Film Music

1
Film Music

• Year 8 Module 4

2
Can you guess what films these are from?

• Tracks
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.

3
Learning Outcomes from this Module

• Learn about different film composers
• Learn how to compose different types of music for
  different films
• Learn about features of film music

4
Danny Elfman
5
Danny Elfman

• Has written film scores
• All the music in a film, including songs and
  underscore
• Underscore the music in a film that you dont
  always notice it builds atmosphere and timbre
• Sound effects Are sometimes part of the music,
  to make it sound more dramatic

6
A Film Score is different to a soundtrack

• Soundtrack
• May have songs in that arent 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

7
Danny Elfman

• American
• Composes for Tim Burton films

8
Danny Elfman

• Grammy for Batman music
• Emmy for Desperate Housewives music
• 4 Academy Award nominations

9
Danny Elfman

• Both parents were teachers
• Grew up in LA
• Dropped out of high school
• Travelled to France busking, then to Africa
• Caught malaria
• Was in a rock group called Oingo Boingo lead
  singer until they broke up
• Now has impaired hearing because of the loud
  music from his rock band

10
Danny Elfman

• Just finished the music to Tim Burtons Alice in
  Wonderland, releasing in March 2010
• Opening titles to video game Fable and Fable II
• Soundtrack to 2008 Lego Batman game

11
How is the music similar?

• Simpsons and Desperate Housewives
• Both have very full textures (lots happening at
  the same time)
• Both quite fast
• Fit in well with what is happening on screen
• Both sound very heavenly and dreamlike
• Lots of percussion in both (xylophone,
  glockenspiel, snare drum, cymbals, triangle, etc.)

12
How is it different to Men in Black?

• MiB has no melody line
• MiB fits on-screen well, but is less interesting
  without the visual image
• Less happening all at the same time, thinner
  textures
• The atmosphere is different, changing the timbre
  how?

13
What are we learning today?

• How film composers begin composing to films
• History of Hans Zimmer, film composer
• Understanding how to apply film music knowledge
  to a film itself

14
HOMEWORK

• Research either Hans Zimmer or Danny Elfman,
  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.
• DUE IN TUESDAY 17TH MARCH

15
Can you guess what films these are from?

• Tracks
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.

16
Who composed to these films/TV shows?
DANNY ELFMAN
17
Hans Zimmer
18
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

19

• 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.

20
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

21
Hans Zimmer

• Composed over 100 film scores
• 7 Academy Awards
• 7 Grammy Awards
• 9 Golden Globe Awards

22
Hans Zimmer

• How does Pirates of the Caribbean and Lion King
  sound similar?

23
Can you guess what films these are from?

• Tracks
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.

24
Quentin Tarantino
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
What composer did all of these films?

• The Simpsons
• Desperate Housewives
• Spiderman 2
• Men in Black
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• The Corpse Bride
• Nightmare Before Christmas

DANNY ELFMAN
28
John Williams
29
(No Transcript)
30
(No Transcript)
31
What composer did music to these films?

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Mission Impossible 2
• The Dark Knight
• Kung Fu Panda
• The Simpsons Movie
• Shark Tale
• Thunderbirds
• Madagascar and Madagascar2

HANS ZIMMER
32
Can you guess what films these are from?

• Tracks
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
• 5.

33
James Horner
34
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 cant hear, and you
  cant see it being played.

35
James Horner

• Born in LA
• Uses lots of Celtic musical elements, like using
  the recorder, tin whistle and turns
• Began playing the piano at 5 years old
• Accused for stealing music from other composers
  works, as well as reusing his own work in
  different films

36
James Horner

• Composed the music for the new film Avatar
  (release date 2009)
• 2 Academy Awards
• 3 Grammy Awards
• 2 Golden Globe Awards
• 3 Satellite Awards

37
What are the Similarities and differences in The
Spiderwick Chronicles and Titanic

• Tempo
• Dynamics
• Texture
• Pitch
• Instruments
• Anything else

38
Which composer did music to these films?

• The Spiderwick Chronicles
• The Legend of Zorro
• Troy
• Titanic
• Jumanji

JAMES HORNER
39
Jerry Goldsmith
40
What composer has done the music to these films?

• Jaws
• Star Wars
• Superman
• ET
• Harry Potter
• Home Alone
• Hook

JOHN WILLIAMS
41
Howard Shore
42
Which composer did the music to these films?

• The Lord of the Rings
• King Kong

HOWARD SHORE
43
Which composer did the music to these films?

• Star Trek
• Bad Girls
• Kingdom of Heaven

JERRY GOLDSMITH