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This paper will be discussing how modern recording and post-production techniques used in film scoring can broaden the spectrum of creative expression and increase effective storytelling. The two movies being analysed are “The Truman Show”, directed by Peter Weir and "Don't Worry Darling" directed by Olivia Wilde.

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“The Truman Show” was shot in Florida Panhandle. Most of the film was shot on the Seaside, Florida community. After a 4 year search for a director, they finally landed on Peter Weir only to wait another year for the star actor, Jim Carrey’s schedule to clear up. They finally began shooting in 1996 and the film was released in 1998.

"Don’t Worry Darling" was shot in Los Angeles “after a bidding war among 18 studios to acquire the next Olivia Wilde-directed project"(Don't Worry Darling, 2022). After that, they began shooting on October 26, 2020 and released on September 26, 2022.

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Despite the fact that “Don’t Worry Darling” is not a remake of “The Truman Show,” the overall plot of the films is very similar. “The Truman Show” setting takes place in a city-sized film set created by the film’s antagonist, Christof. Truman is unknowingly living in a television show called ‘The Truman Show which is disguised as his real life. ‘The plot consists of him growing increasingly sceptical of the world around him. Truman was initially accustomed to a predictable daily routine. However, after his growing scepticism, he began to wander away from his normal activities. As a result, it became harder for Christof to predict his movements and Truman began to see that life as he knew it might not be reality. By the film's end, Truman gets on a boat and sails to the end of the city-sized film set. Here he is left at a crossroads where he realises that his suspicions were correct and he is left with a choice to leave his known world and step into reality. He chooses to leave the world he knows behind.

The film “Don’t Worry Darling” takes place in a digitally simulated world created by Frank, the film's antagonist. Alice, our star, is also unknowingly living in a synthetic world, but over time she becomes growingly sceptical of it. Throughout the film, as she loses trust in the world around her, she never loses trust in her husband, Jack. However, he unfortunately is the very one who put her in this world. Much like “The Truman Show”,  at the end of the film when she finds out the truth, she reaches her own crossroads where she sees the truth, and she chooses to leave it all behind.

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In both films, Truman and Alice become growingly sceptical of the reality around them as time went on. The more they questioned the world around them, the more extreme measures were taken to keep them bound in their false reality. The reason these two films are so similar is that they both tell the story of ‘the human experience of pursuing truth.’ Both characters refuse to accept the reality given to them and tear the world around them apart in the search for what it means to truly live.

The supporting characters in each film are tools used by the antagonist to deceive the main character. As Alice or Truman begin to doubt their reality, the people closest to them try their best to cause them to feel as if they are being delusional. At Truman’s lowest point in the film, he confides in his best friend Louis. Sadly, as Truman is pouring out his heart, Louis is fed lines by Christof to respond to Truman, with the intention to cover up the deception. Similarly, when Alice was confiding in her husband Jack, he told her that she was crazy and hysterical, knowing full well that she was right.

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Even though the theme and plot of the two films are strikingly similar, the overall tone of the two films is very different. “The Truman Show” is a cleverly disguised tragedy but lends itself to be more happy, bright and comedic. “Don’t Worry darling,” however, is mysterious, eerie and dramatic. This contrast in tone is primarily achieved through the contrast in scores between the two films. “The Truman Show” primarily consists of classical orchestral pieces and live band songs like “Sonata no.11” by Mozart and “20th Century Boy” by The Big Six. “Don’t Worry Darling” on the other hand has a mix of traditional musical scores and experiential and synthetic textures.

The classical orchestral instrumentation of the Truman Show keeps the film upbeat and lighthearted. Even though in the more serious scenes where the music becomes heartfelt, it never becomes eerie or sinister like in “Don’t Worry Darling.”

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcMCS_6oung

At the end of  “The Truman Show,” where Truman approaches his crossroad moment in the film, he sails to the end of the film set and Christof tries to drown him in a storm. Here, we hear non-diegetic music of drums, percussions, a choir and strings- a classical combination heard in most films. This creates a sense of action. In the climax of the scene where Christof sends two deadly waves after him, the diegetic music decreases to a low hum from double bass.

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The Truman Show/Best scene/Jim Carrey/Laura Linney/Ed Harris/Paul Giamatti/Natascha McElhone

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0haFUtcdRdE&list=PLBKadB95sF44bQ0qi4WJFdhGmKsOUBPqm&index=35

On the other hand, in “Don’t Worry Darling” scene where Alice encounters her crossroad moment, she finds out the truth and kills Jack. After this, Lauren tells her she needs to leave the simulation before she is killed. As Alice leaves the house, all other diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are removed and a pulsing ringing sound plays. It’s then accompanied by bizarre, synthetic-sounding, glissando breaths. As the scene then progresses we hear a distorted bass accompanied by a female choir singing repeated short phrases. All of these textures cause the viewer to feel unsettled and disturbed and this is something that would be hard to create without modern post-processing.

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Don't Worry Darling Soundtrack | Victory Chase - John Powell | WaterTower

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“The Truman Show” was dubbed “the best movie of 1998.” by Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times. Data was also collected by different film-reviewing organizations such as Metacritic and CinemaScore, where a 4+ star review was given on all accounts. (The Truman Show, 2022)

“Don’t Worry Darling” however, received very mixed reviews. Some critics were upset because co-star Harry Stiles who played Jack was primarily a music recording artist and not an actor. The writing was also criticised for being unoriginal. On the other hand, Florence Pugh, who played Alice, was commended for her strong performance. Other critics however commended Harry Stiles on his performance and noted it as impressive as his first time acting in a feature film. (Don't Worry Darling, 2022)

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Even though recording audio in stereo had been accomplished since the early 1900s, directors normally chose not to stray far from the traditional orchestral musical themes with live instruments until the last couple of years (Lambert, 2018). "The Truman Show", for example, has a classical feel as the director chose to ‘stick to the mould’ and record live instruments for the film. “Don’t Worry Darling” on the other hand took a creative leap in sampling breath sounds and using it as a motif in the film. John Powell also used the juxtaposition of different textures to increase the musical tension. This provided a successfully unique feeling to the film, as it was quite unsettling to hear pulsing breathing sounds while watching. However, it did a good job of setting the film apart with this unique and edgy soundtrack.

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There is no doubt that “The Truman Show” was a revolutionary movie and was very well made. However, its musical selections do not compare to the variation and refreshing obscurity of “Don't Worry Darling” and its varying mix of classical, orchestral, and experimental textures.

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Wikipedia contributors. "The Truman Show." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Dec. 2022. Web. 16 Dec. 2022.

Wikipedia contributors. "Don't Worry Darling." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Dec. 2022. Web. 17 Dec. 2022.

Lambert, M. (2018) Let there be sound: The origins of post-production audio on the West Coast, CineMontage. Available at: https://cinemontage.org/let-sound-origins-post-production-audio-west-coast/ (Accessed: December 16, 2022).