Functions of Music
Music in the opening of a movie or during a transitional scene often fulfills this function
Creating a Sense of Time and Place
We watched a clip with no music. What movie/scene was it? AND
How did the silence impact the overall scene?
The throne scene at the end of star wars where they received medals
The silence made it ineffective and awkward
What does a composer do AND what is their work called?
Writes the music for a movie/tv show, the music is the score
What is musical analysis?
Analyzing multiple elements to understand what the music (score) is trying to tell us
Why doesn’t John Williams like to read the script prior to watching the movie? What does he do instead?
He likes to watch the film and remember the moments that made him feel big emotions, and then match the music to those moments
Meaning of leitmotif
Bonus 100: what language is it based in?
a theme/song that is played for a specific character, idea, or situation that occurs frequently through the film.
Bonus: German
the conductor
What are the 3 big categories of musical analysis?
Instrumentation, Tonality, and Contrast
When music privileges the audience with information that the characters don't know yet
This function tells us about what goes on in a character's head
express a character's emotions
A leitmotif for love/relationships is used in this movie
Bonus 200: name the leitmotif
Up
Bonus: Ellie/Carl's theme
This person works to create after-filming sound effects and dubs for completed work
What do low brass instruments typically represent in Western Music?
Anger/frustrations
Villain/antagonists
Low drones build suspense
What is the foley process? (simplified)
2. Think about the intended mood
3. Plan how to create sound effects that match the mood
This function is the hardest to determine. It is more about telling the audience something than interact with characters in the scene
create a mood or atmosphere
This character's theme was used in many different situations, and attempted to show 2 sides of him- a more soft, "good" side, and a colder, more "intense" side
the Mandalorian
This composer researched and used not only traditional instruments/music from a culture, but also hired real performers to record music for a film to respect the culture he was portraying. Who is it and what movie?
Ludwig Goranssön- Black Panther
Dynamics, tempo, and melody are all types of what category of musical analysis?
Contrast
What is an example of a movie where musical foreshadowing is used a lot?
the Harry Potter movies
Source music
Bonus 100: What is a famous example?
music that is heard by the characters and audience
Bonus: Cantina Band
What score did we listen to when discussing musical contrast in melodies? The example included 2 versions of one theme that showed 2 opposite emotions
The Lord of the Rings Score
This composer has worked on at least 120 films, including other random credits such as the Olympic Fanfare and an ESPn football theme
John Williams
Name 2 musical modes AND what they typically sound like/remind us of (in western music)
Ionian- Happy (major), Dorian- Jazzy, Phrygian- Exotic/dark
Lydian- Hopeful/dreamy, Mixolydian- Blues/poppy
Aeolian- Sad (minor), Locrian- Tense/evil/unstable
According to Kurt London, what was the original purpose of music in movies?
To cover up the sound of the loud projecter