Transcript Film Music

Film Music
What are we going to learn?

Learn about different film composers.

Learn how to compose different types of
music for different films.

Learn about features of film music.
We can find two types of sounds:
FILMS SCORES & SOUNDTRACKS
1. Film scores:
 All
the music in a film, including songs,
underscore and sound effects.
 Underscore: the music in a film that you
don’t always notice – it builds atmosphere
and timbre.
 Sound effects: Are sometimes part of the
music, to make it sound more dramatic.
A Film Score is different to a soundtrack
2. Soundtrack:
 May
have songs in that aren’t just written for
the film.
 They might have been released before by
other artists.
 Quentin Tarantino uses soundtracks, not film
scores e.g. Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs.
 Moulin Rouge uses a soundtrack.
Danny Elfman has written Film Scores for:
Danny Elfman
He is American.
 He composes for Tim Burton films

Danny Elfman has received:

Grammy for Batman music.

Emmy for Desperate Housewives music.

4 Academy Award nominations.
Hans Zimmer
Hans Zimmer
Born in Germany, moved to London as a
teenager.
 Used to write jingles for some adverts.
 Was in a band called Buggles, playing the
keyboard.
 Famous for using traditional orchestra
instruments with electronic sounds.

Hans Zimmer
Composed over 100 film scores.
 7 Academy Awards.
 7 Grammy Awards.
 9 Golden Globe Awards.

How do you compose to film music?
Once a draft of the film has been done,
the composer is given a rough cut
 Spotting: discussion with the director
about each scene, genres, styles of music,
and the atmosphere and emotion in each
scene, and what the director wants
 Once the composer has the whole film, he
can then write the film score

MIDI Mock Up: Film composers use
computers to compose – they can mark
the time of each important thing that
happens in the scene and match it along
with the film, to see if the music suits.
 Once the music is complete, an orchestra
is hired to perform and record the music
in a studio, normally with the composer
conducting.
 There is a big screen with the scene on
behind the orchestra, so the composer can
time the music perfectly.

Different types of music in film
scenes…
Diegetic music: when you are watching
a scene where a piano is being played, the
characters can hear it, and you can hear
it.
 Non-diegetic music: when there is music
in the scene that the characters can’t
hear, and you can’t see it being played.

HOMEWORK
Can you guess what films these are
from?
Tracks:
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Can you guess what films these are
from?
Tracks:
1.
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3.
4.
5.
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PROJECT WORK

Research either Hans Zimmer or Danny
Elfman and design a poster to show
information about him, music he has
done, and your opinion of the films he has
composed to, and the music.