Can you sing the theme for “Captain America: The First Avenger?” What about “Thor?” Those are the types of questions that were asked a few random people at the beginning of the new video titled “The Marvel Symphonic Universe” posted by YouTube channel, Every Frame a Painting. It doesn’t come as a complete surprise when the people asked completely blanked and couldn’t think of the themes. However, when asked if they could recite the themes for “Star Wars,” the James Bond series, or the ‘Harry Potter’ series, the interviewees had no problems.
The reason for this problem comes down to modern day films’ reliance on temp music during the editing process. What could easily be an argument against modern film composers actually is a problem with how films are edited today, and the composers are more upset with the process than you realize.
The video goes on to show concrete proof that temp music is used almost identically in a variety of movies, but it’s really clear in the Marvel Studios films. Marvel wants uniformity and will sacrifice unique music to achieve that.
A second “supplemental” video has also been released as a companion piece, showcasing even more examples of temp music being used in film. These two videos will change the way you listen to movies. Watch both below.