Sofia's Blog: Genre Research

Musical Genre

Hey Blog!

For this activity, I decided to research the musical genre, not only because it's basically the only type of film I watch, but also because I feel it is a very misunderstood genre, that people don't typically enjoy due to not knowing enough about it.

This genre has been around for quite some time, with films such as "The Sound of Music" and "The Wizard of Oz" gaining tremendous popularity over the past few decades, attracting audiences to the emotional appeal that the mix of singing, dancing, and storytelling bring. Once Disney began producing animated films specifically made for children, like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" and "Pinocchio," the target audience only grew, now including younger children as well. But over the past few years, the musical genre seems to have changed, with the production of Disney Channel movies like "High School Musical" and more recently, film adaptations of already existing Broadway musicals like "Dear Evan Hansen" targeted more for teens. Although Disney continues to create animated musicals, people often associate this genre with these newer releases rather than the animated children movies. Today, this genre is mostly meant to attract singers, actors, dancers, and overall, those who enjoy theatre.

Content:

The key component of a musical, is the combination of dialogue, singing, and dancing when telling a story; so obviously, every musical contains breaking out into songs and dances. These songs are used to express an idea or emotion that might be difficult to illustrate simply through dialogue. Most musicals have very similar song choices, with certain types of songs being used at specific times to better develop the plot.

-They usually have a large group opening and finale number with upbeat and catchy tunes. The opening tends to be a long song that establishes the main characters and dilemma, while the finale is often a reinvented version of the opening number showing the resolution.

-In the first half of the film, the main character will likely sing a dramatic song illustrating their personal desires that will be worked on throughout the film.

-There also tends to be a big group number with a dance break near the middle of the film when the climax is developed or there is a dramatic change in the plot.

-Closer to the end of the musical, the main character will sing a usually slower, emotional song, demonstrating character development from their first solo song.

Production Techniques:

The "behind the scenes" of a musical is crucial to make it what it is. Lyricists and script writers must work together to ensure the dialogue and music naturally flow and blend well in a scene. The lyrics must also perfectly convey what the character isn't able to express through dialogue, without any misconnections. Along with the actual writing of songs, choreographers must create dances and block physical movements that fit with the lyrics, rhythm, and beat of the songs, while still illustrating the theme or purpose of it.

Camera angles and shots are also very important in the world of musicals. During songs and dances, the camera becomes a part of the choreography. So, close-up during emotional scenes, master shots capturing performances, and long shots during big dances numbers are commonly used in these films.

And lastly, set and costume design is another factor that makes musicals stand out from other film genres. Unlike dramas, horrors, and mysteries, musicals tend to be much brighter and colorful. In live theatre, makeup and costume is often exaggerated so that the whole audience is able to see a character even when they are running all over the stage. This custom carried over to films too, but since close-ups are available, designs are a lot more detailed. The set and costume also truly shows a characters personality and emotional being, often changing throughout the film.

Institutional Conventions:

This genre is marketed in many ways to appeal to audiences. The main one being releasing the soundtrack of the film before the release date. Since their target audience are typically teens and theatre kids, who are known for being highly engaged online, this allows for them to get to know the music beforehand, and begin to analyze and memorize the songs before the film even comes out.

It is also common for musicals to cast popular actors and stars, even if they don't have any music experience. In some cases, it works well, while in others it doesn't. For example, in the live-action "Beauty and the Beast," Emma Watson, a Hollywood star widely known for her role of Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" film series, was casted as Belle. She attracted many audiences, but many were left disappointed as her voice in the soundtrack was heavily edited with autotune, making it sound too clear and not human-like. On the other hand, they also casted Ewan McGregor, another well-known actor who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels, as Lumiere. He was praised for his talented singing voice, which many did not know he had experience with when acting in "Moulin Rouge."

And lastly, referencing original live musicals when marketing an adaptation is often used to attract theatre kids into watching a film. While this only applies to a reinvention of an already existing piece of media, most musical films nowadays fall into this category. Trailers and posters mentioning that a film is based off of another show, attracts an already existing fanbase that love what will be shown in the movie. Sometimes it ends up not working out, but it still brought audiences wanting to see if the adaptation lives up to its inspiration.

Although this isn't a convention to reel in a specific audience, I thought it was worth mentioning to demonstrate the changes in the musical film industry as time passes...

Recently, there has been a growing trend in movie trailers, not marketing a film as a musical to attract more people. While this does not help specifically bring in target audiences, it is used as a market strategy solely to sell and gain more profit. "Wonka," released in 2023, and "Mean Girls," released in 2024, are two films that were highly anticipated. Both of the movies' trailers were made to seem like a non-musical film, not showing music numbers or including dancing and singing. This led to non-musical fans to want to watch the movies, not knowing that they would be left disappointed and frustrated for paying to watch something they were not expecting and don't necessarily enjoy.

Samples:

In the Heights (2021)

"In the Heights" released in 2021, is a film based on the stage musical created by Lin Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegria Hudes. Known for integrating Latin American music and culture into a section of media where it wasn't commonly seen, "In the Heights" quickly gained popularity and won multiple awards since its debut.

This musical follows many characters, like Usnavi, played by Anthony Ramos, through a few days in their life, living in a predominantly Latino and immigrant-based neighborhood with fewer resources. Through the use of dancing and singing, the movie illustrates the struggles the characters face, their dreams and goals, and passion and pride for their heritage, which is illustrated in the hip-hop and Latin music used throughout the film.

As expected, the musical includes a big group opening, where everyone is introduced, the setting is established, and a challenge is expressed; a finale, referencing songs sung throughout the film; and a big dance number involving the entire cast halfway through the movie. What makes this musical stand out from others though, is the casting and people involved in the creation of this film. Lin Manuel Miranda is widely known in the theatre industry due to the success of his works for example the lyrics in the soundtrack of "Moana," and "Encanto" and his most popular musical, "Hamilton," where he wrote the entire musical and played as the lead when it debuted. But before any of these, Miranda produced "In the Heights," his first Broadway musical. Like "Hamilton," he casted himself as the lead in this show, and had several actors who originally acted in "In the Heights" act in "Hamilton" as well. Actors like Anthony Ramos, Cristopher Jackson, and even Lin Manuel Miranda himself, were brought back to perform in the film adaptation of the show, attracting already existing fans from past performances.

The Greatest Showman (2017)

The box-office hit, "The Greatest Showman," is a fantasized retelling of the life of PT Barnum, a 19th century showman and businessman known for the creation of his circus. The film, both a drama and musical, has become one of the most popular modern musical films since its release in 2017.

The movie begins with the song, "The Greatest Show," a huge number in which pretty much the whole cast performs in, before it fades into a flashback showing PT Barnum's past. This long song is later used as the finale of the film, where audiences realize that the beginning of the film is actually the same as the end.

The design in this movie was crucial to making it what it is, with time accurate costumes, exaggerated circus costumes, and set designs. Since this film takes place in the early to mid-1800s, costumes must contain the former, period accurate attire, while including the artistic circus outfits. The set also needed to depict New York City in the 19th century with the differences in certain buildings from now.

And while "The Greatest Showman" was not an already existing musical, it gained a lot of attraction with the release of its soundtrack 2 weeks before the release of the film. Certain scenes in the circus are also shot with characters in a spotlight, almost imitating an actual live performance on stage.