# What sort of music would you add to silent home movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-music-would-you-add-to-silent-home-movies/496808 "2009-05-18T02:40:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-music-would-you-add-to-silent-home-movies/496808/1 "2009-05-18T02:40:18Z")
I’m in the process of having my dad’s old Super8 film from the 1970s transferred to hi-def. (Before anyone says that’s overkill for a film frame the size of my pinky nail, I plan to do a lot of color correction and other post-processing that will benefit from the extra scale, before I shrink it back down to DVD proportions.) Anyway, we had this done once before, to VHS tapes that are holding up much worse than the film, and one of the things my family and I always found laughable about them was the cheesy elevator-music the video producer had chosen to add. Well, now that I _am_ the video producer, I can feel that guy’s pain. Since I like to have fun with authoring DVDs, I have 2 alternate tracks planned: Projector noise, and commentary from my dad. But I think the default track should be some sort of music. Problem is, I have no idea what kind of music to add to 3 hours worth of film. Greatest hits of the 70s? I’m thinking vocals would be too distracting. Hits of the 70s sans voices? Well, then you’re getting back into elevator music. Something orchestral? I think that’s on the right track, but I don’t want anything too swelling or dramatic; after all, the images will just be of everyday, ordinary events. So, if you were me, what sort of music would you choose? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-music-would-you-add-to-silent-home-movies/496808/2 "2009-05-18T02:48:19Z")
[Yakety Sax](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ&feature=related) … but that’s just me … . 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-music-would-you-add-to-silent-home-movies/496808/3 "2009-05-18T02:54:15Z")
Nope, not just you at all. \>_\> \<_\< ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-music-would-you-add-to-silent-home-movies/496808/4 "2009-05-18T03:00:20Z")
The best suggestion: Pick songs from artists that you grew up with as a family. Other suggestion: current music that describes the action on screen. I made a video for my SO’s daughter’s bat mitzvah and took pictures and videos and picked songs that I thought fit the scene. Some of the tracks I chose: Poi Dog Pondering “Angelika Suspended” (Beautiful instrumental) Shawn Colvin “This Must Be The Place” Cat Stevens “Child For A Day” ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-music-would-you-add-to-silent-home-movies/496808/5 "2009-05-18T03:38:04Z")
Terry Riley music. ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2009, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sort-of-music-would-you-add-to-silent-home-movies/496808/6 "2009-05-18T03:38:41Z")
I always thought the song from Super Mario World sounded like silent film music. Listen [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJmZyGKGgoE) starting at 01:17. It might get old after 3 hours so you should probably include some Megaman music too.