Week 5 - Film Score

 Scoring: The Heart of a Film

The relationship between sound design and music is a delicate mix that can define a film’s tone and emotional impact. Musical compositions have the power to linger — becoming synonymous with iconic moments and characters. Even a few notes from John Williams’ legendary “Star Wars” score can instantly transport us to a galaxy far, far away.

But film scoring goes beyond just the sweeping orchestral themes. Musical scores can define the personality of a film, which frees the composers to utilize any musical (or non-musical) instrument they can imagine to record. Music has the unique ability to tap into our emotions and has been described as “the art of sound in time.” 

This allows complex emotional journeys to be crafted to gently guide us through the narrative and amplify our connection to the characters’ struggles and triumphs.

It's hard to imagine what the most significant pieces of cinema would be like without the soundtracks that accompanied them. Would they have risen to such acclaim? Would they be the notable and respected works they're known as? The short answer is probably not. The use of music in film can be paramount to the finished product and, in some cases, can be even more memorable than the visual aspects.

The importance of the score

 George Lucas famously once said that "sound is 50 per cent of the movie-going experience." Music and sound will always help strengthen the emotional connection we have with a specific event or experience and impact the way we feel, so it's only natural that this builds a lasting impression within film.

The role of music in film can provide the viewer with cues on what's about to happen, the mood a particular scene should elicit, or how the protagonist and antagonist are feeling. The latter certainly helps with immersing the viewer and builds relatable characters they can empathise with – or despise. Depending on the type of film you're watching, be it a sci-fi movie alive with sharp strings reminiscent of Ennio Morricone's score for The Thing; a historical epic like Dunkirk with an ominous bass rumble that makes you physically tense up; or an animated family classic with journeying progressions like those found in Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, the execution of the score and the mood it evokes can ultimately enhance or change the way a scene is perceived.