every action sequence is different and has a different musical sound associated with it. In the apartment fight scene, it is mostly a close quartered fight scene fittingly accompanied with fast melodies with dynamic swells assisted with percussion. On the other hand, the chase scene is mostly set to percussion with limited orchestration and melody. The drums give a frantic pulsatile mood which help the chase seem faster and more intense. Lastly, the final fight scene on the rocket is the most expressive and epic of them all. The epic orchestral movements represented the intensity of the battle and reminded me of something Beethoven would have composed in terms of scale and expression.
I noticed the audience was particularly engaged when Venom took over Eddie’s body for the first time. The score helped to create this response by truly sounding terrifying. The entire movie had been building to this point and the music helped to underscore a feeling of intense fear as the protagonist’s body is invaded by an alien symbiote. In order to help with the fearful mood, the audience hears a single sustained low brass note played with multiple instruments in a monophonic texture. Also, throughout this scene there would also be a single high note played with multiple stringed instruments to make the audience feel even more uncomfortable as the protagonist is being occupied by a parasite.
The overall goal of this film and its score is to create a scary action film with a very humorous undertone. The movie and the score had many intense moments but equally memorable funny ones. For me, Venom completely achieved this goal of mixing the jovial nature of a comedy, the intensity of a horror movie, and the thrills of an action movie. The score varied greatly with epic brass explosions, single note build ups, and playful movements all of which worked together to build a comprehensive and well rounded film and score.