In a world where sequels are often met with a healthy dose of skepticism, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice emerges like a breath of fresh—and delightfully bizarre—air! Debuting a staggering 36 years after Tim Burton’s original cult classic, this legacy sequel not only revisits nostalgia but adeptly tips its hat to one of the most unforgettable scenes of the past. Who could forget that spine-chilling yet catchy needle drop moment? It’s a curious question: how can something as seemingly trivial as a piece of music transform a scene from mundane to memorable?
Needle drops are no cakewalk for screenwriters; they’re challenging to weave into the narrative without seeming forced. Yet, this new installment proves that, when wielded skillfully, music can elevate the storytelling experience to unprecedented heights. Buckle up as we explore the art of integrating these auditory cues, and maybe even inspire you to drop some musical magic into your own screenplay! LEARN MORE
One of the most memorable moments in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the legacy sequel that debuts 36 years after Tim Burton’s 1988 Beetlejuice, is the homage to the terrifyingly iconic needle drop in the first film.
Needle drops are not an easy thing for screenwriters to incorporate into their screenplays. Most people would suggest that writers avoid adding any music to their scripts for several logistical reasons. But music has its place and a purpose, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice shows us how to use needle drops with near perfection.
What Is a Needle Drop?
A needle drop refers to music that is dropped into a scene. The term is a reference to a record player’s needle dropping onto a record, but it has quickly become a powerful tool for filmmakers. The emotions and associations that an audience has with a particular song can enhance the overall tone of a particular scene.
The music can play at a specific moment in the story to highlight the importance of a moment in the screenplay. It can serve as a nod to certain themes, act as a bit of world-building, or be used to develop characters.
There are a few ways songs can be incorporated into movies, with many needle drops being diegetic music, or in the scene for the characters to hear and interact with. This means that music can be playing in headphones, in the background at a party, or—in the case of the Beetlejuice moments—as a tongue-in-cheek way to possess humans.
Read More: 5 Trademarks of Spike Jonze’s Films, TV Series, & Music Videos
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ Uses the Needle Drop Masterfully
With any legacy sequel, the most iconic moments from the first film will be replicated. One of those scenes borrowed and reused in a new way is the “Day-O” dinner scene in Beetlejuice. The moment is so memorable that the song returns in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice for a funeral.
[embedded content]
In an interview with Pitchfork, screenwriter Larry Wilson, who wrote the original story with the late novelist Michael McDowell, said Warren Skaaren, who did rewrites on the screenplay, came up with the possessed song-and-dance routine, writing in the 1939 R&B song “If I Didn’t Care” by the Ink Spots.
Hoping to add energy to the scene, Catherine O’Hara suggested using calypso music, and producers chose Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” because it was what the production could afford.
The result was something comedically horrifying that ended with practical demonic shrimp coming to life, delivering one of the more unexpected scares of Beetlejuice.
While “Day-O” returns for a more sentimental needle-drop moment in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the most notable needle drop comes when the demonic trickster Betelgeuse (Michael Keaton) convinces Lydia (Winona Ryder) to marry him (again). A towering cake is rolled out, with slimy green icing and Lydia and Betelgeuse figures. Being a bit of a groomzilla, Betelgeuse possesses the wedding party to sing “MacArthur’s Park,” which is played to reference the putrid-looking cake and “all the sweet, green icing flowing down.”
The song is a brilliant choice that plays into the on-screen physical comedy.
The nonsensical sequence sets the tone for the wedding from hell, paying homage and playing into the sadistic humor that is a trademark of Betelgeuse.
‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ (2024)
How (and When) to Write Music Into a Screenplay
While music choices are not often something screenwriters have a say in, there is a time and place to bake certain songs into the screenplay.
Like most screenplay techniques, there are a few ways to format music into the screenplay.
The first way is by creating a new line of action and writing “MUSIC CUE:” in all in all capitalized letters. The name of the song will be in quotation marks followed by the name of the artist.
A great screenplay to check out to see how music is formatted in a screenplay is Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, which not only shows you how to format music, but how to use it in a scene to build tone, set the pace of the sequence, or develop character.
‘Baby Driver’ (2017)
Why Should You Include Music Cues in Your Screenplay?
There are several ways to ensure that the music you write into your screenplay is essential. One is to make sure the music enhances the scene and contributes something meaningful. This could involve playing into a visual gag, as seen in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, having a character blasting music while committing a violent crime, like in Reservoir Dogs, or having your characters dance to the song, as in Saturday Night Fever.
The beauty of music and film as visual mediums is that they work hand-in-hand to create emotional moments for the audience. However, if you choose to add music, it must be essential to the scene.
If you’re unsure about adding a needle drop, you can always take a page from Quentin Tarantino’s playbook by specifying a genre of music rather than a specific song. This allows readers, directors, and producers the freedom to imagine a song that suits the scene, rather than being tied to one you’ve selected.
Tarantino’s screenplays are also masterclasses in music. While he doesn’t often choose specific songs for his screenplays, he opts for a style of music. In Django Unchained, Tarantino sets the tone of the film’s opening with “SPAGHETTI WESTERN THEME SONG.”
‘Django Unchained’ (2012)
Readers can interpret the music they hear because they understand the genre’s role in the scene.
Writing music into a screenplay can be tricky for various reasons, most of them logistical. One potential issue is the possibility of running into legal complications when it comes to copyright. Another is that the director ultimately decides whether or not to include a particular song.
But when needle drops work, they really work.
—
Music has been responsible for creating some of the most iconic scenes in cinema and is an essential part of life. Needle drops can greatly underscore tone and help engage an audience in a scene. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice knows how to deliver music in a way that feels wholly unique and essential to the comedy of the story.
Don’t be afraid to drop the needle and add another layer of depth to your story now that you know how to format music into your screenplay!
Read More: How to Use Music to Write Better Screenplays
