Written by Clove Morgan
Who wouldn’t want to be the main character of a story? In a generation of daydreamers, it’s only fitting that we find ourselves consuming all forms of media and imagining ourselves recreating scenarios to mimic the content. Whether you’d like to put yourself in a period piece, an action film, or a corny teen drama, you need an immersive playlist to truly get into the moment. Between professing your love to Mr. Darcy in the rain to fighting alongside the Avengers or discovering your crush is a vampire, music is the key to getting there.
Allow me to guide you through the process of devising your soundtrack, but let’s try to model it based on something small-scale and familiar: your daily routine. Of course, depending on your genre of movie the type of music varies; let’s set a ground rule that you cannot immediately align your taste in tunes with your taste in films. No one would play Tupac over a ballroom scene.
First of all, determine the genre you would like to partake in. Ask yourself how fantastical you’d like to go. Do you want to lean into the exaggerated dramatics of cinema? Or pretend your life is a beloved coming-of-age piece? Whatever the answer may be, let it serve as the foundation for your playlist. Then, you can get into the juicy plotlines that will dictate your song choice.
When you wake up, is it slow and tranquil, or abrupt and disturbing? Depending on your answer, open peacefully or with a bang. Consider the pace of your daily events, and you can greatly advance your search for the perfect song. If you’d like to imagine yourself waking up to the sound of birds chirping, I suggest Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Carnival of the Animals: Aviary”. On the opposite end of things, waking up to “Gangster” by Labrinth, courtesy of the HBO series Euphoria, can provide a kick to the start of your day.
As you go about reviewing your routine, whether it’s occupied by work or class schedules, don’t be afraid of selecting songs based on the feeling they give you. A soundtrack needs to have a cohesive flow, but that should not heed you from picking something to diversify your listening experience.
A good story has a range of accompanying emotions. If you see your arch nemesis, include a song that makes you feel powerful or even one that brings a sense of going into battle. Don’t shy away from love songs when you have a run-in with the object of your affections. In the car or walking, emulate the feeling of an exhaustive journey toward greatness. A well-rounded, engaging character can make or break a story. You’re a compelling individual, express it in your soundtrack!
As your day is coming to a close, decide the ending you think your story deserves. The audience, even if it only consists of yourself, needs a dénouement or a wrap-up of sorts. No matter how inclined to mystery you are, a film needs a finale. If you didn’t have the best day, maybe a melancholic song like “In Safe Hands” by Badly Drawn Boy can become your memorable moment of sorrow. A joyous, heart-warming ending scene may need a touch of Hozier’s “Almost (Sweet Music)”. You put time into this, don’t let it go unfinished.
The experience of creating your main character soundtrack is a reflective one, but it can be fun as well. Listen to new music. Go down rabbit holes and find new artists. Take your imagination to a whole new level. Happy daydreaming!
