Lecture 2

Key Terms and Concepts:

Diegesis:

• The world of the narrative. All characters, events, etc depicted,
  suggested, or described.

Diegetic Music:

• music whose source is within the Diegesis.
• heard both by the characters within the narrative and the film
  audience.
• also known as “source music,” “direct music,” or “foreground
  music.”
• Functions include: establishing time and place, creating a sense
  of “realism and immediacy,” offering ironic comment.
  Nondiegetic Music:
• heard by the film audience only.
• Referred to as the “score,” “underscore,” or “background music.
• Normally originally composed for the specific film (original
  score).
• May also included pieces of preexisting music selected to
  accompany the scene.
• Example of preexisting music: Platoon (1986) Composer: George
  Deleure, also includes Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings (1938).
  Also used in The Elephant Man (1980) and Sicko (2007).

Example: **Platoon (1986) Using the “Adagio For Strings” by Samuel Barber

Adapted Score: all preexisting music “adapted” for the film. Example: The Sting (1973) Music of Scott Joplin, adapted by Marvin Hamlisch.

Compiled Score: all preexisting music, used without adaptation. 2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968), Compiled from the works of R. Strauss, J Strauss, etc…

Describing the Music:

Style:

• what type of music has the composer chosen?
• what type of instruments?
• how do these choices relate to the film as a whole? Example:
• Restoration (1995) Composer: James Newton Howard.
  • Score is part original part adapted, based on the work of Henry Purcell
• Local Hero (1983) Composer: Mark Knopfler.
  • Knopfler developed melodies similar to Anglo Celtic folk music

The Godfather(1972) Composer: Nino Rota

use of trumpet represents loneliness, sad, then we hear classical sicillian music played at their wedding.

Concept: - Is the music consistent, if not why did it change? - What happens when the music stops - When does it happen?

Conceptual Approaches: Most film music will fall somewhere between two extremes: 1. Playing the Drama - music attempts to reinfore primarilyemotional elements within the narrative. 2. Hitting the Action - music accents visual events - happens in the cartoon (warner brothers)

How To Train Your Dragon(2010) Composer: John Powell

big action scene, sweeping theme, hits the action occasionally. music catches when toothless bumps in the big rocks. Catching physical action. Moment when toothless and hiccup bonds.

Musical Characteristics:

1. Melody or Theme
   • pattern of notes that is the most prominent, most recognizable music element for western ears.
   • Do characters, objects or situations have a particular melody associated with them? YES
   • Often easy to hum
   • Richard Wagner: Leitmotive, linking themes to characters, always recognizable but changing with what’s hapening on screen. Theme is constantly changing in terms of the narrative. Can play with the scales, major, minor, subtle changes in instrumentation.

Star Wars(1977) Composer: John Williams Fantasy film? but set in a science ficiton setting Luke Skywalker theme

2. Tempo or Pulse:

   • How does the speed of the music influence the “tempo” of the narrative?
     • On-screen action, editing, sound design.
   • Ex: The Return of the King(2004)
     • Composer: Howard Shore
     • Nasty harsh cloud song, gets louder and louder.
     • Interesting editing with battle scene intertwined with boy humming song/singing, plus music building up

3. Harmony

   • Consonant/dissonant: Orderly/Chaotic: Tonal/Atonal
     • dissonant music can be very structured
   • Stuff underneath, can have big impact on how it makes us feel.
   • The major scale
     • more away from major scale is atonal…
   • Highly Consonant: Main Theme from Cider House Rules (1999):
     • Composer: Rachel Portman
   • Blend of Consonant and Dissonanat: Yes from Meet Joe Black (1998)
     • Composer: Thomas Newman
     • Mysterious sounding track
     • Starts from major scale and goes to minor then comes back. Lack of stability. Not scary but mysterious. That’s what happens when you move away from consonant to dissonant.
   • Dissonant: Bishop’s Countdown from Aliens (1986)
     • Composer: James Horner