Transcript Functions of Film Music - University of Richmond

Functions of Film Music
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Source Music
Score upon which an entire film is based
Main title and character music
To provide a touch of realism
Underscore
“Mickey-mousing”
Commentary
To involve the viewer on a deeper level
Commercial functions
Source Music--diegetic
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Music whose source is logically
located within the story space.
Source music is generally inserted
into a scene, making the characters
and the scene aware of it.
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Example from Sense and Sensibility;
score by Patrick Doyle
Score As the Basis for a
Film
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Most complex and rare
use of film music in
which the narrative is
completed through the
use of music
Example:
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Close Encounters of the
Third Kind—John Williams
The five-note motif is an
essential narrative feature
without which the film
cannot stand.
Main Title & Character Music
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Music during the opening credits that
represents the essence of a film and its
characters.
Example:
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Vertigo—Bernard Herrmann.
To Provide a Touch of
Realism
Music can be used to identify
ethnicity, location, and period
 Examples
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Braveheart—James Horner
 The Age of Innocence—Elmer Bernstein
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Non-diegetic Underscore
Parallels the action of the film as a
frame-by-frame musical match with
the visuals;
 Gives the viewer only what is
already known by the visuals;
 Some film scores are entirely
underscore, like The Rock.
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“Mickey-mouse” style
The meticulous, cue-by-cue scoring
of a film, ala cartoons
 Some feature film scores are
approached in this manner as well,
such as Jerry Goldsmith’s score to
Planet of the Apes.
 These scores require quick and
fluctuating music gestures.
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Leitmotif
The association of a character with a
specific melody or motif.
 Variations of the melody can be
used to show different facets of the
character’s development
 Example:
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Star Wars—John Williams
The score as commentary
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Overture
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To describe a location
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Acts as both an introduction to and summary of
the film
Example: Much Ado About Nothing—Patrick Doyle
Enables a place/location to become subjectivized
Example: Legends of the Fall—James Horner
To show character development
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Luke Skywalker’s development
To Add Emotional Depth
Music can intensify and relax the
pace of a film;
 Music can add emotional depth to
characters, places, and ideas;
 The cultural codes that musics carry
can add layers of subtextual
meaning
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Extra-musical Functions
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Commercial functions
Concert suites
 Soundtracks
 Songs that enhance a film’s visibility
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• “The impact of the success of [Dimitri]
Tiomkin’s song to High Noon on a
financially strapped film industry was
immediate. Producers saw in the success
of Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling, a
means of making additional money from
their films.” (Roy Prendergast)
Summary—Film music
functions
To intensify or relax pace
 To reflect emotion
 To create “unspoken” thoughts
 To parallel or underscore the action
 To create atmosphere of time and
place
 To create comedy
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To provide unity or coherence
 Source music
 To play against the action
 To speed up or slow down scenes
 To provide a neutral background
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Operational aspects of the
Film Music Industry
Producer
 Director
 Film editor
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Assembly cut
 Rough cut
 Outs and trims
 Fine or locked cut
 Answer print
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The music
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Temp track
Spotting the film
People
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Composer
Orchestrator
Copyist
Librarian
Contractor
Studio Musicians
Music supervisor
Agents
Publicists
Developing the Concept for
the score
Consider the film’s historical period
 Location and ethnic background of
the movie
 Major characters of the film
 Overall dramatic theme
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Synchronization methods
Punch and streamer
 Newman system
 Stopwatch method
 Click track method
 SMPTE
 Wild recording
 Tracking
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