Documentary Soundtrack Analysis

The soundtrack of Indie Game: The Movie is iconic to the documentary film, and is one of the driving forces in creating empathy with the subjects of the documentary. The soundtrack begins with an ambient sound over shots of the exterior of one of the developer's houses. This simple note eases the viewer into the documentary, letting them slowly establish an understanding of what this documentary is about and what viewpoint it is trying to make them see.

Above is the extended opening score.

A simple ambience is heard over the opening shots.

A chime is heard when this information is presented on the screen to convey significance, and make sure the viewer is paying attention.

The music grows in intensity when the audience realises something is wrong and it is amplified by the distress of the subject, who has not been given a formal introduction yet.

As the intensity of the scene increases, the volume and tempo of the music remains the same. Instead of increasing the tempo, the soundtrack increases the number of varying instruments being introduced. This, along with the dialogue of the subject, enables us to feel as if we are gradually putting the pieces of the puzzle together and building a better understanding of what is happening.

The soundtrack is an integral part of the emotion conveyed in the opening scene. Without it, it would simply be an unknown man complaining for some unknown reason. Instead empathy is created straight away, despite the total lack of knowledge of what is devastating the subject.

The genre of music is very specific in that it is a mixture of classical instruments with an electronic sound over it. The idea of this is to create a simple sound to connote with the seemingly simple development and product of independent games, with a modern sound to it that conveys the idea that these are the first few developers of a style of development that is growing with a new sense of popularity.

This track plays after the title screen and the theme of the documentary as different, but similar variations are played throughout the documentary.

A new tune is adopted during the opening credits, with a voice over of an experienced developer explaining exactly what an "Indie Game" is, and what separates it from regular titles. The simple piano melody shows the charming side of the development process and it helps us to understand what drives these developers, This alternation between a more dramatic tune and a more simpler one is used to emphasise both the enjoyment of pursuing the dream while contrasting it with the difficulties following this dream presents.