Film Music is a type of Descriptive Music that represents a mood, story, scene or character through music; it is designed to support the action and emotions of the film on screen.
Music is an important part of film. Film music serves to:
- establish atmosphere, time and place
- move the action forward
- describe character
- accompany scene changes
- add to the dramatic impact
- provide continuity across edits
What? Music created specifically for use in a film.
Where? All over the world
When? The first film with sound was 1927
Who? John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Ennio Morricone
Film Music is a type of Descriptive Music that represents a mood, story, scene or character through music; it is designed to support the action and emotions of the film on screen.
Mickey Mousing
This is known as MICKEY-MOUSING and is used especially in animated films, cartoons and comedy films and is where the music mimics every small movement reinforcing or illustrating the action e.g. sliding trombones as characters journey up and down in a lift, a descending chromatic scale as a character goes down a set of stairs. Timing is crucial when using Mickey-Mousing and Film Music composers often use CLICK TRACKS to help them time their music exactly. Frequent effects used by Film Music composers to create or enhance a mood include:
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Leitmotif
A frequently recurring short melodic or harmonic idea which is associated with a character, event, concept, idea, object or situation which be used directly or indirectly to remind us of one not actually present on screen. Leitmotifs can be changed (sequencing, repetition, modulation) giving a hint as to what will happen later in the film or may be heard in the background giving a “subtle hint” to the viewer/listener. A frequently recurring short melodic or harmonic idea which is associated with a character, event, concept, idea, object or situation which be used directly or indirectly to remind us of one not actually present on screen. Leitmotifs can be changed (sequencing, repetition, modulation) giving a hint as to what will happen later in the film or may be heard in the background giving a “subtle hint” to the viewer/listener. A frequently recurring short melodic or harmonic idea which is associated with a character, event, concept, idea, object or situation which be used directly or indirectly to remind us of one not actually present on screen. Leitmotifs can be changed (sequencing, repetition, modulation) giving a hint as to what will happen later in the film or may be heard in the background giving a “subtle hint” to the viewer/listener. |