Smurfs: The Lost Village Composer Talks Music & Movies

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Did you hear the music in the last movie you saw? Could you describe it? Could you hum it afterward?

Don’t feel bad if you draw a blank on this question. Tony Zhou runs a YouTube channel titled Every Frame a Painting. A few months ago he released a video that analyzes why we can recall some scores, but we can’t remember others—in the case of his video, he looks at the music in Marvel action movies. It’s a thirteen minute video that will change the way you hear movies.

Parents, when you watch movies with your children, don’t overlook how music works to affect their emotional response to what they are viewing. Music in movies should work to enhance the intended emotions, not manipulate us into feeling something that isn’t supported on the screen.

A few days ago I screened a movie that’s releasing this week and was pleased to hear a musical score that offered some unique elements and worked well to support the storyline. And it was a film that I wasn’t expecting to notice the music in at all. Smurfs: The Lost Village uses a variety of instruments and sounds that work to help young audiences feel the movie’s intended messages. Leaving the theater, I felt I had to satisfy my curiosity about why and how the film’s composer, Christopher Lennertz, created the unique sounds. I also thought he would be a good person to ask some of my top music movie questions to and help all of us better understand how a movie’s score works to enhance our entertainment experience. You can listen by clicking here or the play button at the top of this story.