In his latest video, Marco Risch talks about Marvel and a very specific technique that has definitely contributed to the success of the MCU films. What this technique is all about can be found out in detail in his video.
Who is Marco Risch? Marco Risch has been uploading videos with news, reviews, analyses, and interviews about current movies, series, and video games on his YouTube channel Nerdkultur since 2015.
In his podcast Nerd & Kultur he chats every Sunday with his colleague Yves Arievich about topics like Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. With both, he is part of the Webedia network, which also includes MeinMMO.
In his latest video, he now talks about the fact that while many fans complain about the development of the MCU, Marvel still does one thing very right in the films:
What technique do the MCU films use? In his video (via YouTube), Marco talks about a very specific technique that the MCU films cleverly utilize: the Needle Drop.
What that is can be easily explained by looking at an old record player. Marco explains in his video that a Needle Drop is the moment when music plays in a film scene. Exactly the moment when the needle touches the record.
It actually involves well-known songs from pop music and rock music and not specifically composed songs for the film.
Especially director James Gunn utilized the presence of music in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” to characterize his figures and give the connection a very special significance. However, music has already played a significant role in the MCU from the very beginning, as Marco reports.
From the very beginning, Marvel plays with music: In his video, Marco explains that Marvel actually used the Needle Drop already in the first MCU film. The first scene of Iron Man is introduced by the well-known song “Back in Black” by AC/DC, thereby marking the start of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).
Marvel was therefore able not only to distinguish itself from other superhero films through the character Tony Stark and the successful portrayal by Robert Downey Jr. The unmistakable music of the first “Iron Man” film also contributed to this.
However, Marco also mentions in his video that the MCU initially found itself in a dilemma. Due to the lack of a coherent musical motif, the MCU lacked the optimal functioning leitmotif compared to other superhero franchises.
Only the Avengers theme, which quickly became legendary for fans, really stuck in the memory and proves how strongly a functioning leitmotif can emotionally touch us.
Afterwards, Marco talks again about how especially James Gunn has perfectly utilized the Needle Drop with the Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, there is hardly any other film in the MCU that uses this symptom as often. This proves that Gunn understands the magic of the Needle Drop better than anyone else in the MCU.
Marco also addresses Taika Waititi’s method of using the same Needle Drop twice, for example, in “Thor Ragnarok” to describe character development in his video. Waititi consistently shows in his work that he understands the Needle Drop and can use it purposefully.
Despite the criticism and many changes in the MCU, perhaps not everything is lost. This is shown by the latest films in the MCU, which have created very emotional, beautiful, and memorable moments and a connection between the audience and characters mainly through their music.
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