Music And Adult Films: An Underappreciated Relationship

Let's spend a little time discussing something to which we often don't pay enough attention to when it comes to adult filmmaking -- the musical component.

Just as much as dialogue, plot and character development, music impacts our perception of a film's meaning and its prevailing mood.

If you doubt whether this is the case, I highly recommend checking out the diabolically hilarious Walk of Life Project , the manifestation of Peter Salomone's assertion that the Dire Straits hit is "the perfect song to end any movie."

Whether or not this was the intention of Salomone's effort, his experiment also emphatically underlines the way in which music affects our understanding and enjoyment of a film. The better you remember the end of any movie which has been subjected to Salomone's overdubbing, the more you'll realize how important the original music was to your experience of watching the film, how crucial it was to the emotional impact of the visuals it accompanied.

I'll go so far as to say many of the most popular movies in the history of film would not have achieved the success they did, were it not for their powerful, well-matched soundtracks. Try to imagine Jaws without the signature John Williams riff which flows forth at key moments, a simple motif which centers on two alternating notes, later swelling to a frantic crescendo right as the film's monstrous star prepares to strike another victim.

While most regard the music in adult films to be something of a wah-wah pedal delivered joke, music can play a similar role in porn as it does in mainstream filmmaking. Used correctly, music can enhance an adult film just as it can boost the pulse of a car chase in an action movie, or help move an audience to tears in a drama.

For many porn directors the only emotion or reaction they are trying to elicit from the viewer is arousal. Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but if you want to offer more than just visual titillation, paying attention to the musical aspect and taking the time to score your scene or movie can make a huge difference, both artistically and commercially. With music you can take your viewer on a compelling journey.

As with everything in life, there are always exceptions to the rule. I know several adult film directors who have backgrounds in music and who write original soundtracks for their films. In my own movies, I've often commissioned original works, or used music composed by family or friends. I've also seen myself spend days going through music libraries, looking for that perfect piece to help tell my story and invoke the emotion I'm looking for.

Music resources are in abundance on the web: royalty-free music libraries and film industry forums filled with composers and musicians willing to work for surprisingly affordable rates. Remember you are not hiring John Williams or Danny Elfman.

For one of my 2014 releases, "Interlude" which was nominated for "Best Feminist Porn Release" (XBiz Awards), I chose to score it with Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 2 In G Minor, Op 8, RV 315, "L'estate" (Summer). It worked very well. I always try to think outside the box and don't let convention set the stage.

Going back to Peter Salomone's project, imagine the end of The Matrix if it had presented Neo flying around the screen to the strains of Dire Straits' "Walk of Life" instead of "Wake Up" by Rage Against the Machine. The discord between the visual and the audial aspects would render those final moments anti-climatic, almost comical. The powerful ending of the movie would be gone.

Victor Hugo once wrote "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." It completes the picture you're trying to paint.

There's another benefit to music which has nothing to do with helping your film flow better, communicate emotion and build tension; it also gives you a second layer of protection against copyright infringement -- but that's an article for another day.