So as far as modern movie trailers go, we’ve entered the wonderful range of trailers filled with slowed-down, somehow exceedingly depressing covers of pop songs done for… dramatic effect I guess? That’s all well and good and maybe they’ll make for some interested indie YouTube videos but apart from that it’s not particularly interesting, I think. There’s an understood cause and effect relationship here, trying to cause nostalgia and familiarity by the use of music, and that’s all well and good. But there was a time where there was a little more of an insidious use of music and emotion that itself became an overplayed trope.
Imagine Dragons.
It still kind of happens depending on the trailer, but there was a time where Imagine Dragons was the go-to for music in trailers, and in movie soundtracks, because… well… the music is epic.
Generally these posts have focused on specific songs but in this case I’m taking the lot of the songs in the Imagine Dragons pantheon as inspiration because, holy shit, there’s a lot and they suit a wide range of moments but it all boils down to that one word… epic.
Writing fantasy has, by its nature, a tendency to create what could be called epic moments. In my own story, I have tried to focus on what I believe the inevitable mundanity of magic, should it exist, but it still creates scenarios that are literally out of this world, but par for the course in Telgora. People can ignite and explode things with their minds, dragons duel with biplanes in the sky, attacking armies can summon tsunamis to their aid. When dealing with magic and magical worlds, no matter how ‘grounded’ you’re trying to make it, there’s always that element of the magical, the never-before-scene, the epic. The music of Imagine Dragons caters to those kinds of larger than life stories both in the scope of the actual music and in the themes of its lyrics.
To my defense here, I’m not the only one who’s remotely thought of that. I direct your attention, dear reader, to Kung Fu Panda 3, admittedly the weakest of the Kung Fu Panda series (2 is the best; if Gary Oldman can make a black and white peacock both entertaining and intimidating then it’s a lock), but one with one of the most curious pieces of soundtrack- the main villain’s theme. The music in this movie is composed primarily by Hans Zimmer, but in the instance of writing Kai’s theme he had actually heard an Imagine Dragons song (I’m So Sorry), thought a certain piece of it was incredibly, called them up, and asked to adapt it for his villain theme (oversimplified). Badda bing, as they say in my brain, and we’ve incredible soundtrack!
For a fantasy writer too, can I just express how ironic it is to literally be writing about ‘Imagine Dragons.’ Okay, eyerolls over, let’s continue.
There’s more than a couple songs I’ve used in terms of writing inspiration, but for the sake of length and simplicity we’ll focus on the top three I turn to. Interestingly, and further backing up my previous discussion, all three of these were written for specific soundtracks. They’ve got a sound that lends itself to these kinds of things- I can’t explain it.
I wonder if it’s okay to get inspired by media specifically written to be used for a different piece of media.
Fight me.
The songs are:
“Who We Are” (Written for Hunger Games). Look, if you’re going to write an anthem for a rebellion I mean this hits pretty close to the mark. Apart from the ominous but inspiring tone, the lyrics summarize and key in on the feelings of at once isolation and hesitant jubilation from the work at hand- revolution and war. But there’s a comfort there, if the listener and the writer takes the perspective of those revolutionaries, in understanding, as the name of the song and its repeating lines describe, that these are who these people are. They’ll fight for what’s right, and take the costs as part of it. There’s inspiration there, and the fact that the song itself is ridiculously catchy to listen to doesn’t hurt either.
“Ready Aim Fire” (Written for Iron Man 3). There’s a little bit of death of the author happening with my inspiration for this one; mainly because this serves as inspiration for a few of my antagonists and darkest moments over the course of the story I’m writing. The audio work on this song is my favorite thing, being honest (the use of drums mimicking gunshots is particularly gripping), but the lyrics when reimagined as a control-hungry villain are where I take inspiration from this song. We’re talking about falling empires, the threat of obscurity, ordering soldiers to open fire, the highest stakes for everyone involved, and I’m here for every second of it.
“Monster” (Written for Infinity Blade 3). This one hits on a lot of character development moments, especially in terms of morally grey characters either doing right things for wrong reasons or wrong things for right reasons, or so they think. Struggling with the consequences of your actions, trying to find your place in a world that seems to either reward or punish the incorrect things, and feeling others out for how they accept you. In a world of political and military intrigue, competing goals, shadows of lies and hints of truth, these questions arise and this song is one of the better tools for getting into the mindset of someone struggling with them.
With that, we finish our series on the songs which help inspire my writing. There are of course, many more, mainly songs that fit into specific scenarios, moments, or characters in A Place I Have Never Been, but some of those would be kind of spoiler-y. What I’ve described and the songs I’ve analyzed and presented are songs that help overarching character and plot moments, and help get me in the mood to create. I hope for some of you this has been at least helpful in reflecting on the kinds of things that help you get inspired, and if not, maybe you picked up some new things to listen to (not that anything I’ve mentioned is particularly obscure, but, y’know).
The countdown to release is on! December 6th, everyone. Stay tuned for more news and obviously deep insights as we get nearer!