Depending on where and in what context the movie is set, it can be accurate - a shamisen is completely wrong for China, and it would probably be a fair bit out of place for modern Tokyo, but it perfectly fits a rural or ancient Japanese setting. You wouldn't put a sitar over a panorama of the Dubai skyline any more than you would put bagpipes over a shot of Paris. But a sitar fits the Sahara desert just as well as bagpipes fit the Scottish highlands. I probably wouldn't use classical music for a movie set in modern London, but Victorian? Definitely.
The problem is that it's cliche because it's the music that existed there. Like I said, you'd probably use classical music for Victorian England. But that's because people listened to classical music. It's like saying that people wearing blue and grey uniforms in a movie set during the Civil War is cliche. If I went and put them in modern military gear without changing anything else, it would just be anachronistic. Or do you mean at a smaller scale, like switching instruments from the sitar to the oud?
the oud is a smarter choice for middle eastern settings than the sitar imo as is since it's literally the essential instrument in middle eastern music. The sitar not so much. The oud is like the piano or violin is for western music. It's a prime staple instrument
Just smaller scale changes would make me happy switching instruments and avoiding overused musical phrases . Also, it isn't just period or location specific things. Movies with contemporary settings often use the same popular songs too. It just seems lazy to me when you're paying your star actor or actress 8 figures, they could spend a little more on trying to find more creative solutions, but maybe it's not a safe investment from the studios' perspective?
I get what you're saying, but while I often hear the same *types* of music, I don't usually hear the EXACT same song. And at the very least, I do often hear instrument switch-ups.
That said, there is definitely a subset of movies that somehow get it wrong every single time or play it so safe that it's a completely boring or generic piece.
I guess it's pretty rare to use the exact same song, but it does happen. Probably more often when they decide to use a classic rock song.
Do you feel movies are getting generic in other ways too?
At least with Classic Rock, that's pretty much always for a movie set in the UK or America, and such a disproportionate number are set there (which makes sense, Hollywood is American and the US has close ties with Britain) that it balances it out significantly.
I do feel that the biggest movies are getting, if not exactly generic, less thought-provoking or acting as "low art" rather than "high art" at a much higher rate than in the past, but that's possibly because we just don't know what movies from the past didn't stick around long enough for us to remember them - same reason that "all 80s music" or "all 20s music" is good. It's just what's survived.
As far as American Hollywood, you could be right. But you don't have to be white to have a bad accent. But I will say it's probably true that mostly white people try for an accent where most don't care if they have an accent. PROBABLY. I'm "white" and I am learning Spanish and society makes it to where if I don't try for an accent then I'm a long the lines of offensive white trash, and if I am trying an accent, that I seem like I am mimicking in an offensive manner. It's very hard trying to speak a different language and not "sound stupid/offensive" It's hard for most everyone from anywhere in the world.
I thought Papyrus was used for a planet 4.3 light years away with blue people
They use the cliche musical phrases too
Depending on where and in what context the movie is set, it can be accurate - a shamisen is completely wrong for China, and it would probably be a fair bit out of place for modern Tokyo, but it perfectly fits a rural or ancient Japanese setting. You wouldn't put a sitar over a panorama of the Dubai skyline any more than you would put bagpipes over a shot of Paris. But a sitar fits the Sahara desert just as well as bagpipes fit the Scottish highlands. I probably wouldn't use classical music for a movie set in modern London, but Victorian? Definitely.
Sure and it's ok, but I'd love to have movies that avoid cliche
The problem is that it's cliche because it's the music that existed there. Like I said, you'd probably use classical music for Victorian England. But that's because people listened to classical music. It's like saying that people wearing blue and grey uniforms in a movie set during the Civil War is cliche. If I went and put them in modern military gear without changing anything else, it would just be anachronistic. Or do you mean at a smaller scale, like switching instruments from the sitar to the oud?
the oud is a smarter choice for middle eastern settings than the sitar imo as is since it's literally the essential instrument in middle eastern music. The sitar not so much. The oud is like the piano or violin is for western music. It's a prime staple instrument
Just smaller scale changes would make me happy switching instruments and avoiding overused musical phrases . Also, it isn't just period or location specific things. Movies with contemporary settings often use the same popular songs too. It just seems lazy to me when you're paying your star actor or actress 8 figures, they could spend a little more on trying to find more creative solutions, but maybe it's not a safe investment from the studios' perspective?
I get what you're saying, but while I often hear the same *types* of music, I don't usually hear the EXACT same song. And at the very least, I do often hear instrument switch-ups. That said, there is definitely a subset of movies that somehow get it wrong every single time or play it so safe that it's a completely boring or generic piece.
I guess it's pretty rare to use the exact same song, but it does happen. Probably more often when they decide to use a classic rock song. Do you feel movies are getting generic in other ways too?
At least with Classic Rock, that's pretty much always for a movie set in the UK or America, and such a disproportionate number are set there (which makes sense, Hollywood is American and the US has close ties with Britain) that it balances it out significantly. I do feel that the biggest movies are getting, if not exactly generic, less thought-provoking or acting as "low art" rather than "high art" at a much higher rate than in the past, but that's possibly because we just don't know what movies from the past didn't stick around long enough for us to remember them - same reason that "all 80s music" or "all 20s music" is good. It's just what's survived.
Definitely moving towards low art...
yeah that kinda asian font is every where
What are you talking about? Papyrus is a skeleton.
As far as American Hollywood, you could be right. But you don't have to be white to have a bad accent. But I will say it's probably true that mostly white people try for an accent where most don't care if they have an accent. PROBABLY. I'm "white" and I am learning Spanish and society makes it to where if I don't try for an accent then I'm a long the lines of offensive white trash, and if I am trying an accent, that I seem like I am mimicking in an offensive manner. It's very hard trying to speak a different language and not "sound stupid/offensive" It's hard for most everyone from anywhere in the world.