1. 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

2. 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

3. 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 Kind—John Williams
The five-note motif is an essential narrative feature without which the film cannot stand.

4. Main Title & Character Music
Music during the opening credits that represents the essence of a film and its characters.
Example:
Vertigo—Bernard Herrmann.

5. To Provide a Touch of Realism
Music can be used to identify ethnicity, location, and period
Examples
Braveheart—James Horner
The Age of Innocence—Elmer Bernstein

6. 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.

7. “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 Goldsmith’s score to Planet of the Apes.
These scores require quick and fluctuating music gestures.

8. 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 character’s development
Example:
Star Wars—John Williams

9. The score as commentary
Overture
Acts as both an introduction to and summary of the film
Example: Much Ado About Nothing—Patrick Doyle
To describe a location
Enables a place/location to become subjectivized
Example: Legends of the Fall—James Horner
To show character development
Luke Skywalker’s development

10. 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

11. Extra-musical Functions
Commercial functions
Concert suites
Soundtracks
Songs that enhance a film’s visibility
“The impact of the success of [Dimitri] Tiomkin’s 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)

12. Summary—Film 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

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

14. Operational aspects of the Film Music Industry
Producer
Director
Film editor
Assembly cut
Rough cut
Outs and trims
Fine or locked cut
Answer print

15. The music Temp track Spotting the film People Composer Orchestrator
Copyist
Librarian
Contractor
Studio Musicians
Music supervisor
Agents
Publicists

16. Developing the Concept for the score
Consider the film’s historical period
Location and ethnic background of the movie
Major characters of the film
Overall dramatic theme

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