The Effects of Background Music
背景音乐的效果
官方翻译
There's a world of difference between a horror movie and a comedy —
恐怖片和喜剧片之间有天壤之别——
the former scares you half to death while the latter leaves you rolling on the floor with laughter.
前者把吓得你半死，而后者让你笑得在地上打滚。
But try watching them without the background music and you just might decide they're not so different after all.
但试着在没有背景音乐的情况下看这两种电影，你可能会发现它们的差别不是很大。
Music and movies have been closely connected since the beginning of the film industry — even before the voices of actors were recorded.
电影业诞生之初，音乐就和电影紧密联系在一起了——甚至早于演员的声音录制。
In movies, music helps to provide a sense of time and place, convey ideas about the characters and, most importantly, draw emotions out of the audience.
在电影中，音乐有助于提供一种时间感和地方感，传达人物的想法，最重要的是，从观众那里汲取情感。
Studies have long shown that our heart rates and anxiety levels rise and fall depending on the speed of the music we hear.
长期以来的研究表明，我们的心率和焦虑水平会随着我们听到的音乐的速度而上升或降低。
Using this knowledge, composers use sudden changes in film music speed to create fear among audiences.
因此，作曲家利用电影音乐速度的突然变化在观众中制造恐惧。
Slowing the speed of the music will have the opposite effect, bringing about a sense of peace or a dreamlike quality.
放慢音乐速度会产生相反的效果，带来一种平静感或梦幻感。
The use of dissonant tones and noises is another technique that heightens tension.
使用不和谐的音调和噪音是另一种加剧紧张的技巧。
Humans naturally become unnerved when we hear dissonant sounds
当听到不和谐的声音时，人类会自然而然地感到不安。
because such noises are usually associated with danger, like those that animals make to warn against predators.
因为这种噪音通常与危险联系在一起，就像动物发出的警告捕食者的声音一样。
As crucial as it is, the best film music is subtle.
至关重要的是，最好的电影音乐是微妙的，
All that audiences are supposed to feel is a heightened sense of emotion — they shouldn't realize what's causing it.
观众应该感受到的是一种强烈的情感——他们不应该意识到是什么导致了这种情绪。
Only when the music is taken out of the film should audiences understand its effects.
只有把音乐从电影中去掉时，观众才能理解音乐的效应。
In keeping with this principle, some filmmakers are even using what's called "infrasound" to arouse fear.
根据这一原则，一些电影制片人甚至使用所谓的“次声”来引起恐惧。
While we may not be able to hear it because its frequency is below the range of the human ear,
但是我们可能听不到它，因为它的频率低于人类耳朵的听力范围，
infrasound has been proven to cause anxiety, tremble and even sorrow.
次声已经被证实会引起焦虑、颤抖甚至悲伤。
For example, infrasound was used in the soundtrack of the 2007 horror movie Paranormal Activity,
例如，2007年的恐怖电影《灵动：鬼影实录》就曾在配乐中使用次声。
and audiences reposed extremely high fear levels despite the lack of action throughout the movie.
尽管整部电影都没有动作场面，但观众们还是非常害怕。
"It doesn't affect everyone equally," said British science writer Philip Ball, but he predicted that "we will see more of it used in movies in the future."
“次声对每个人的影响并不相同。” 英国科学作家菲利普·鲍尔说，但他预测，“今后的电影将会更多地用到次声。”