Film Score Investigation

Why Music?

Music is an essential part of film. It can be used to set the tone for a scene or to drive the action. When used correctly in conjunction with visuals, music can transform the emotional experience of a film. Some of the most memorable moments of a film are because of the score. Film scores can be used to build tension, fear, or any emotion. For this investigation I will be learning about how to create a film score.

The Psychological Effect of Music

In Film 1 during our study of film history we discussed what is known as the Kuleshov effect. The Kuleshov effect is an analysis of how the audiences interpretation of an image changes in relation to the next image. So if you have a man with a neutral face and you cut to a hamburger and back to the man he looks hungry. Similarly, music creates a tone for the visuals presented to the audience. This tone is what allows the audience to understand the emotions they are intended to be feeling while viewing the film. A great example of this is in the Film Riot video below.

In the above clip the impact of the music on the viewer is made so very clear. The first piece of music gives off a sense of mystery and potentially an unseen danger. It creates interest for the audience as they wait to see what exactly is the source of mystery. Where is the character going? Who is the character? The second piece of music creates a sense of a deliberate journey. It seems like the character knows where he is going, this changes the audiences questions. Now we ask, what is the character after, instead of where is he going. Some of our questions however, do not change with the music. We might get a sense of who the character is with the music such as he is a hero, or he is lost, but we never know who is the hero or who is lost. This is where music meets it's limitations within the context of the visuals. The music can only guide the audience so far before the visuals are required to go any further.

Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann is one of the composers that inspires the way I would like to stylize my music. Some of my favorite soundtracks he has composed include the soundtrack to Psycho, Vertigo, and Taxi Driver. The way that Herrmann uses strings within his scores allows his soundtracks to be identified as his own. Another way that Herrmann makes effect soundtracks are with the ability to capture the tone of the picture. When you hear the music and watch the film there is a deliberate link. You can tell when there is a suspenseful scene or a romantic scene. This leads into music theory which is a whole other topic of research.

Music by Genre

Film scores are grounded within the genre they occupy. For my next film project I am working on a Sci-Fi film and would like to try creating the score. When it comes to Sci-Fi scores there is a high use of arpeggiators. Switching on an arpeggiator tells the synth to ‘listen’ to the notes being played. Then, it creates a pattern (an arpeggio, typically) using these notes, played at a set master tempo – all that is required of the player is to hold the notes. Or, if the arpeggiator has a ‘latch’ function activated, just hit the chord once, and the pattern will continue to play until another note, or chord is hit. This allows for very futuristic sounding simple rhythms. When used together with the sociological implications of certain cords, rhythms, or instruments specific emotions can be triggered. These are linked to the psychological effects of music and how we perceive what we hear in an emotional context. 

Mon- presentations

Tues- presentations

Weds- presentations

Thurs- presentations

Fri- brainstormed script w/Andrew