On Monday November 18th, students in the DE Music Appreciation class held a Film Fest for a recent project they did. The project entailed researching two to four-minute silent films and layer music and sound effects on the film they chose. They were tasked with creating two moods through music and sound effects. The purpose of this project was to create a deeper understanding on how background music affects how you take in visual content.

The event was organized by Ms. Pnevmatikatos and included a red carpet, hand prints into some clay, and a makeshift version of a true movie premier. Once the films started, each student’s film was shown for 15 seconds as silent then each interpretation was played in full. 

The first film, “A Funny Shave,” was scored by junior John O’Flaherty and featured a man shaving his face and each time he looked in the mirror there was a different creature looking at him. The first of the interpretations was funny while the second score created a scarier vibe.

Clara Golner, a senior, scored a film about a mysterious woman and a couple who were looking to become a family. The only color in the film, called “La Fée Printemps,” are the yellow flowers, otherwise this short film and the others are black and white. Clara highlights that by adding sound effects each time more flowers appear. The moods of the two interpretations were mystery and magic.

Senior Sheel Shah’s film, named “Panorama of Ocean Beach and Cliff House,” displays people on a beach. The first score was seemingly light, and then right before the end made you think danger was coming. Contrastingly, the second film featured a calm and relaxing day at the beach.

The fourth film, “The Astronomer’s Dream” by junior Donovan Rossi, had very contrasting scores. These distinct moods, funny versus almost menacing, makes it feel like you’re watching two completely different films. There was a lot going on in each scene with matching sound effects.

Trostin Geles, a senior, scored the fifth film, titled “Felix in the Swim 1922,” in the festival. This film was unique, as it was a cartoon. Another special was in the second score where Trostin personally voiced each character. He even had a recording of the song “Piano Man” during a scene where mice are playing the piano.

Titled “The Enchanted Pond,” sophomore Giselle Terrazas Saldana scored a film with a particular peculiar plot. It featured a woman by a pond with a few other women. However, over the course of the short film, the group of women would turn into multiple strange creatures. The first interpretation has a magical feeling while the second has a sadder vibe.

Last but not least, junior Noah Gunville’s film, “X,” features a man doing magic tricks. In the video the magician changes an egg to a balloon with a face, then a woman’s face, then a clown, and finally back to a balloon. The first film is a light and happy atmosphere while the second has music and sound effects that create a scarier mood. These short films can be found on their google site here. Please enjoy the DE Music Appreciation students’ projects showing the importance of the music behind a film.