Functions of Film Music

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

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.

Example from Sense and Sensibility;

score by Patrick Doyle

Score As the Basis for a

Film

Most complex and rare

use of film music in
which the narrative is
completed through the
use of music
Example:

Close Encounters of the

Third KindJohn Williams
The five-note motif is an
essential narrative feature
without which the film
cannot stand.

Main Title & Character Music

Music during the opening credits that

represents the essence of a film and its
characters.
Example:

VertigoBernard Herrmann.

To Provide a Touch of
Realism
Music can be used to identify
ethnicity, location, and period
Examples

BraveheartJames Horner
The Age of InnocenceElmer Bernstein

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.

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 Goldsmiths score to
Planet of the Apes.
These scores require quick and
fluctuating music gestures.

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
characters development
Example:

Star WarsJohn Williams

The score as commentary

Overture

To describe a location

Acts as both an introduction to and summary of

the film
Example: Much Ado About NothingPatrick Doyle
Enables a place/location to become subjectivized
Example: Legends of the FallJames Horner

To show character development

Luke Skywalkers 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

Extra-musical Functions

Commercial functions
Concert suites
Soundtracks
Songs that enhance a films visibility

The impact of the success of [Dimitri]

Tiomkins 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)

SummaryFilm 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

To provide unity or coherence

Source music
To play against the action
To speed up or slow down scenes
To provide a neutral background

Operational aspects of the

Film Music Industry
Producer
Director
Film editor

Assembly cut
Rough cut
Outs and trims
Fine or locked cut
Answer print

The music

Temp track
Spotting the film
People

Composer
Orchestrator
Copyist
Librarian
Contractor
Studio Musicians
Music supervisor
Agents
Publicists

Developing the Concept for

the score
Consider the films historical period
Location and ethnic background of
the movie
Major characters of the film
Overall dramatic theme

Synchronization methods
Punch and streamer
Newman system
Stopwatch method
Click track method
SMPTE
Wild recording
Tracking