--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A good movie with bad music can kill a…" description: "\"A good movie with bad music can kill a great dramatic scene.\" — Joel Surnow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/joel-surnow-56035_bad-music_a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-g_2326882.png" --- # A good movie with bad music can kill a great dramatic scene. ![“A good movie with bad music can kill a great dramatic scene.” quote by Joel Surnow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/joel-surnow-56035_bad-music_a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-g_2326882.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/joel-surnow-56035_bad-music_a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-g_2326882.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/joel-surnow-56035_bad-music_a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-g_2326882.png) > “A good movie with bad music can kill a great dramatic scene.” [Joel Surnow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A film’s impact can be ruined by poor music, which undermines dramatic tension and audience immersion. **In simple terms:** Bad music can ruin a great scene. Key Takeaway Prioritize quality sound design. Themes art music cinema Mood critical reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - film production - advertising - theatre - streaming Key Concepts aesthetic harmony production value Questions to Reflect On - How does music affect your emotions? - Can a scene succeed without music? A Different Perspective Music may be subjective; some may still enjoy the scene. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-music/) [Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [From the director's point of view, it's infinitely easier to do violence than to do a good dramatic scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-cukor/from-the-director-s-point-of-view-it-s-infinitely-easier-to-do/) [George Cukor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-cukor/) > [When you're working on a scene, both in the script phase and also in the moment, you look around and you wait for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kurtzman/when-you-re-working-on-a-scene-both-in-the-script-phase-and-also-in/) [Alex Kurtzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kurtzman/) > [Like behind the car or in the pub, to do a scene, a proper nice dramatic scene, it's always a treat. And they're usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/like-behind-the-car-or-in-the-pub-to-do-a-scene-a-proper-nice/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [“The ultimate weapon is Lady Gaga’s music. Why kill the enemy when you can play her music and they’ll want to kill themselves?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-ultimate-weapon-is-lady-gaga-s-music-why-kill-the-enemy-when-you/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I'm a huge Woody Allen fan. Good movie, bad movie, it doesn't matter - I just like his movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-penn/i-m-a-huge-woody-allen-fan-good-movie-bad-movie-it-doesn-t-matter-i/) [Sean Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-penn/) > [It's possible for me to make a bad movie out of a good script, but I can't make a good movie from a bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/it-s-possible-for-me-to-make-a-bad-movie-out-of-a-good-script-but-i/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [You can't make a good movie with a bad script, no matter who's involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/you-can-t-make-a-good-movie-with-a-bad-script-no-matter-who-s-involved/) [Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/) > [In my mind, there isn't as much of a distinction between documentary and fiction as there is between a good movie and a bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbas-kiarostami/in-my-mind-there-isn-t-as-much-of-a-distinction-between-documentary/) [Abbas Kiarostami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbas-kiarostami/) > [A script is just a script. A good script can be a bad movie, so easily. It's the process that makes it good. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/a-script-is-just-a-script-a-good-script-can-be-a-bad-movie-so-easily/) [Joel Surnow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/) > [I want to be in a Tim Burton movie so bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilla-crawford/i-want-to-be-in-a-tim-burton-movie-so-bad/) [Lilla Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilla-crawford/) > [I was just like, "I want to make a decent 2-D movie." I was so worried that, instead of being a decent 2-D movie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-abrams/i-was-just-like-i-want-to-make-a-decent-2-d-movie-i-was-so-worried/) [J. J. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-abrams/) > [If my life is a movie - in the movie, there's always the bad part. There's also the parts where you're down and out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kali-uchis/if-my-life-is-a-movie-in-the-movie-there-s-always-the-bad-part-there/) [Kali Uchis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kali-uchis/) > [I know people get so scared when they hear 'reshoots' or 'additional photography.' 'That means the movie is bad, and they need to fix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-vellani/i-know-people-get-so-scared-when-they-hear-reshoots-or-additional/) [Iman Vellani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-vellani/) > [You set out to tell a good story. You don't do it because there is a deep message involved, because the movie is almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lee-hancock/you-set-out-to-tell-a-good-story-you-don-t-do-it-because-there-is-a/) [John Lee Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lee-hancock/) > [For the most part, however, Lady in the Water comes across as a movie that's too bad to be good, and not bad enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-berardinelli/for-the-most-part-however-lady-in-the-water-comes-across-as-a-movie/) [James Berardinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-berardinelli/) ## More by Joel Surnow > [I went to the top of the mountain in television and could do anything I wanted, but I wanted to do an independent film,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/i-went-to-the-top-of-the-mountain-in-television-and-could-do-anything/) [Joel Surnow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/) > [A script is just a script. A good script can be a bad movie, so easily. It's the process that makes it good. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/a-script-is-just-a-script-a-good-script-can-be-a-bad-movie-so-easily/) [Joel Surnow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/) > [You have to live a life to become a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/you-have-to-live-a-life-to-become-a-writer/) [Joel Surnow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/) > [Sometimes the world is just out of our control and we like to blames ourselves so that we can make sense out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/sometimes-the-world-is-just-out-of-our-control-and-we-like-to-blames/) [Joel Surnow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/) > [One of the really nice things about having the time to do a movie is that you can fine tune it. With TV, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/one-of-the-really-nice-things-about-having-the-time-to-do-a-movie-is/) [Joel Surnow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/) [Explore all 6 Joel Surnow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/) ## More Bad music quotes > [In a way, to have whatever people talk about as "crossover success," I think it means you start making bad music. I mean, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/in-a-way-to-have-whatever-people-talk-about-as-crossover-success-i/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [If one plays good music, people don't listen and if one plays bad music people don't talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-one-plays-good-music-people-don-t-listen-and-if-one-plays-bad/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“There's work to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alien-ant-farm/there-s-work-to-do/) Alien Ant Farm > [You know what, the drummer is my manager. He's busy. And I'm busy. I don't need the dough, though. But having said that, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-mann/you-know-what-the-drummer-is-my-manager-he-s-busy-and-i-m-busy-i-don/) [Aimee Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-mann/) > [I like to make films, but the only reason I do is because I'm a very bad musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-like-to-make-films-but-the-only-reason-i-do-is-because-i-m-a-very/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Pop music is a difficult term to define. I think about good music and bad music. Good music is good music whatever origin it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-persson/pop-music-is-a-difficult-term-to-define-i-think-about-good-music-and/) [Nina Persson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-persson/) > [Music is neither old nor modern: it is either good or bad music, and the date at which it was written has no significance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-warlock/music-is-neither-old-nor-modern-it-is-either-good-or-bad-music-and/) [Peter Warlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-warlock/) > [Bad music disturbs me, but wonderful music disturbs me even more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arturo-benedetti-michelangeli/bad-music-disturbs-me-but-wonderful-music-disturbs-me-even-more/) Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli > [“Dear Daniel, How do you break up with your boyfriend in a way that tells him, "I don't want to sleep with you on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/dear-daniel-how-do-you-break-up-with-your-boyfriend-in-a-way-that/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [“I am not a music snob. If anything, my musical taste is bad by any critical standards. My favorite song of all time is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/i-am-not-a-music-snob-if-anything-my-musical-taste-is-bad-by-any/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [A good composer is slowly discovered and a bad composer is slowly found out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-newman/a-good-composer-is-slowly-discovered-and-a-bad-composer-is-slowly/) [Ernest Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-newman/) > [Life is too short to listen to bad music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itmse867/life-is-too-short-to-listen-to-bad-music/) Itmse867 > [I've always believed in good music over bad music. I believe in two sorts of musics. And the lines that separate us, I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/i-ve-always-believed-in-good-music-over-bad-music-i-believe-in-two/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [My friends and I have often discussed the plausibility of a connection between qualitatively bad music and quantifiably successful music, often citing the example…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/my-friends-and-i-have-often-discussed-the-plausibility-of-a/) [Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/) > [If a man tells me he likes Mozart, I know in advance that he is a bad musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-delius/if-a-man-tells-me-he-likes-mozart-i-know-in-advance-that-he-is-a-bad/) [Frederick Delius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-delius/) [Browse all 76 Bad music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-music/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A good movie with bad music can kill a great dramatic scene.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joel Surnow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-great-dramatic-scene/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad music" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-great-dramatic-scene/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/joel-surnow-56035_bad-music_a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-g_2326882.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/joel-surnow-56035_bad-music_a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-g_2326882.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/joel-surnow-56035_bad-music_a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-g_2326882.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A good movie with bad music can kill a great dramatic scene.” — Joel Surnow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joel Surnow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-surnow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A good movie with bad music...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-great-dramatic-scene/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-surnow/a-good-movie-with-bad-music-can-kill-a-great-dramatic-scene/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```