Incidental music

I just think there's too much music on TV these days all round. It's completely pointless at best, irritating and intrusive at worst.

I like quiz shows and I've been watching The Chase for a couple of years but I wont watch it now, or only with the sound muted. That music is the pits. It's crap, noisy, pointless. The viewer already has to put up with Bradley Walsh's terrible sense of humour and squeaky voice, isn't that enough?

I can't think of any quiz show that wouldn't be improved if the music were dropped.

I can see the point of some music in films, serial dramas, and documentaries, but they never seem to get the sound levels right.

Banged Up Abroad is ruined by this; when you've got the correct volume to hear what the interviewees are saying, the music's bursting your eardrums.

a reply to: CJCrawley

They don't write em like they used to.

This seems like a really bizarre thing to complain about. I realize people feel the need to complain about everything these days, but, this is a weird one.

You sound old, are you old?

Scottish accents too. They're just everywhere. And Geordie. My 2 pet hates.

I'd like to hear more Brummie.

Are you listening, UK TV people?

a reply to: CJCrawley
The problem seems to be a perception that words are boring and intolerable without the support of backing music.
This is one of the things that have made historical documentaries unwatchable (even apart from dramatic reconstructions and the claim that every blessed thing that happens has "changed the world... for ever").
In some circumstances, producers will still begrudgingly concede that viewers really do want to hear the words. Newsreaders are not drowned out. When sports commentators are dealing with live action, there are no musical distractions. But highlights programmes and the "build-up" portions of sports programmes (e.g listing the members of the football teams, or outlining the course of that day's stage of the Tour de France) will be accompanied by relentless rhythms.
They seem to be aiming at younger viewers with zero-second attention spans; "Explanation? S' boring! Gimme some music to listen to."

The only solution is a law banning the broadcast of programmes with music tracks, and imposing heavy fines. The producers are indifferent to complaints.

Agreed. The overly loud music that people slap into videos really pushes me away from watching. If I'm watching a tutorial, I don't need high decibel techno or rap assaulting my ear drums.

Music is fine in general. Just tone it down if you must have it.

Incidental music is expected in movies and other productions, it's a cultural thing now. It isn't so big on low budget productions, or independent films though. For an example . . .

I'm a western movie and TV show fan. I've noticed the changes from the 1950s through to the present, and background music is one aspect that changed about every decade.

The classic 1950s and early 60s cowboy movies and TV shows had some pretty crappy music that changed in the 70s with the spaghetti western movies. Then for the next couple of decades the incidental music became a nod to the earlier classic westerns as better versions or was just general stock music used in action films.

More recent westerns, esp. independent movies, have very little background music that is tied to the old classic forms for the most part. If they do produce a formula style western based on the classics, ie more exaggerated action and some kind of classic plot, the classic style music tends to help the exaggerations. In more realistic productions, the music, no matter how good, tends to distract from realism by forcing a western flavor or other mood when the scene doesn't need it. Some independent productions use very little incidental music to give it a more realistic and gritty feel.

Personally I like the mood created by the music in some of the more popular spaghetti westerns vs the older classics. For me it created an interesting surreal atmosphere for an otherwise crappy production. So, if used effectively, incidental music adds a lot and if improperly used it can wreck an otherwise good production. Little or no music at all is to far from the expectations of the audience and will kill a good production and destroy a so-so one.

Then there are movies like "Oh Brother Where art thou?" where the music was a major feature that created a mood, but wasn't incidental. Let's not even talk about musicals.