Psychology of film score

HOW FILM SCORE PLAY WITH OUR BRAINS

How does music contribute to the emotional weight of a scene ?
Music is one of the most important aspects of a movie.

• It can alter the mood of a scene
• It conveys certain emotions or ideas.

Difference between SOUNDTRACK and SCORE

SOUNDTRACK: It contains songs independent from the movie itself that were not made only for the movie.

SCORE: It is written specifically for what is happening on a screen.

Forrest Gump soundtrack is not associated with some of the movie scenes. It also has a film score written ONLY  for the movie.

You should compare final cuts of movies with the intended film score and the cuts with the removed or edited music.

Ex.:  PSYCHO (shower scene)

        Try to watch it without the screeching sound of the violin (stress, danger).

         It's less frightening, right ?

SILENT ERA

Silent movies used to be accompanied with a LIVE piano player who would play along with the movie. Back then music was only played to avoid silence in the theatre.

VILLAIN = diminished minor chord

                     eerie, unnerving

HERO = uplifting anthems 

CHASING SCENES = fast tempo

SAD = slow, somber 

These early psychological musical techniques set the standard for film scores in MODERN cinema.

General ideas of silent film piano accompany have remained the same.

JAWS: hearing music before seeing any danger.

            ANTICIPATION makes the scene even scarier ----> SUSPENSE

            DISORDER OF THE MUSIC = TERROR

Aaron Copland and the 5 ways of scores served the screen:

1.  Create a more convincing atmosphere of time and space. Every movie genre has its own music style.  Ex.: WESTERN 
2. Music can underline psychological refinements, unspoken thoughts or unseen danger get shown or reinforced through music. We may not see the danger, but the music reminds us is there.
3. Build a sense of continuity. If the music between shots or scenes is the same, we relate those scenes to each other(montages, flashbacks).  Ex.: Catch me if you can where the muse is the cue that the chase is on.
4. Give a sense of finality. Copeland notes that this takes place usually at the end of the film or after some major triumphs.
5. Copeland says that sometimes music is just there to fill the silence. This is probably the hardest score to do because audience should not notice it. 

Ex.: A Clockwork Orange

       Kubrick has uplifting orchestra music play while extreme acts of violence appear on screen.

       Classical music with destruction = TENSION, UNEASE.

Sometimes directors choose not to use any music.

Ex.: No country for old men

       Scene of strangle: you hear nothing but a man struggling for his life.

       

Saving Private Ryan

       Storming if the beach scene overwhelms the senses with the sound of gunshots, explosions and

       cries for help.