NM3620 Assignment 1 – Research Essay
Luke O’Meara
What makes a good film score?
There are plenty of memorable films out there; films that are remembered due to a great cast of actors, an excellent storyline or amazing filmography, however there aren’t nearly so many films that are remembered for their soundtracks. While film music absolutely adds to the overall feel of the simultaneous onscreen occurrences, it is rare to come across movie themes that would be recognisable when separated from their visual counterparts. This being said, occasionally a film score is written that manages to hold its own as a stand-alone piece of music, and becomes as memorable as the movie itself. The question is what are the defining factors that separate these…show more content… As previously mentioned the recording itself is short and sharp, without repeating any of its sections at all, however these exciting, up-tempo musical phrases are utilised many times throughout the movies, making a perfect and instantly recognisable fit to the multitude of action sequences throughout the film series.
When writing music for film, the purpose of the score is to support the visual aspect of the movie, as well as the diegetic audio elements. This is often done in such a way where the music goes relatively unnoticed as an additional factor, and isn’t remembered by the viewer as a pleasant experience, or even an experience at all!
What sets the great examples of film music apart from these effective but unremarkable soundtracks is actually very simple: (besides the obvious spectacular musicianship) the implementation of a ‘hook’, or chorus-like section into the piece that will stick into the minds of the viewers. It is when the scores are written to function and be interpreted as an actual piece of music that the soundtrack (and the film itself) really begin to shine, as opposed to merely having the soundtrack there to be only a supporting factor. The famous musical themes from The Lord of the